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Opening Arguments

A song a year

This is just an interesting post:

For her 36th birthday, a friend asked a favor: Name one great pop song for each year of her life. I added a rule of my own, not to choose more than one song by any one artist. If you're gong to make a mix tape, you've really got to mix it up. For my birthday, here are 37 of'em. We'll start in 1969 and work up to 2005.

What's interesting to me is not all the choices I'd argue with -- that's part of the fun of a list like this. I know more of songs from the later years than I would have imagined. Just shows how popular culture can seep into you even if you make a decision to turn your back on it. It probably doesn't hurt that there's such a lack of really new stuff these days, when you've got Johnny Cash covering Depeche Mode and Feist doing an old Bee-Gees song.

Posted in: Music

Comments

Kevin Knuth
Thu, 04/27/2006 - 5:50am

Where is your list?

Leo Morris
Thu, 04/27/2006 - 6:20am

This is one I'd have to think about -- my list would probably change every time I do it. But here's my first go-through on my first five songs (starting as he does in 1969; you're nuts if you think I'm going to start the year of my birth:

1969: Honky Tonk Women by the Stones
1970: Let it Be by the Beatles
1971: Just My Imagination by the Temptations
1972: Heart of Gold by Neil Young
1973: Frankenstein by the Edgar Winter Group

I should add that these are all based on top-40 radio play. If I wanted to spend a LOT of time on it, I'd have to go through all the albums I liked to find my favorite songs that never made the charts.

Now, where's your start?

Kevin Knuth
Thu, 04/27/2006 - 7:06am

I agree I could change this list everytime.

Here is my start:
1964- Do Wah Diddy Diddy- Manfred Mann
1965- Eve of Destruction- Barry McGuire (Which I always wish Bruce Springsteen would cover)
1966- Wild Thing- The Troggs
1967- Brown Eyed Girl- Van Morrison
1968- Sitting on the Dock of the Bay- Otis Redding
1969- Build me up Buttercup - The Foundations (honorable mention to Sugar, Sugar by the Archies).
1970- American Woman- Guess Who

Well, that brings me up to my 6th birthday. I will look over the list for more.

For those of you interested, here is a complete list of top 40 songs by year:
http://theenvelope.latimes.com/extras/lostmind/music/music.htm

Leo Morris
Thu, 04/27/2006 - 7:15am

I generally like your songs, but I have to ask about 1969. Something traumatic happen in your fifth year? Sugar, Sugar on the same list as Barry McGuire and the Troggs?

Kevin Knuth
Thu, 04/27/2006 - 5:51pm

Well, here is the deal:

I was 5 years old, and it was the VERY first 45 I ever really listened to. I am sure it was because of the tie in to the comic books.

I did not learn to appreciate the Troggs or Barry McGuire until I was into my teens.

(And I KNEW....Just KNEW I was going to get grief over that one!)

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