{"id":3132,"date":"2008-08-26T22:24:43","date_gmt":"2008-08-27T02:24:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/?p=3132"},"modified":"2008-08-26T22:28:33","modified_gmt":"2008-08-27T02:28:33","slug":"setting-memes-to-music","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/?p=3132","title":{"rendered":"Setting memes to music"},"content":{"rendered":"

I haven’t done an honest-to-goodness meme in a long time. (Unless you count the weekly random guess ten.) We may be about to rediscover why. Stolen from Caitlin R. Kiernan<\/a>, the rules are pretty simple:
\n<\/font><\/p>\n

Go here<\/a> and see what was on the top of the charts on the day you were born and every birthday thereafter. Learn just how astrologically-musically lame your life has been. If you want, add in your own favorite Hot 100 hit single of that year, wishing that your birthday had been cool enough to have that song be #1.<\/font><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I don’t know if this will be remotely interesting to anyone but me, but here are the songs:
\n<\/font><\/p>\n

1977<\/strong>: “Rich Girl” by Hall & Oates
\nFavorite<\/strong>: “Sir Duke” by Stevie Wonder<\/font><\/p>\n

1978<\/strong>: “Night Fever” by the Bee Gees
\nFavorite<\/strong>: Sigh. “You’re the One That I Want” from Grease<\/em>, I guess<\/font><\/p>\n

1979<\/strong>: “Tragedy” by the Bee Gees
\nFavorite<\/strong>: I think “Heartache Tonight” by the Eagles, although “My Sharona” by the Knack and “Heart of Glass” by Blondie are also good picks.<\/font><\/p>\n

1980<\/strong>: “Another Brick in the Wall (Part II)” by Pink Floyd
\nFavorite<\/strong>: “Another Brick in the Wall (Part II)” by Pink Floyd<\/font><\/p>\n

1981<\/strong>: “Rapture” by Blondie
\nFavorite<\/strong>: “(Just Like) Starting Over” by John Lennon<\/font><\/p>\n

1982<\/strong>: “I Love Rock ‘N Roll” by Joan Jett & the Blackhearts
\nFavorite<\/strong>: “I Love Rock ‘N Roll” by Joan Jett & the Blackhearts<\/font><\/p>\n

1983<\/strong>: “Billie Jean” by Michael Jackson
\nFavorite<\/strong>: “Come On Eileen” by Dexys Midnight Runners<\/font><\/p>\n

1984<\/strong>: “Jump” by Van Halen
\nFavorite<\/strong>: “Hello” by Lionel Richie (Yes, I like Lionel Richie more than Van Halen. Deal with it.)<\/font><\/p>\n

1985<\/strong>: “Can’t Fight This Feeling” by REO Speedwagon
\nFavorite<\/strong>: “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” by Tears for Fears<\/font><\/p>\n

1986<\/strong>: “Rock Me Amadeus” by Falco
\nFavorite<\/strong>: Either “Addicted to Love” by Robert Palmer or “Sledgehammer” by Peter Gabriel (although even the Bangles’ “Walk Like an Egyptian” is a contender)<\/font><\/p>\n

1987<\/strong>: “Lean on Me” by Club Nouveau
\nFavorite<\/strong>: “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” by U2<\/font><\/p>\n

1988<\/strong>: “Man in the Mirror” by Michael Jackson
\nFavorite<\/strong>: “Got My Mind Set on You” by George Harrison (And “Kokomo” was only a #1 hit for a single week? It seemed a lot longer at the time. Although, at the time, I seem to remember liking the song, so obviously things change.)<\/font><\/p>\n

1989<\/strong>: “The Living Years” by Mike + The Mechanics (I haven’t heard that<\/em> song in an age)
\nFavorite<\/strong>: It may very well by “Good Thing” by Fine Young Cannibals or Billy Joel’s “We Didn’t Start the Fire.” 1989 was not a very good year for pop music, it would seem.<\/font><\/p>\n

1990<\/strong>: “Black Velvet” by Alannah Myles (I like the song, but I never knew who sang it)
\nFavorite<\/strong>: “Nothing Compares 2 U” by Sinead O’Connor (It’s partly that famous video<\/a> and it’s partly that her competition includes Michael Bolton and New Kids on the Block. It’s a good song, though.)<\/font><\/p>\n

1991<\/strong>: “One More Try” by Tommy T (Another one I don’t think I’ve heard in over a decade)
\nFavorite<\/strong>: Heaven help me, I think it’s actually “Good Vibrations” by Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch. <\/font><\/p>\n

