Sergio Mendes -- "Alibis"

(Not Available on iTunes)

(Debuted May 26, 1984, Peaked #29, 19 Weeks on the Chart)

Today is April Fool's Day, but I'm not the type to trick my readers. Instead, I'll present this song about a man who is saying he's not about to get fooled.

This song was a hit during the summer when I was 11 years old. At that age, the entire gist of the song went way over my head. How was I to know that the lyrics were spelling out the reasons a man knows he about to get dumped? For crying out loud, I didn't even know what an alibi was when I first heard the song. One day at the community swimming pool, one of the lifeguards sitting at the guard shack explained it while the song was playing on the radio.

I learned to really appreciate this song over the years. Despite a nice little groove, the lyrics are actually cynical. I've never determined whether the narrator was suspicious, paranoid or delusional. However, since we're only getting one side of the story in the song, that really isn't revealed. Later on, when I was in a relationship where I was slowly realizing that I was dealing with a cheater, the words made a lot more sense. After swinging between jealousy and despair, I finally came to my senses and realized she had two-timed me one time too many and I told her to have a great life.

I do remember something else about "Alibis" as well. I definitely remember watching the episode of Solid Gold that was the source of the YouTube video below. Sergio Mendes is actually the smiling guy behind the keyboard, and the vocals are done by Joe Pizzulo, who had also lent his voice to an earlier hit called "Never Gonna Let You Go."