ganked from Phae
Ganked from Caitlin Kiernan.
“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. Share your findings with your unsuspecting friendslist. Put it behind a damn cut.”
1980: Blondie ~ Call Me
Favorite: Actually, I’m pretty cool with Blondie.
1981: Kim Carnes ~ Bette Davis Eyes
Favorite: Once again, happy with what I got
1982: Paul McCartney & Stevie Wonder ~ Ebony & Ivory
Favorite: Would have preferred Human League’s Don’t You Want Me.
1983: Michael Jackson ~ Beat It
Favorite: Would have preferred David Bowie’s Let’s Dance, which shows up on the charts a few days after
1984: Lionel Ritchie ~ Hello
Favorite: I’m going with Prince ~ When Dove’s Cry, which hits charts three months later.
1985: Madonna ~ Crazy for You
Favorite: eh, I can live with this one, though Don’t You (Forget About Me) shows up two days after my birthday, and let’s face it that is like THE anthem of the 80s.
1986: Whitney Houston ~ Greatests Love of All
Favorite: For obvious reasons, though only one person on the face of the earth knows my secret hope about that song and he’s been in hiding for years, it’d be Boston’s Amanda ;oP
1987: U2 ~ With or Without You
Favorite: These days, it’d actually be this song, but back then I’d have been listening to Whitney Houston’s I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me). In fact, I owned the damn tape. Whitney and Debbie Gibson were my first non-kiddy music tapes. Though Los Lobos doing La Bamba is a close second to U2. I LOVED that movie.
1988: Gloria Estefan & the Miami Sound Machine ~ Anything for You. I admit I am completely unfamiliar with this song.
Favorite: Let’s be a dork and go with UB40’s Red Red Wine.
1989: Bon Jovi ~ I’ll Be There for You
Favorite: Phil Collins ~ Another Day in Paradise. But I was listening to Paula Abdul, Milli Vinilli (oh, the shame!), New Kids on the Block (MORE shame!), and Martika.
1990: Sinead O’Connor ~ Nothing Compares 2 U
Favorite: The same. But I was listening to Wilson Phillips and Roxette.
1991: Roxette ~ Joyride
Favorite: EMF ~ Unbelievable
1992: Kris Kross ~ Jump
Favorite: Madonna ~ This Used to be My Playground. But I keep waiting for the grunge bands to show up...
1993: Janet Jackson ~ That’s the Way Love Goes.
Favorite: None. Apparently, the year I became a teen totally sucked, because there isn’t anything on here that’s even remotely good. And while I admit I owned and adored this particular Jackson album, I was, at this point, falling out of pop.
1994: Ace of Base ~ The Sign
Favorite: Again, another sucky year. Though I’d SWEAR at this point in the game I was listening to Pearl Jam and NiN. Maybe they just didn’t hit the Hot 100.
1995: Montell Jordan ~ This Is How We Do It
Favorite: Coolio featuring L.V. ~ Gangsta’s Paradise
1996: Mariah Carey ~ Always Be My Baby
Favorite: Bone-Thugs-N-Harmony ~ The Crossroads
1997: The Notorious B.I.G. ~ Hypnotize
Favorite: This year makes me want to vomit. Also, clearly the year Princess Diana died, because Candle in the Wind 1997/Something About the Way You Look Tonight hits the charts in fall and never falls off through the end of the year.
1998: The death of high school gives me Next ~ Too Close. I have NO IDEA what that song is. Or, generally, any of the others. I was at this point listening to KoRn, NiN, David Bowie, and Tori Amos on a loop.
1999:Ricky Martin ~ Livin’ La Vida Loca
Favorite: None of these. I don’t know what I was into that year, but it wasn’t any of this stuff.
2000: Santana ~ Maria Maria
Favorite: Once again, none. I had better luck in the 80s than I did with the 90s, and apparently the 00s aren’t bringing much better...
2001: Janet ~ All for You. Because we aren’t a Jackson anymore?
Favorite: OutKast ~ Ms. Jackson
2002: Ashanti ~ Foolish
Favorite: Eminem ~ Lose Yourself
2003: Sean Paul ~ Get Busy
Favorite: OutKast ~ Hey Ya. I think it’s safe to say at this point in the game that I had completely lost touch with just about anything showing up on said Hot 100, as I only recognize two or three of the songs listed.
2004: Usher ~ Yeah
Favorite: umm, none. Yeah is the only song on the list that I recognize.
2005: Gwen Stefani ~ Holla’ Back Girl.
Favorite: Once again, none.
2006: Rihanna ~ SOS
Favorite: umm... if I gotta pick one, James Blunt ~ You’re Beautiful
2007: Maroon 5 ~ Makes Me Wonder
Favorite: Rhianna ~ Umbrella, because it’s the only song the girls play at work that doesn’t make me wanna rip my eyeballs out.
2008: Leona Lewis ~ Bleeding Love
Favorite: I’ll stick with Leona, thanks...
This list makes me realize how remarkably out of touch I am with what the vast majority of people seem to be listening to. Perhaps the Hot 100 wasn’t the list to look at. Is there a top alternative list?
