Meme time.... This one's stolen from Fred, who stole it from someone else, etc., etc. Here are the rules:Go here 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.
1971: "My Sweet Lord/Isn't It a Pity" by George Harrison
Favorite: Oh, so many good ones here. Besides "My Sweet Lord," there's "Knock Three Times" by Tony Orlando and Dawn, "Me and Bobby McGee" by Janis Joplin, "Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me)" by the Temptations, "Brown Sugar" by the Rolling Stones, "Gypsys, Tramps and Thieves" by Cher, "Theme From Shaft" by Isaac Hayes, "Family Affair" by Sly & the Family Stone....
1972: "Brand New Key" by Melanie
Favorite: Again, so many to list. In fact, I think I like just about everything on the list. I'll go with "Without You" by Harry Nilsson, with the caveat that that's subject to change.
1973: "You're So Vain" by Carly Simon
Favorite: Man, '70s hit radio ruled. Tough to narrow down, so I'm going with a tie between "Midnight Train to Georgia" by Gladys Knight & the Pips and "Frankenstein" by the Edgar Winter Group.
1974: "The Joker" by the Steve Miller Band
Favorite: Too many to choose! "Seasons in the Sun" by Terry Jacks, "Whatever Gets You Thru the Night" by John Lennon and "Kung Fu Fighting" by Carl Douglas.
1975: "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds" by Elton John
Favorite: Holy shit, there are a lot of different songs here. It's like there was a different one every week. Talk about a fickle listening public. Anyway, despite the fact that I love almost all of them and a lot of them have nostalgic associations for me, I'm going with "Rhinestone Cowboy" by Glen Campbell, which to me might be the most perfect pop song ever written.
1976: "Convoy" by C.W. McCall. Yee-haw!
Favorite: "Afternoon Delight" by the Starland Vocal Band. (What? You wanna make something of it? Just be thankful I didn't pick "Disco Duck.")
1977: "You Don't Have to Be a Star (To Be in My Show)" by Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis Jr.
Favorite: What? No Sex Pistols? Sheesh. In that case, I'm going with "Star Wars Theme/Cantina Band" by Meco.
1978: "How Deep Is Your Love" by the Bee Gees
Favorite: Seriously, this was the year of the Gibb brothers. Either the Bee Gees or Andy Gibb had the #1 song for something like seven months straight. But I choose "Kiss You All Over" by Exile.
1979: "Too Much Heaven" by the Bee Gees
Favorite: Still so many to choose from. Man, if it weren't for the fact that the no one had Internet access, I wish I could live back in the '70s. My choices: "Pop Muzik" by M, "Babe" by Styx, "Ring My Bell" by Anita Ward and "Escape (The Piña Colada Song)" by Rupert Holmes.
1980: "Escape (The Piña Colada Song)" by Rupert Holmes (still hanging around!)
Favorite: Rupert Holmes again, "It's Still Rock 'n' Roll to Me" by Billy Joel, "Magic" by Olivia Newton-John and "Sailing" by Christopher Cross.
1981: "(Just Like) Starting Over" by John Lennon
Favorite: "(Just Like) Starting Over" by John Lennon, "Bette Davis Eyes" by Kim Carnes and "Morning Train (Nine to Five)" by Sheena Easton.
1982: "Physical" by Olivia Newton-John
Favorite: "Centerfold" by the J. Geils Band
1983: "Maneater" by Hall & Oates
Favorite: "Down Under" by Men at Work and "Total Eclipse of the Heart" by Bonnie Tyler.
1984: "Say Say Say" by Michael Jackson & Paul McCartney
Favorite: "Karma Chameleon" by Culture Club and "Let's Go Crazy" by Prince & the Revolution.
1985: "Like a Virgin" by Madonna
Favorite: "Like a Virgin," "Power of Love" by Huey Lewis & the News and "Careless Whisper" by Wham!
1986: "Say You, Say Me" by Lionel Richie
Favorite: "Rock Me Amadeus" by Falco, "Invisible Touch" by Genesis and "Sledgehammer" by Peter Gabriel.
