The Music Meme
I found this fun meme over at Suldog's blog. I thought it was time to lighten the mood around here, so here goes....
The rules:
A) Go to Music Outfitters.
B) In the search function, enter the year you graduated from high school. Get the list of the 100 most popular songs of that year.
C) Bold the songs you like, strike through the ones you hate, and underline or italicize your favorite. Do nothing to those you don’t remember or don’t care about.(I don't do HTML, so the songs I hate will be in red. My comments follow the song titles in parenthesis.)
THE TOP 100 OF 1974
1. The Way We Were, Barbra Streisand(Meh. I've never been a big Babs fan.)
2. Seasons in the Sun, Terry Jacks(Wishy-washy and repetitive.)
3. Love's Theme, Love Unlimited Orchestra(Love of WHAT?!)
4. Come and Get Your Love, Redbone(This one was OK, but I'd never buy it.)
5. Dancing Machine, Jackson 5(One of their better songs, but that's not saying much)
6. The Loco-Motion, Grand Funk Railroad(I've played this so much over the years that my kids hate it.)
7. TSOP, MFSB(HUH?)
8. The Streak, Ray Stevens(Ya gotta love a little silliness. "Don't look Ethel!")
9. Bennie and the Jets, Elton John(My boyfriend and I wore this song out on the jukebox at our Community College)
10. One Hell Of A Woman, Mac Davis(Not a country fan.)
11. Until You Come Back To Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do), Aretha Franklin
12. Jungle Boogie, Kool and The Gang(Didn't do a thing for me.)
13. Midnight at the Oasis, Maria Muldaur(I don't understand how this made it to the top 100. Everyone I know HATES this song!)
14. You Make Me Feel Brand New, Stylistics(More wishy-washy pablum!)
15. Show and Tell, Al Wilson(Keep it to yourself Al!)
16. Spiders and Snakes, Jim Stafford (I LOVE 90% of Jim's songs!)
17. Rock On, David Essex
18. Sunshine On My Shoulder, John Denver(I LOVE my John, especially the early stuff!)
19. Sideshow, Blue Magic(No clue.)
20. Hooked On a Feeling, Blue Swede(Beats the hell out of the B.J. Thomas version!)
21. Billy Don't Be a Hero, Bo Donaldson and The Heywoods(The rhythm of this song sets my teeth on edge!)
22. Band On the Run, Paul McCartney and Wings(I love the bridge in this one!)
23. The Most Beautiful Girl, Charlie Rich(Makes me retch!)
24. Time in a Bottle, Jim Croce(I'm a HUGE Croce fan, and this one's my favorite!)
25. Annie's Song, John Denver(One of my favorites!)
26. Let Me Be There, Olivia Newton-John(The only Olivia fans I knew were guys, and I don't think they liked her for her music.)
27. Sundown, Gordon Lightfoot(I like a couple of Gord's songs, but this ain't one of 'em.)
28. (You're) Having My Baby, Paul Anka(Nice sentiment, but overplayed!)
29. Rock Me Gently, Andy Kim(Yet another repetitive, overplayed song!)
30. Boogie Down, Eddie Kendricks
31. You're Sixteen, Ringo Starr(Stick to your drums Ringo!)
32. If You Love Me (Let Me Know), Olivia Newton-John(See above.)
33. Dark Lady, Cher(Cher is my 2nd favorite female singer.)
34. Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me, Gladys Knight and The Pips(I like some of their stuff, but not this one.)
35. Feel Like Makin' Love, Roberta Flack(Killing Me Softly is the only one of her songs that I like.)
36. Just Dont Want To Be Lonely, Main Ingredient
37. Nothing From Nothing, Billy Preston(Blech!!)
38. Rock Your Baby, George McCrae(Double blech!!)
39. Top Of The World, Carpenters(The only Carpenters song I liked was Close to You, and that was because of the hot, blue-eyed boyfriend I had at the time.)
40. The Joker, Steve Miller Band(How can you go wrong with a line like:"Really love your peaches, wanna shake your tree."?)