“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. Share your findings with your unsuspecting friendslist. Put it behind a damn cut.”
1980: Blondie ~ Call Me
Favorite: Actually, I’m pretty cool with Blondie.
1981: Kim Carnes ~ Bette Davis Eyes
Favorite: Once again, happy with what I got
1982: Paul McCartney & Stevie Wonder ~ Ebony & Ivory
Favorite: Would have preferred Human League’s Don’t You Want Me.
1983: Michael Jackson ~ Beat It
Favorite: Would have preferred David Bowie’s Let’s Dance, which shows up on the charts a few days after
1984: Lionel Ritchie ~ Hello
Favorite: I’m going with Prince ~ When Dove’s Cry, which hits charts three months later.
1985: Madonna ~ Crazy for You
Favorite: eh, I can live with this one, though Don’t You (Forget About Me) shows up two days after my birthday, and let’s face it that is like THE anthem of the 80s.
1986: Whitney Houston ~ Greatests Love of All
Favorite: For obvious reasons, though only one person on the face of the earth knows my secret hope about that song and he’s been in hiding for years, it’d be Boston’s Amanda ;oP
1987: U2 ~ With or Without You
Favorite: These days, it’d actually be this song, but back then I’d have been listening to Whitney Houston’s I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me). In fact, I owned the damn tape. Whitney and Debbie Gibson were my first non-kiddy music tapes. Though Los Lobos doing La Bamba is a close second to U2. I LOVED that movie.
1988: Gloria Estefan & the Miami Sound Machine ~ Anything for You. I admit I am completely unfamiliar with this song.
Favorite: Let’s be a dork and go with UB40’s Red Red Wine.
1989: Bon Jovi ~ I’ll Be There for You
Favorite: Phil Collins ~ Another Day in Paradise. But I was listening to Paula Abdul, Milli Vinilli (oh, the shame!), New Kids on the Block (MORE shame!), and Martika.
1990: Sinead O’Connor ~ Nothing Compares 2 U
Favorite: The same. But I was listening to Wilson Phillips and Roxette.
1991: Roxette ~ Joyride
Favorite: EMF ~ Unbelievable
1992: Kris Kross ~ Jump
Favorite: Madonna ~ This Used to be My Playground. But I keep waiting for the grunge bands to show up...
1993: Janet Jackson ~ That’s the Way Love Goes.
Favorite: None. Apparently, the year I became a teen totally sucked, because there isn’t anything on here that’s even remotely good. And while I admit I owned and adored this particular Jackson album, I was, at this point, falling out of pop.
1994: Ace of Base ~ The Sign
Favorite: Again, another sucky year. Though I’d SWEAR at this point in the game I was listening to Pearl Jam and NiN. Maybe they just didn’t hit the Hot 100.
1995: Montell Jordan ~ This Is How We Do It
Favorite: Coolio featuring L.V. ~ Gangsta’s Paradise
1996: Mariah Carey ~ Always Be My Baby
Favorite: Bone-Thugs-N-Harmony ~ The Crossroads
1997: The Notorious B.I.G. ~ Hypnotize
Favorite: This year makes me want to vomit. Also, clearly the year Princess Diana died, because Candle in the Wind 1997/Something About the Way You Look Tonight hits the charts in fall and never falls off through the end of the year.
1998: The death of high school gives me Next ~ Too Close. I have NO IDEA what that song is. Or, generally, any of the others. I was at this point listening to KoRn, NiN, David Bowie, and Tori Amos on a loop.
1999:Ricky Martin ~ Livin’ La Vida Loca
Favorite: None of these. I don’t know what I was into that year, but it wasn’t any of this stuff.
2000: Santana ~ Maria Maria
Favorite: Once again, none. I had better luck in the 80s than I did with the 90s, and apparently the 00s aren’t bringing much better...
2001: Janet ~ All for You. Because we aren’t a Jackson anymore?
Favorite: OutKast ~ Ms. Jackson
2002: Ashanti ~ Foolish
Favorite: Eminem ~ Lose Yourself
2003: Sean Paul ~ Get Busy
Favorite: OutKast ~ Hey Ya. I think it’s safe to say at this point in the game that I had completely lost touch with just about anything showing up on said Hot 100, as I only recognize two or three of the songs listed.
2004: Usher ~ Yeah
Favorite: umm, none. Yeah is the only song on the list that I recognize.
2005: Gwen Stefani ~ Holla’ Back Girl.
Favorite: Once again, none.
2006: Rihanna ~ SOS
Favorite: umm... if I gotta pick one, James Blunt ~ You’re Beautiful
2007: Maroon 5 ~ Makes Me Wonder
Favorite: Rhianna ~ Umbrella, because it’s the only song the girls play at work that doesn’t make me wanna rip my eyeballs out.
2008: Leona Lewis ~ Bleeding Love
Favorite: I’ll stick with Leona, thanks...
This list makes me realize how remarkably out of touch I am with what the vast majority of people seem to be listening to. Perhaps the Hot 100 wasn’t the list to look at. Is there a top alternative list?