1987: "Walk Like an Egyptian" by the Bangles
Favorite: "Walk Like an Egyptian," "At This Moment" by Billy Vera & the Beaters (I'm such a nerd I still remember watching the episode of "Family Ties" that launched this when it first aired) and "With or Without You" by U2.
1988: "So Emotional" by Whitney Houston
Favorite: This is actually the first year on this list where I hate more of the songs than I like. Is this a common experience for the rest of you, to feel like this about popular music at the time you start college, or it is just that things started to suck in 1988? Or a little a both? Anyway, I still really like "Sweet Child O' Mine" by Guns 'N' Roses.
1989: "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" by Poison
Favorite: "She Drives Me Crazy" by Fine Young Cannibals, "Batdance" by Prince and "Like a Prayer" by Madonna.
1990: "Another Day in Paradise" by Phil Collins
Favorite: "Vogue" by Madonna and "Nothing Compares 2 U" by Sinead O'Connor.
1991: "Justify My Love" by Madonna
Favorite: "Justify My Love," "Unbelievable" by EMF and "Set Adrift on Memory Bliss" by PM Dawn.
1992: "Black or White" by Michael Jackson
Favorite: "Baby Got Back" by Sir Mix-a-Lot
1993: "I Will Always Love You" by Whitney Houston
Favorite: Can I take a mulligan on this one? Sheesh.
1994: "Hero" by Mariah Carey
Favorite: "Stay (I Miss You)" by Lisa Loeb & Nine Stories and "Here Comes the Hotstepper" by Ini Kamoze.
1995: "On Bended Knee" by Boyz II Men
Favorite: "Take a Bow" by Madonna, "This is How We Do It" by Montell Jordan and "Gangsta's Paradise" by Coolio.
1996: "One Sweet Day" by Mariah Carey & Boyz II Men. (More proof that Billboard was trying to kill me in the '90s. Really now, why would these two need to team up for a song. Why? It's 12 years later and I still haven't gotten over the trauma.)
Favorite: God help me, it's "Macarena" by Los Del Rio.
1997: "Un-break My Heart" by Toni Braxton
Favorite: Is there another year with less variety among the #1's? You can count the different songs on one hand. But I'd still like "Wannabe" by the Spice Girls, regardless.
1998: "Something About the Way You Look Tonight/Candle in the Wind 1997" by Elton John
Favorite: "Gettin' Jiggy With It" by Will Smith, I guess. <*shrug*>
1999: "I'm Your Angel" by R. Kelly & Celine Dion. (Christ, it's 1996 all over again.)
Favorite: None of the above.
2000: "Smooth" by Santana & Rob Thomas
Favorite: "Music" by Madonna
2001: "Independent Women Part 1" by Destiny's Child
Favorite: "Ms. Jackson" by Outkast, "Butterfly" by Crazy Town, "Family Affair" by Mary J. Blige and "Lady Marmalade."
2002: "How You Remind Me" by Nickelback
Favorite: "Lose Yourself" by Eminem and "Hot in Herre" by Nelly.
2003: "Lose Yourself" by Eminem
Favorite: The return appearance of "Lose Yourself," along with "In Da Club" by 50 Cent and "Hey Ya!" by Outkast.
2004: The unstoppable "Hey Ya!"
Favorite: "Hey Ya!" and "Drop It Like It's Hot" by Snoop Dogg & Pharrell.
2005: "Let Me Love You" by Mario
Favorite: "Hollaback Girl" by Gwen Stefani and "Golddigger" by Kanye West & Jamie Foxx.
2006: "Don't Forget About Us" by Mariah Carey
Favorite: "London Bridge" by Fergie
2007: "Irreplaceable" by Beyoncé
Favorite: "Umbrella" by Rhianna feat. Jay-Z and "Stronger" by Kanye West.
2008: "Low" by Flo-Rida feat. T-Pain
Favorite: "I Kissed a Girl" by Katy Perry and (I suppose) "Viva La Vida" by Coldplay.
Two final thoughts...
1) There's way too much Mariah Carey on that list for my liking. Am I going to be plagued by her latest singles every birthday for the rest of my life?
2) It's funny looking back and picking favorite songs from some of those years. If you had asked me the same question then, you probably would've gotten completely different answers.