41. I've Got to Use My Imagination, Gladys Knight and The Pips
42. The Show Must Go On, Three Dog Night(I was a huge 3DN fan, but hated this song.)
43. Rock the Boat, Hues Corporation(More wishy-washy drivel! Where's all the GOOD songs from '74?)
44.Smokin' In the Boys Room, Brownsville Station (This song won by a landslide as our class song, but the school admin wouldn't let us play it at graduation. What a bunch of stick-in-the-muds!)
45. Living For The City, Stevie Wonder (I'm not really a fan of Wonder)
46. The Night Chicago Died, Paper Lace (This one ranks right up there with Billy Don't Be a Hero!)
47. Then Came You, Dionne Warwick and The Spinners (Pretty sappy.)
48. The Entertainer, Marvin Hamlisch(Don't shoot me, but I actually own the soundtrack from The Sting. I'd never listened to ragtime before and found that I enjoyed some of it.)
49. Waterloo, Abba(No Abba; NO WAY!)
50. The Air That I Breathe, Hollies(It's OK, but I'd never buy it.)
51. Rikki Don't Lose That Number, Steely Dan(I like Steely Dan, but not this one.)
52. Mockingbird, Carly Simon(Carly Simon is my favorite female singer! However, this song will never be found on my MP3 player.)
53. Help Me, Joni Mitchell(I can't stand Joni Mitchell!)
54. You Won't See Me, Anne Murray(My Dad likes Anne Murray...'nuff said.)
55. Never, Never Gonna Give You Up, Barry White(I realize that Barry White albums are supposed to be an aphrodisiac, but he never had that effect on me.)
56. Tell Me Something Good, Rufus(Meh!)
57. You And Me Against The World, Helen Reddy(She fits into my Anne Murray category.)
58. Rock And Roll Heaven, Righteous Brothers(I like their old stuff better)
59. Hollywood Swinging, Kool and The Gang
60. Be Thankful For What You Got, William Devaughn(Never heard of him, or #61 and #62!)
61. Hang On In There Baby, Johnny Bristol
62. Eres Tu (Touch The Wind), Mocedades
63. Taking Care of Business, Bachman-Turner Overdrive(LOVE BTO! Let It Ride is my favorite.)
64. Radar Love, Golden Earring(Yeah!)
65. Please Come To Boston, Dave Loggins
66. Keep On Smilin', Wet Willie(Who?)
67. Lookin' For Love, Bobby Womack
68. Put Your Hands Together, O'Jays
69. On And On, Gladys Knight and The Pips
70. Oh Very Young, Cat Stevens (I LOVED Cat Stevens right up 'til the time he became Josef Islam.)
71. Leave Me Alone (Ruby Red Dress), Helen Reddy
72. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Elton John(I'm a HUGE Elton fan, especially his older stuff!)
73. I've Been Searchin' So Long, Chicago(The only Chicago song I like is If You Leave Me Now.)
74. Oh My My, Ringo Starr(Give it up already!)
75. For The Love Of Money, O'Jays
76. I Shot The Sheriff, Eric Clapton(Yeah, yeah. I know Marley did it better, but I like Clapton.)
77. Jet, Paul McCartney and Wings
78. Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me, Elton John(My least favorite Elton song.)
