Muscles

The fitness craze collided head-on with pop music in 1981 with Olivia Newton-John's "Physical," the biggest song of that year. In 1982 Diana Ross celebrated the buff and brawny in "Muscles," where she makes it clear that guys need more than understanding to get her attention, they also need bulging biceps. (In real life, Ross was married to a businessman named Arne Naess, Jr., who didn't appear to spend much time in the gym.) "Muscles" did for weight training what "Physical" did for cardio. A lot of guys suddenly started using their gym memberships after the song came out.

"Muscles" was written and produced by Michael Jackson just before he reached superstar status with this Thriller album. He and Diana Ross were both signed to Motown Records and had an enduring friendship. When The Jackson 5 debuted in 1969, Ross was dispatched to promote them, implying that she discovered the group. In 1978, they appeared together in the movie The Wiz. It was Jackson who approached Ross about the song; it was a way of thanking her for her support and friendship over the years.

As reveled in Michael Jackson's autobiography Moonwalk, "Muscles" was the name of his pet snake, a boa constrictor he would sometimes wear around his neck. Jackson enjoyed exotic pets - he also had a chimpanzee named Bubbles.