The Mind Behind 'Escape (The Piña Colada Song)' Crafted a Track About Cannibalism

Rupert Holmes is best known for his massive 1979 hit, 'Escape (The Piña Colada Song),' which might evoke cravings—especially if you enjoy the tropical drink or unexpected rain showers. However, the versatile artist, who excels as a singer, songwriter, playwright, and novelist, also created another peculiar '70s pop piece that could easily unsettle your stomach.

The track, titled 'Timothy,' was released in 1970 by the Pennsylvania-based rock group The Buoys. Holmes wrote both the music and the lyrics, which narrate a mining catastrophe culminating in cannibalism. Yes, you read that right: three friends are trapped underground, and one becomes a meal. This bizarre song, which climbed to No. 17 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1971, is eerily reminiscent of a real-life tragedy that occurred in The Buoys' home state.

Intentionally Banned

In 1970, Holmes, a 20-year-old session musician, took on various odd jobs in the music industry. His tasks ranged from organizing country artist Charlie Pride’s song collection to arranging 'Jingle Bell Rock' for marching bands. During this time, he befriended Michael Wright, a junior engineer at New York City’s Scepter Records. Wright had weekend access to the label’s studio and had stumbled upon a band from Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania, known as The Buoys.

Wright secured a one-single deal for the group with Scepter, but he was aware the label wouldn’t invest in promotion. With creative freedom, he sought Holmes’ input. Holmes proposed recording a track that would provoke radio bans. He believed controversy could work in their favor, and if the song failed, Wright could pitch the band to other labels by claiming censorship had stifled their potential hit. Wright agreed and tasked Holmes with writing a song designed to be banned.

What followed was a stroke of luck. Holmes was arranging the Tennessee Ernie Ford classic 'Sixteen Tons' for singer Andy Kim while watching the cooking show The Galloping Gourmet on TV. The lyrics 'Some people say a man is made out of mud / a coal man’s made out of muscle and blood' from 'Sixteen Tons' suddenly took on a fresh, unexpected significance.

'And I thought, ‘You know, that almost sounds like a recipe: muscle and blood and skin and bones, bake in a moderate oven for two hours, top with Miracle Whip,’’ Holmes shared with Songfacts. 'I had recently watched the movie Suddenly Last Summer on TV, which featured a shocking cannibalism twist, and I figured, If it’s good enough for Tennessee Williams, it’s good enough for The Buoys. So I decided, cannibalism during a mining disaster—that’ll definitely get banned.’

'Where On Earth Did You Go?’

Holmes crafted an eccentric pop-rock track complete with horns, strings, and chilling lyrics about three friends trapped in a mine. The story involves the narrator, a man named Joe, and Timothy, and the first verse hints at a grim outcome for one of them: ‘The only ones left to tell the tale / Was Joe and me,’ sings The Buoys’ lead vocalist Bill Kelly.

So what became of Timothy? The narrator isn’t entirely certain, as he’s blocked out a horrifying memory from the depths of the mine. However, the truth soon emerges. ‘My stomach was full as it could be,’ the narrator recalls upon waking. ‘And nobody ever got around to finding Timothy.’

Scepter Records released 'Timothy' in 1970, and surprisingly, it started gaining radio play. Once stations realized the song’s subject matter, they pulled it from rotation, which only fueled listeners’ curiosity and requests. 'Tell a teenager they shouldn’t listen to something because it’s disgusting and vile, and they’ll demand it even more,’ Holmes explained to Songfacts.

At one stage, Scepter believed 'Timothy' could break into the Top 10, so they spread a rumor that Timothy was a mule, not a human. 'I was appalled by the thought of this innocent mule being consumed,' Holmes shared with Wayne Jancik, author of One Hit Wonder. 'Even today, people ask me, ‘Was Timothy a mule?’ I respond, ‘No, he was a man—and they ate him.’

'Timothy' reached its peak at No. 17, and while The Buoys had a few more modest hits, they never made it back into the Top 40.

'Did I have profound, personal feelings about promoting cannibalism to the public?’ Holmes remarked. 'No, absolutely not. I was a 20-year-old eager not for human flesh, but for success in the music industry. I identified a challenge my friend faced and devised a clever solution to his problem.’

Coincidental Similarities

'Timothy' became a minor note in Holmes’s career. He soared to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1979 with 'Escape (The Piña Colada Song)' and hit No. 6 with his follow-up, 'Him,' in 1980. Holmes later ventured into playwriting with 1985’s The Mystery of Edwin Drood, a Broadway musical inspired by Charles Dickens’ unfinished novel. The production won five Tony Awards, including Best Book of a Musical and Best Original Score. Holmes has since authored films, TV shows, and mystery novels, including 2023’s Murder Your Employer: The McMasters Guide to Homicide, a New York Times bestseller.

Nowadays, when people inquire about Holmes’s work, they’re likely referring to 'Escape (The Piña Colada Song).' However, there’s a chilling footnote to the 'Timothy' story. The song’s narrative eerily parallels a real-life mining catastrophe that occurred in Sheppton, Pennsylvania, in 1963. That August, three men were trapped in a cave-in, and only two were saved. The survivors recounted experiencing bizarre hallucinations while underground—visions of humanoid figures in space suits and the late Pope John XXIII—while the third man was never recovered.

Holmes revealed to author Maxim Furek that he only learned about the Sheppton incident after 'Timothy' had climbed the charts. 'Had I known about it earlier,’ he admitted, 'I likely wouldn’t have written the song, as I wouldn’t want to trivialize such a tragic event.’