Pardon this detour into escapism. Work has been in overdrive this week, and there is nothing I can say that can do justice to the continuing suffering on the Gulf Coast [wordless motion of head to link at top of right sidebar]. This meme from Robert at The LLama Butchers is just what I need right now: Go to Music Outfitters and find their list of the 100 top songs for the year you graduated from high school. Bold the ones you liked, strike the ones you hated, and leave alone the ones to which you were indifferent or that you can't remember. Since I seem to be under an attack of blessed rage for useless order right now, I've tweaked the categories a bit, as follows:
Bold: Would listen to an oldies station that had this song on the playlist
Italicized bold: Would start singing along and dancing in the car when the oldies station played this song
Unchanged: "Meh," but wouldn't change the station
Small font: Don't remember this songStrikeout: Would change the station if this came on the oldies station
Brown strikeout: Would change the station, then puncture my eardrums with a chopstick, if this came on the oldies station
These songs are from the year 1976, the year that my high school graduation present was a store-brand turntable/radio/8-track/cassette player combo (as a rule, there is always one component on these multifunction gizmos that does not work; the cassette player was the one that was kaput out of the box), and when I spent many hours and a not insignificant chunk of my meager discretionary starving-student income at the Reynolds Club basement record store, buying albums for the first time:
1. Silly Love Songs, Paul McCartney and Wings
2. Don't Go Breaking My Heart, Elton John and Kiki Dee. Even though I was in a major Elton John phase then, I could take or leave this one.
3. Disco Lady, Johnnie Taylor. Oh yes I am.4. December, 1963 (Oh, What A Night), Four Seasons
5. Play That Funky Music, Wild Cherry
6. Kiss And Say Goodbye, Manhattans
7. Love Machine (Part 1), The Miracles 8. 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover, Paul Simon
9. Love Is Alive, Gary Wright
10. A Fifth Of Beethoven, Walter Murphy and The Big Apple Band. I plead the fifth.
11. Sara Smile, Daryl Hall and John Oates
12. Afternoon Delight, Starland Vocal Band 13. I Write The Songs, Barry Manilow 14. Fly, Robin, Fly, Silver Convention 15. Love Hangover, Diana Ross 16. Get Close, Seals and Crofts 17. More, More, More, Andrea True Connection
18. Bohemian Rhapsody, Queen
19. Misty Blue, Dorothy Moore
20. Boogie Fever, Sylvers21. I'd Really Love To See You Tonight, England Dan and John Ford Coley
22. You Sexy Thing, Hot Chocolate
23. Love Hurts, Nazareth 24. Get Up And Boogie, Silver Convention 25. Take It To The Limit, Eagles
26. (Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty, K.C. and The Sunshine Band
27. Sweet Love, Commodores
28. Right Back Where We Started From, Maxine Nightingale
29. Theme From "S.W.A.T", Rhythm Heritage
30. Love Rollercoaster, Ohio Players. Say what? 31. You Should Be Dancing, Bee Gees
32. You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine, Lou Rawls
33. Golden Years, David Bowie 34. Moonlight Feels Right, Starbuck 35. Only Sixteen, Dr. Hook 36. Let Your Love Flow, Bellamy Brothers
37. Dreamweaver, Gary Wright
38. Turn The Beat Around, Vicki Sue Robinson 39. Lonely Night (Angel Face), The Captain and Tennille 40. All By Myself, Eric Carmen41. Love To Love You Baby, Donna Summer 42. Deep Purple, Donny and Marie Osmond
43. Theme From "Mahogany", Diana Ross. We hates us some Diana Ross...but I can't resist this song from the so-ridiculously-bad-it's-good movie.
44. Sweet Thing, Rufus
45. That's The Way I Like It, K.C. and The Sunshine Band 46. A Little Bit More, Dr. Hook 47. Shannon, Henry Gross
48. If You Leave Me Now, Chicago
49. Lowdown, Boz Scaggs
50. Show Me The Way, Peter Frampton. I didn't like this song at all, really...and who put that Peter Frampton poster up in my dorm room, anyway?
51. Dream On, Aerosmith
52. I Love Music (Pt. 1), O'Jays
53. Say You Love Me, Fleetwood Mac
54. Times Of Your Life, Paul Anka 55. Devil Woman, Cliff Richard
56. Fooled Around And Fell In Love, Elvin Bishop 57. Convoy, C.W. McCall 58. Welcome Back, John Sebastian
59. Sing A Song, Earth, Wind and Fire
60. Heaven Must Be Missing An Angel, Tavares
61. I'll Be Good To You, Brothers Johnson 63. Shop Around, The Captain and Tennille 64. Saturday Night, Bay City Rollers
65. Island Girl, Elton John
66. Let's Do It Again, Staple Singers 67. Let 'Em In, Paul McCartney and Wings
68. Baby Face, Wing and A Prayer Fife and Drum Corps
69. This Masquerade, George Benson 70. Evil Woman, Electric Light Orchestra 71. Wham Bam, Silver 72. I'm Easy, Keith Carradine
73. Wake Up Everybody (Pt. 1), Harold Melvin and The Bluenotes
74. Summer, War 75. Let Her In, John Travolta 76. Fox On The Run, Sweet
77. Rhiannon, Fleetwood Mac
78. Got To Get You Into My Life, Beatles. Quoi? 1976?79. Fanny (Be Tender With My Love), Bee Gees
80. Getaway, Earth, Wind and Fire
81. She's Gone, Daryl Hall and John Oates 82. Rock And Roll Music, Beach Boys 82. Still The One, Orleans
83. You're My Best Friend, Queen
84. With Your Love, Jefferson Starship 85. Slow Ride, Foghat
86. Who'd She Coo, Ohio Players. After almost 30 years, I discover that this song is not called "Coocheecoo".
88. Walk Away From Love, David Ruffin
89. Baby, I Love Your Way, Peter Frampton. Every day.
90. Young Hearts Run Free, Candi Staton
91. Breaking Up's Hard To Do, Neil Sedaka 92. Money Honey, Bay City Rollers
93. Tear The Roof Off The Sucker, Parliament 94. Junk Food Junkie, Larry Groce
95. Tryin' To Get The Feeling Again, Barry Manilow. Barry was just warming up for his masterpiece, "This One's For You." 96. Rock And Roll All Nite, Kiss 97. Disco Duck, Rick Dees
97. The Boys Are Back In Town, Thin Lizzy 98. Take The Money And Run, Steve Miller Band 99. Squeeze Box, The Who
100. Country Boy (You Got Your Feet In L.A.), Glen Campbell
I think this meme also calls for underlining your favorite song from this list. No can do: I can't believe there is nothing from Songs In The Key of Life on this list. My favorite song of 1976: "I Wish".
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