Equidistant in Time – IOTW Report

Equidistant in Time

Wednesday, 25 October 2017, 15:16 BFH Uncategorized 40

Ann Barnhardt has a great post.

It’s odd that she included me (and some dude named Van Der Loon.. or Lute… probably a new guy in the blogging scene) in the post because it’s actually a premise I once floated at Irony Curtain.  (I gave Ann a chance to marry me back in the day. We could have had quite a life discussing these quirky thoughts. But nooooooo.)

She calls it Equidistant In Time Musical Interludes.

I can explain it by retelling the Irony moment.

Awhile back, let’s say ten years ago (the math might be wrong on this, but play along), I was at his house for dinner and The Beatles were on the stereo. I thought about his high school aged kids being subjected to dad’s playlist and wondered what they thought.

Doing the math, I said, “you know, The Beatles music is 40 years old. So, when we were in high school in 1978, this would be like our parents insisting we listen to Kay Kyser.”

Irony would have none of it, saying the Beatles have more of a connection to today’s music than our music did to our parents. In the end he was right because his kids love The Beatles. But not all kids do! The music we listened to in 1978 might as well be Ishkabibble to a whole new generation

Ann’s reference is startling.

She reminds everyone that in 2017, MMMBop is the halfway point if we started at You Light Up My Life.

As they said in This Is Spinal Tap, “that’s too much perspective.”

I looked up the number one song in America today.

It’s this thing—-> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_209r9TMB4M  (Bad language)
The number one song in October 1978, 39 years ago, was this—>  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsE7W4RRdNg
39 years prior the number one song was  —>   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjq1aTLjrOE
(What does it say about me that out of the three songs I prefer the Benny Goodman one?)
If you don’t mind giving up a clue to your age, what are the songs equidistant in time from your birth, or wedding day, or graduation to 2017? Pick your own point.
For instance, if you were married in 1977, what was a song from that year? Then pick a song at the halfway point towards 2017. The arc should paint a picture that might be a bit too much to take!
Damn that Barnhardt!!!
I’m going to go listen to some 8-tracks. Or go rollerblading with my SpaceRadio.

 

40 Comments on Equidistant in Time

  2. Interesting line of thought. I like it.

    On the surface it seems musical (or fashion) trends/tastes seem to skip generations. That is, what our generation embraced is distasteful to our children but is picked-up by our grandchildren. I have a nostalgia for an era in which I never lived, the late 1920’s to late 1930’s — Big Band (Benny Goodman), the sleek, beautiful lines of industrial art, even the social upheaval of the era; part agricultural, part modern industry.

    Very interesting subject, Fur.

  6. Year I was born — 1949 I can pick from Vaughn Monroe — Ghost Riders in the Sky or Perry Como — Some Enchanted Evening. Half way — 1983 is a Michael Jackson fest — Beat It or Billy Jean. I need to pick some other dates.

  11. My toddler grandson loves old music played on vinyl. He calls it good music and calls music on the radio in the car really bad and it annoys him. I have cds with old music and must put on the good music, but then he says it’s better on the black things that go round and round.

    So I passed on old music to my kids and now starting on my grandkids.

  12. Bad Brad you missed green Onions by booker T and the MG’s. It was part of the sound track of my youth just like in the Sandlot when I also played little league baseball back in the early 60’s. Being a scrub they always stuck me in center field but it was fun.

  16. Glad you didn’t play Zager and Evans, they suck. But when they played Sprit In the Sky in the British comedy Saving Grace really loud when the stoner was taking a pee outside in the dark and the greenhouse where they were growing pot lit up really, really bright and he had a marijuana induced epiphany was hilarious. I love that movie, it was one of my late wife and myself favorite comedies especially the two goofy old ladies who got high drinking pot laced tea with the googly slinky eyes and got the munchies. We both laughed hysterically at that.

