Remember That 1970 Song About Cannibalism?

In 1970, Rupert Holmes was asked for a way to get notice for an unknown band from Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania. He said they should record a song that was guaranteed to get banned from radio, and he even wrote that song. The lyrics were a bit confusing at first, but if you listened closely, you understood that it was a tale of cannibalism. But the tune was very catchy, and "Timothy" by The Buoys got significant airplay before radio stations pulled it over the subject matter, which only made audiences more eager to hear it.  

Holmes explained that he had no idea the story in "Timothy" mimicked a real Pennsylvania mining disaster that occurred in 1963. The song was the only American Top 40 hit for The Buoys, although they had another song titled "Give Up Your Guns" that was a European hit. Rupert Holmes went on to record the #1 song "Escape (The Piña Colada Song)" in 1979. Holmes explains how he came up with the idea for "Timothy" and the scheme to get The Buoys on the charts at Mental Floss.