AbbaGav

I was browsing a blog I enjoy, Delftsman (the Emigre with the Digital Cluebat), and accidentally picked up a meme in the process. I should have just gotten the meme shot when I had the chance, but you know how it is.

This is the meme, if you care to play along. Go to Music Outfitters, and type into the search box the year you graduated from high school; then click on the top 100 hits.

Put what you consider the "good" songs in bold, strike out the stinkers, and put your favorite in bold and underlined.

Here's MY group from 1982. I'd forgotten what a musical cesspool we waded through in high school. Of course, if you weren't busy drinking that first year of MTV Koolaid like I was, you'll probably think I was drinking from the cesspool. But hey, it was our cesspool!

1. Physical, Olivia Newton-John
2. Eye Of The Tiger, Survivor
3. I Love Rock N' Roll, Joan Jett and The Blackhearts
4. Ebony And Ivory, Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder
5. Centerfold, J. Geils Band
6. Don't You Want Me, Human League
7. Jack And Diane, John Cougar
8. Hurts So Good, John Cougar
9. Abracadabra, Steve Miller Band
10. Hard To Say I'm Sorry, Chicago
11. Tainted Love, Soft Cell
12. Chariots Of Fire, Vangelis
13. Harden My Heart, Quarterflash
14. Rosanna, Toto
15. I Can't Go For That, Daryl Hall and John Oates
16. 867-5309 (Jenny), Tommy Tutone
17. Key Largo, Bertie Higgins
18. You Should Hear How She Talks About You, Melissa Manchester
19. Waiting For A Girl Like You, Foreigner
20. Don't Talk To Strangers, Rick Springfield
21. The Sweetest Thing, Juice Newton
22. Always On My Mind, Willie Nelson
23. Shake It Up, Cars
24. Let It Whip, Dazz Band
25. We Got The Beat, Go-Go's
26. The Other Woman, Ray Parker Jr.
27. Turn Your Love Around, George Benson
28. Sweet Dreams, Air Supply
29. Only The Lonely, Motels
30. Who Can It Be Now?, Men At Work
31. Hold Me, Fleetwood Mac
32. Eye In The Sky, Alan Parsons Project
33. Let's Groove, Earth, Wind and Fire
34. Open Arms, Journey
35. Leader Of The Band, Dan Fogelberg
36. Leather And Lace, Stevie Nicks and Don Henley
37. Even The Nights Are Better, Air Supply
38. I've Never Been To Me, Charlene
39. '65 Love Affair, Paul Davis
40. Heat Of The Moment, Asia
41. Take It Easy On Me, Little River Band
42. Pac-man Fever, Buckner and Garcia
43. That Girl, Stevie Wonder
44. Private Eyes, Daryl Hall and John Oates
45. Trouble, Lindsey Buckingham
46. Making Love, Roberta Flack
47. Love's Been A Little Bit Hard On Me, Juice Newton
48. Young Turks, Rod Stewart
49. Freeze-frame, J. Geils Band
50. Keep The Fire Burnin', REO Speedwagon
51. Do You Believe In Love, Huey Lewis and The News
52. Cool Night, Paul Davis
53. Caught Up In You, 38 Special
54. Why Do Fools Fall In Love?, Diana Ross
55. Love In The First Degree, Alabama
56. Hooked On Classics, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra [guilty pleasure]
57. Wasted On The Way, Crosby, Stills and Nash
58. Think I'm In Love, Eddie Money
59. Love Is In Control, Donna Summer
60. Personally, Karla Bonoff
61. One Hundred Ways, Quincy Jones
62. Blue Eyes, Elton John
63. Our Lips Are Sealed, Go-Go's
64. You Could Have Been Wih Me, Sheena Easton
65. You Can Do Magic, America
66. Did It In A Minute, Daryl Hall and John Oates
67. I Ran, A Flock Of Seagulls
68. Somebody's Baby, Jackson Browne
69. Oh No, Commodores
70. Take It Away, Paul McCartney
71. It's Gonna Take A Miracle, Deneice Williams
72. Love Will Turn You Around, Kenny Rogers
73. Don't Stop Bellevin', Journey
74. Comin' In And Out Of Your Life, Barbra Streisand (want to mark this as a stinker but I can't even remember it)
75. Gloria, Laura Branigan
76. Empty Garden, Elton John
77. Yesterday's Songs, Neil Diamond
78. Crimson And Clover, Joan Jett and The Blackhearts
79. Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic, Police
80. Here I Am, Air Supply
81. I Keep Forgettin', Michael Mcdonald
82. Get Down On It, Kool and The Gang
83. Any Day Now, Ronnie Milsap
84. Make A Move On Me, Olivia Newton-John
85. Take My Heart, Kool and The Gang
86. Mirror Mirror, Diana Ross
87. Vacation, Go-Go's
88. (Oh) Pretty Woman, Van Halen
89. Should I Do It, Pointer Sisters
90. Hot In The City, Billy Idol
91. Kids In America, Kim Wilde
92. Man On Your Mind, Little River Band
93. What's Forever For, Michael Murphy
94. Waiting On A Friend, Rolling Stones
95. Do I Do, Stevie Wonder
96. Working For The Weekend, Loverboy (now I'm wishing I blogged anonymously)
97. Goin' Down, Greg Guidry
98. Arthur's Theme, Christopher Cross
99. Through The Years, Kenny Rogers
100. Edge Of Seventeen, Stevie Nicks

There are probably 20 more on that list that I could easily strike out, just on principle, except I really don't think they deserve even the level of enthusiasm required to raise my contempt. And I give Journey a collective pass for the year only in honor of my mom's esteem for Steve Perry's lovely voice.

On the other hand, there was music in 1982 that didn't make the top 100 that really should have ranked much higher: especially:

• Wall of Voodoo: Mexican Radio

but also:

• Madness - Our House
  
• XTC - Sense Working Overtime
  
• The Jam - A Town Called Malice
  
• Romeo Void - Never Say Never
  
• Waitresses - I Know What Boys Like
  
• Pete Shelley - Homosapien
  
• Haircut One Hundred - Love Plus One

and even:

• Do You Really Want to Hurt Me - Culture Club
  
• Really Saying Something - Bananarama
  
• Talk Talk - Talk Talk
  
• Da Da Da (Englische) - Trio
  
• Golden Brown - The Stranglers

I can feel the resonant harmonic in the earth's gravitational field as an entire generation raised on the music of the 60's shakes its head in collective disapproval.

But remember, if you want the Beatles, you've got to take the Monkeys too.

[Feel free to catch the meme for your own graduation year, if you dare, and send me a trackback ping or a link in the comments section if you do.]