1992<\/strong>: “Save the Best for Last” by Vanessa Williams
\nFavorite<\/strong>: “Baby Got Back” by Sir Mix-a-lot<\/font><\/p>\n

1993<\/strong>: “Informer” by Snow
\nFavorite<\/strong>: “I’d Do Anything for Love (but I Won’t Do That)” by Meat Loaf (Lean times, 1993. Lean times…)<\/font><\/p>\n

1994<\/strong>: “The Sign” by Ace of Base (I used to hate this, but John Darnielle of the Mountain Goats showed me the error of my ways<\/a>)
\nFavorite<\/strong>: I guess “Stay (I Missed You)” by Lisa Loeb & Nine Stories<\/font><\/p>\n

1995<\/strong>: “Take a Bow” by Madonna
\nFavorite<\/strong>: Wow, I don’t think I like any of these. This is the year I graduated from high school, and Coolio’s “Gangsta’s Paradise” is the best it had to offer?<\/font><\/p>\n

1996<\/strong>: “Because You Loved Me” by Ciline Dion
\nFavorite<\/strong>: “California Love” by 2Pac (Seriously, how are these two songs in the same universe, much less same list?)<\/font><\/p>\n

1997<\/strong>: “Can’t Nobody Hold Me Down” by Puff Daddy featuring Mase
\nFavorite<\/strong>: None of ’em<\/font><\/p>\n

1998<\/strong>: “Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It” by Will Smith
\nFavorite<\/strong>: “One Week” by Barenaked Ladies (although it’s probably my least favorite song on that album)<\/font><\/p>\n

1999<\/strong>: “Believe” by Cher
\nFavorite<\/strong>: Meh.<\/font><\/p>\n

2000<\/strong>: “Say My Name” by Destiny’s Child
\nFavorite<\/strong>: “Bent” by Matchbox Twenty (no, really.)<\/font><\/p>\n

2001<\/strong>: “Butterfly” by Crazy Town
\nFavorite<\/strong>: I don’t hate Shaggy’s “It Wasn’t Me,” but that’s pushing it.<\/font><\/p>\n

2002<\/strong>: “Ain’t it Funny” by Jennifer Lopez featuring Ja Rule
\nFavorite<\/strong>: “Lose Yourself” by Eminem<\/font><\/p>\n

2003<\/strong>: “In Da Club” by 50 Cent
\nFavorite<\/strong>: “Lose Yourself” by Eminem (Although I don’t love it that <\/em>much. It’s just a process of elimination. Outkast’s “Hey Ya!” is okay, too.)<\/font><\/p>\n

2004<\/strong>: “Yeah!” by Usher featuring Lil Jon and Ludacris
\nFavorite<\/strong>: “Hey Ya!” by Outkast (I just don’t know any of the others well enough to have an opinion.)<\/font><\/p>\n

2005<\/strong>: “Candy Shop” 50 Cent featuring Olivia
\nFavorite<\/strong>: The only two contenders, Kanye West’s “Gold Digger” and Gwen Stefani’s “Hollaback Girl,” just became too annoying out of sheer radio repetition.<\/font><\/p>\n

2006<\/strong>: “So Sick” by Ne-Yo
\nFavorite<\/strong>: No. Just no.<\/font><\/p>\n

2007<\/strong>: “Glamorous” by Fergie featuring Ludacris
\nFavorite<\/strong>: Okay, I don’t completely hate Avril Lavigne’s “Girlfriend.” I only a little hate it.
\n<\/font><\/p>\n

2008<\/strong>: “Love in this Club” by Usher featuring Young Jeezy
\nFavorite<\/strong>: Am I just getting old, or are the #1 hits getting worse and worse every year?<\/font><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

It’s interesting to see the progression, as I find less and less to like in the charts, and I think this is only partly a product of me becoming a crotchety old man who doesn’t like them kids with their loud music. It has a lot more to do with the list long having been a reflection of cultural mediocrity, and of fewer artists spending considerably more weeks dominating the top position as the years go on. I was also interested to see how infrequently my musical tastes matched up with what passed for popular opinion. There are a handful of songs that made the charts in my 30+ years that I like<\/em>, but precious few that I genuinely love<\/em>. I barely even recognize some of the more recent ones. <\/font><\/font><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I haven’t done an honest-to-goodness meme in a long time. (Unless you count the weekly random guess ten.) We may be about to rediscover why. Stolen from Caitlin R. Kiernan, the rules are pretty simple: Go here and see what was on the top of the charts on the day you were born and every … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[238],"class_list":["post-3132","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3132"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3132"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3132\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3132"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3132"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3132"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}