"I've just received this meme-o!"

Sigh.

I don't know about this meme thing. But Amy's been doing it a lot lately, and it's pretty fun to read, I guess.

I don't really know about this blog thing, either. I'd pretty much decided to abandon it, given that my readership, which at its height was maybe five or six people, would seem to be down to just Amy and Kirk. Of course, if I had to pick only two people to read my blog, in all honesty it would probably be you two.

So, off we go, then.

Steps:

1) Go to this site and you can find out what song was #1 (according to Billboard Magazine) on the US Charts on any particular week in history.

2) Look up your birthday.

3) List the #1 songs that have occurred on your birthday throughout the years you've been alive.

4) Cringe at how bad music was, and how bad it is now!


Thing:

1965 - "This Diamond Ring" by Gary Lewis & the Playboys. (I know the refrain--"This diamond ring doesn't shine for me anymore"-- and that's about it.)
1966 - "Lightnin' Strikes" by Lou Christie. (Same deal, refrain only, but hey! I always thought this was Frankie Valli. Kind of silly, it's not like he's the only dude who sang in an annoying falsetto.)
1967 - "Kind of a Drag" by the Buckinghams. (Three in a row where I can sing one line.)
1968 - "Love Is Blue" by Paul Mauriat. (Oh. My. GOD. I didn't know this was number one on my b-day! You have no idea how much I LOVED this song as a child. LOVED. My mom had the album whence it came, the cover of which has stayed with me almost as much as the song. But yeah, I used to play this over and over, and just cry and cry and cry because it was so beautiful and sad. Listening to it now, the loungey '60s vibe of the arrangement almost threatens to overwhelm the melody, but...it really is one of the loveliest melodies ever put down. And that opening arpeggiated E-minor on the acoustic guitar, that later gets picked up by the harpsichord, just kills me. As I mentioned to Amy once, I'm a sucker for arpeggiated minor chords. Oh, and then it modulates on the bridge by switching from E-minor to E-major! That's one of my favorite things!)
1969 - "Everyday People" by Sly & the Family Stone (Damn, y'all. Not only do I have nothing cringe-worthy so far, I've got actual great songs.)

1970 - "Thank You (Falettin Me Be Mice Elf Agin)/Everybody Is a Star" by Sly & the Family Stone (Damn.)
1971 - "One Bad Apple" by the Osmonds. (I could've sworn I posted something once about the ongoing battle I had with a childhood friend over who was better, the Osmond Brothers or the Jackson 5, but I can't find it. I mentioned the day-glo poster of the Jacksons I had over my bed, and that Tito was my fave.... Oh well. I was right, is all that matters.)
1972 - "Without You" by Nilsson. (Lovely song since ruined by one too many diva-esque performances.)
1973 - "Killing Me Softly With His Song" by Roberta Flack. (Also lovely; survived an encounter with Lauryn Hill and cronies.)
1974 - "The Way We Were" by Barbra Streisand. (Ouch. First real cringe there. When I think of this song now, I think of Tom Hanks singing it to Mercedes Ruehl in Big: "Scattered PIC...cherrrrs...."
1975 - "Pick Up The Pieces" by the Average White Band. (Don't know it. Kinda surprised. These were peak Top 40-listening years for me.)
1976 - "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" by Paul Simon. (Awesome song. Simon's laid-back vocal style has always bugged a bit, but he's definitely one of my most-admired songwriters.)
1977 - "Blinded By The Light" by Manfred Mann's Earth Band. (Yay! A Springsteen-penned tune! And the only song of his ever to hit number one, even if this version was aptly described by Dave Marsh as "mangled", and even if it inexplicably-but-memorably trades "cut loose like a deuce" for "wrapped up like a douche".)
1978 - "Stayin' Alive" by the Bee Gees. (Cringe. I love pre-disco Bee Gees, though.)
1979 - "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy" by Rod Stewart. (Cringe. Also, no.)

1980 - "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" by Queen. (I'm getting tired of typing now. Good song.)
1981 - "9 to 5" by Dolly Parton.
1982 - "Centerfold" by J. Geils Band. (Played to death in the early days of MTV.)
1983 - "Baby, Come to Me" by Patti Austin & James Ingram.
1984 - "Jump" by Van Halen. (Least favorite VH song.)
1985 - "Careless Whisper" by Wham! (CRINGE.)
1986 - "How Will I Know" by Whitney Houston. (I actually liked this song a lot when it came out.)
1987 - "Livin' on a Prayer" by Bon Jovi. (Had a Springsteen song, guess I had to have a Bon Jovi song. For the record: not a fan.)
1988 - "Seasons Change" by Exposé. (I liked Exposé, but this was a ballad rather than a dance tune, and I wasn't crazy about it.)
1989 - "Straight Up" by Paula Abdul. (OK, things are getting rough now. I'm stopping here. There's nothing good in the '90s anyway, and I seriously don't recognize anything from the '00s, and I swear, every single one of them is by [crappy R&B diva] featuring [crappy hip-hop guy]. I have no patience for this "featuring" business. Pretty much every song ever recorded features someone whose name isn't on the label. Just quit it.