In 1979, Rupert Holmes wrote one of the catchiest songs of all time. Now, he can’t listen to it at all

Rupert Holmes says the fame of his 1979 hit, ‘Escape (The Piña Colada Song)’, has overshadowed his other work, despite its enduring popularity. The song’s appearance in *Shrek* illustrates how widely recognisable it remains, decades after becoming the final number-one single of the 1970s.

Holmes had never tried a Piña Colada when he wrote the song and said in 2019 that he still did not drink them. He has joked that even rescuing an orphanage might not stop people identifying him as the song’s writer, while acknowledging that every songwriter hopes to create a song many people know. Its tale of two partners answering personal ads and unexpectedly finding each other remains a light-hearted story about the value of simple ideas.