79. Tubular Bells, Mike Oldfield(Nope!)
80. Love Song, Anne Murray(I LOVE this song when it's sung by Loggins and Messina!)
81. I'm Leaving It All Up to You, Donny and Marie Osmond(Pardon me while I puke!)
82. Hello, It's Me, Todd Rundgren(Too whiny!)
83. I Love, Tom T. Hall(This song makes a better poem than a song.)
84. Clap For The Wolfman, The Guess Who(This song was claptrap from a GREAT group.)
85. I'll Have To Say I Love You In a Song, Jim Croce
85. The Lord's Prayer, Sister Janet Mead(I liked Desiderata better.)
87. Trying To Hold On To My Woman, Lamont Dozier(Who?)
88. Don't You Worry 'Bout A Thing, Stevie Wonder
89. A Very Special Love Song, Charlie Rich
90. My Girl Bill, Jim Stafford(A cute play on words.)
91. My Mistake Was To Love You, Diana Ross and Marvin Gaye
91. Helen Wheels, Paul McCartney and Wings(Catchy, but not one of my favorites.)
93. Wildwood Weed, Jim Stafford(I'm just "wanderin' around behind the little animals".)
94. Beach Baby, First Class(Pure drivel!)
95. Me And Baby Brother, War
96. Rockin' Roll Baby, Stylistics
97. I Honestly Love You, Olivia Newton-John
98. Call On Me, Chicago
99. Wild Thing, Fancy(Is this the same Wild Thing the Troggs recorded? I don't think you can beat the Troggs' version. Am I right Pam?*giggle*)
100. Mighty Love, Pt. 1, Spinners
This was FUN! Like Suldog, I found that most of my favorite songs from my era were recorded before '74. I don't think the top 100 of '74 was too representative of what our generation listened to. I'd rather be known as the generation of Led Zeppelin and Steppenwolf!
posted by tshsmom @ 9:51 AM
24 comments
24 Comments:
I was 14/15 that year - and I think I agree with you on the songs I know. There were quite a few I don't recognize and I'm sort of surprised at the Canadian content - I don't think I ever realized our music then ventured past the border. I'll have to think about doing this - it seems like work.
You've got to be kidding me. I graduated in '74, too!! Not only that but, wow, what a blast from the past. You know I love JD, but I also adore Carly Simon and The Entertainer was my intro to ragtime, too. LOVED The Sting. Saw it like a bazillion times. Your comments are quite like mine, except that I do own some Olivia Newton-John.
And yeah, Led Zeppelin and Steppenwolf!
I notice that there is quite a vast selection of music genres. I mean, these songs don't all sound the same. Know what I mean? Even my teen-age daughters say the music nowadays sounds the same. Bor-ing!
The 70's were pretty good stuff. (Or I am just o-l-d!)
Very interesting combination of decent songs and complete crap!
I think I'll do this one, but if I remember correctly the songs of '96 sucked majorly.
What fun - a lot of those songs gave me a few moments of warm feelings and a smile!
Jeannie, I just went through the list a little at a time over the past week. It does take a while.
Don't feel bad. I don't recognize a bunch of the songs either.
Cherie, the blast from the past was what was so fun about this meme!
My girlfriends and I went to The Sting, and Butch Cassidy a bazillion times too. Too bad we didn't have DVDs back in our day. We had to pay to see a movie over and over.
I never noticed the different genres, but you're right, there was variety to our music! Your girls sound like my kids. They actually like my music, which aggravates my Mom to no end. *giggle*
We're not old; we're classics, just like our music. ;)
SME, after reading your list, I gotta agree..'96 sucked!
Gardenia, that's what's so magical about music! ;)
SME I have to agree with you there. I was considering doing this one but Have no idea how to strike them out if we dont like them....I think I would just do comments like mom did here..
Ha ha. I know most of these songs. I liked Olivia, but I'd readily admit, it wasn't for her music. The thing is, she's still attractive. She's aged very well.
"Jungle Boogie" got played out here. They're locals, so that's why. Always heard Kool and the Gang. They used to sing at Oakland A's games.
I liked Motley Crue's cover of "Smokin' in the Boys Room." Too bad your administration is so stiff.
Yeah, Midnight at the Oasis was one of those strange hits. Like Afternoon Delight.
Geez Tshsmom, as usual we agree on everything! Have to say I love you by Croce was my and the ex's song. I hate the same songs you do for the same reasons.
Will try this one.
ZS, Olivia did age well, even after a bout with cancer. She seems like a genuinely nice person, so I guess I can't begrudge her that. ;)
Rhea, Exactly! People obviously bought those songs, but who? I didn't know any of them.
Bridg, go for it! I'll probably like more songs from your list than mine.
