1983 Pop Hit, Executives Literally Bet Would Fail, Made Billboard History

Some songs instantly transport listeners back in time, and Taco's bizarre 1983 hit is one of them.

Long before it became an unlikely Top 10 jam, "Puttin' on the Ritz" had record label executives convinced it would flop. In fact, one executive reportedly bet $1,000 that the remake would be a failure.

"Several key executives of Polygram - which was Taco's record label - hated the song," Professor of Rock host Adam Reader explained. "John Bettencourt, who was the head of promotion at the label, was given the directive to release the song as a single, and he followed the directive."

According to Reader, however, Bettencourt bet $1,000 (the equivalent of $5,000 today) that the song "would be a complete bust."

Instead, however, the song climbed the charts and quietly helped make Billboard history for a music legend nearing 100 years old.

"Puttin' on the Ritz" - originally penned by Irving Berlin in 1927 - was picked up by Taco (real name: Taco Ockerse) and would go on to make Berlin the oldest living songwriter in Billboard history.

The song, off his album After Eight, topped the charts in Canada, Finland, New Zealand, Sweden, and the States.

So why was the video banned?

The accompanying music video was "meant as a tribute to early 20th century America," according to Professor of Rock.

"[The video] went over a cliff when they decided to create a music video of their dancers in blackface during a few scenes, particularly during the 'Super Duper' line," host Adam Reader explained. "This caused the video to be banned from several TV networks, and later on, it's not shown at all."

Reader added, "Consequently, an edited version was created, and dancers were replaced by a picture of Gary Cooper."

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This story was originally published May 31, 2026 at 7:11 PM.