Musical Monday - Puttin' on the Ritz by Taco

#1 on the Billboard Hot 100: Never.

#1 on the Cash Box Top 100: September 17, 1983 through September 24, 1983.

#1 on the U.K. Chart: Never.

Every era has a hit that is both inexplicably and weirdly out of step with the pop culture of the era and simultaneously a prime example of the zeitgeist of the time. Taco's rendition of Puttin' on the Ritz is an example of this kind of song. An electronica cover version of a decades old song originally made popular by Fred Astaire and quite notably parodied in the movie Young Frankenstein, this was somehow both bizarrely out of step with the 1980s and also emblematic of the era. The fact that Taco himself appears to be channeling Tim Curry's Dr. Frank-n-Furter while cosplaying Astaire just makes this whole set-up seem both stranger and more comforting at the same time.

Previous Musical Monday: Maniac by Michael Sembello

Subsequent Musical Monday: Tell Her About It by Billy Joel

Previous #1 on the Cash Box Top 100: Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) by Eurythmics

Subsequent #1 on the Cash Box Top 100: The Safety Dance by Men Without Hats

List of #1 Singles from the Billboard Hot 100 for 1980-1989
List of #1 Singles from the Cash Box Top 100 for 1980-1989
List of #1 Singles on the U.K. Chart for 1980-1989

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