This was fun. I graduated the same year. Some of those songs were really bad, like Seasons in the Sun. I was a big Croce fan.
Yes, The Troggs' version is the ONLY version played at our house!
;-)
We just went to Joe's 30th reunion and were treated to plenty of '70s music and a slide show that highlighted all that big hair and those funky clothes... This was a trial run as my 30th is next year.
Oh, and, um, I DO have Carly Simon's Mocking Bird on one of my car CDs... I listen to lots of Carly when I drive!
:-)
We had "Close to You" by the Carpenters played by violin and cello at our wedding almost two years ago. H sang it to me over the phone while we were dating long distance. He also would sometimes sing "Somebody" by Depeche Mode. Anyhow, I saw you make a mention of The Carpenters. I'm not a fan, either, but Close to You has a special place in my heart. :-)
Okay, I was with you until you dissed Donny & Marie. I was a HUGE Osmond fan as a way to escape my dysfunctional family. Okay, so I went to the extreme opposite of what my family was, but it kept me away from drugs, alcohol and sex during my teen years.
Squirl, don't you find yourself wondering what Croce could have done if he hadn't died young?
Pam, I KNEW it! ;)
I love to sing along with Carly when I drive too. Mockingbird just doesn't do it for me though.
Have you seen the movie Little Black Book? Carly does the soundtrack and the end is hilarious, if you're a Carly fan.
Notta, isn't it wonderful how certain songs can conjure such wonderful emotions?
VV, I'm sorry!
You have given the Osmonds a redeeming value in my book. I'm grateful that they were a comfort, and inspiration to my future friend.
You may be right about Olivia Newton John...she was soooooo cute. She sang some stuff too, didn't she?
Sorry to go negative, I checked and could safely strike-through with certain glee everything from 1976 - I mean, Keith Carradine - how in in the name of everything holy did he even get ON the list?
The best thing (to me) is that I was out of the country that year and so not subjected to much of it.
Shawn, ya know it's funny. L would listen to Olivia if she was performing on TV, but he'd switch radio stations if she was on the radio. Why do you suppose that happened? ;)
DC, there's more crap than good stuff on my list too.
Carradine wasn't the greatest singer, but I LOVE the lyrics to I'm Easy!
I went to that site and did my year - 1981. Most of the songs I either didn't like or couldn't remember. At first I was wondering what the heck I was doing and where I was during high school to not be able to recognize or remember most of the top 100 songs for the year. Then I remembered, I was in Austin, TX and totally into the Punk Rock scene and the small bands playing live in the area. Whew! Mystery solved, I wasn't into that other music. For a few minutes there I was wondering if I had Alzheimer's or something. Now I'm just trying to remember what punk music I listened to, all I can remember is one band, Dead Kennedys, and one song, "I'm a B, for basketcase!" Most of those years are a blur. *wandering off mumbling incoherently*
VV, don't rule out dementia just yet. ;)
Geez, I just now saw this. Shame on me! We differ slightly, but not so much that we'd get into a fistfight over it or anything :-)
Wow... how can two people who usually agree on everything disagree so completely on music?
1. Love Grand Funk Railroad, but this was their worst.
2. Loved Midnight at the Oasis and love Maria Muldaur (saw her recently in St. Joe)
3. Charlie Rich one of few country singers I liked.
4. Sundown, one of Gord's best (but not as good as Carefree Highway)
5. Your Sixteen (Ringo's version way better (and bigger hit) than the original
6. Nothin from Nothin great dancin song
7. The Joker... easily Miller's worst song
8. Livin for the City: Stevie was great, but Jonny Lang's version better
9. I LOVE JONI MITCHELL
10. Love Ringo's Oh My My too
11. Hello It's Me is one of my all time favorite songs
12. I agree Guess Who were great and I loved Clap for the Wolfman.
bout the only thing we agree on is Cat Stevens
GWB, I stand corrected. I now officially know someone who likes Midnight at the Oasis. ;)
It was bound to happen. We can't agree on everything. I still love you though.
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