  18. 18 yrs. old 1969— https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrUHvPgxlcw

    28 yrs. — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mS7ly4dP5o

    38 yrs — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcUxrpIwuQ4

    48 years — 1999 — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQg1uWEPsOI&list=PLam08HY53ekvandBYqqOYKTDdFKXhs3Pz&index=39

    58yrs — 2009 — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PpJxJmXpSYQ&index=1&list=PL41D90571AF6A9E28

    66 — 2017 — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOEviTLJOqo&list=PLWvahZRxLnLMSWeULnub0CCeQzvxGM8hB

  24. Number 1 in the year of my birth was Goodnight Irene by Gordon Jenkins and the Weavers (ye gods, I’m old):
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5aixNi_C1Q.

    Halfway to 2017 it was Billie Jean by Michael Jackson:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75sx7U6dAB4.

    If I used the year of my HS graduation, it was To Sir, With Love by Lulu:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTapoA5RQyo.

    Halfway to 2017 would be End of the Road by Boyz II Men:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDKO6XYXioc&list=RDzDKO6XYXioc.
    which I must admit I’ve never heard of.

    Very interesting exercise, but I’m still reeling from Goodnight Irene – it feels like I was born in 1910 or something. Sheesh.

  27. Abigail Adams – I’m with you on Big Band music. It was before my time but I’ve always loved it. It’s beautiful music but it was of my parents era and I’m sure there’s some nostalgia about that for me.

  28. Fur, tell us a bit about Ann. I’ve been a regular reader of her blog since ’11, and now listener of podcasts. She pointed me towards the Catholic Church, which I joined in ’12. No regrets. I have a great deal of respect for her blunt truth telling.

  29. I enjoy all kinds of music but, get in my car and start the engine and you will rock out with me. I love Rock, hard Rock, Alternative. Rock gives me energy and makes me so happy and care free. It’s the only way to clean house. Try it, you’ll see!

  30. year born: ‘Blue Tango’ ~ Leroy Anderson
    midpoint: ‘When Doves Cry’ ~ Prince
    now: Don’t Ask, by I Don’t Give A Phuck … oh yeah … featuring No Taste, No Harmony, No Rhythm, Misogyny, & Just A Stupid Beat w/ Atrocious Rhymes

    soundtrack of my life: The Beatles, The Allman Brothers, Motown, John Hiatt, Frank Sinatra, Swing, old R&B, Hank Williams, Patsy Cline, Led Zeppelin

  31. @Zonga & AnnieGirl

    It’s been so long I can’t remember less than a handful of people in my class of 500. But then again, I only spent 3 years in the town where I graduated.
    Funny I left 12 days after H.S. (’69), went in the military for 4 years and didn’t come back here until 5 years ago (43 years later).
    And I wouldn’t recognize anyone if I saw them today (we’ve all changed….well of course I haven’t).

  32. I grew up on a type of Country. Used to watch the Green Valley Jamboree taped in Kalamazoo, MI. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7Z87Z3GO7A

    Then it was the British Invasion https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jenWdylTtzs

    HS Graduation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCjDLaQxyq8&list=PL7329082E54ECB6FC

    My musical taste has evolved. Rock, Alternative, Opera, Big Bands, the Rat Pack, Christian, Jazz, Blues, and recently Bluegrass. The only thing I will turn off is Rap (not music), Hip Hop and any new pop music (especially if autotuned).

  33. Oh, wow. Moonlight Serenade. I won’t recount the story here. Let’s just say that I consider it to be one of the most romantic tunes EVER. Right behind it would be Never Tear Us Apart by INXS.
    Birthday: “Love is Blue” Paul Mauriat
    Midway Point: “I Will Always Love You” Whitney Houston

    Became a Beatlemaniac at age 10 (1978), never looked back.
    Eagles, Hendrix, Skynyrd, LOTS of others

  34. Some years ago, when I first found this place, I quickly got the feeling that I was a kid compared to you regulars. I like such places, as I fit in better. Never in my life have I had a friend of my own age or younger; 15 years have been the fewest in age difference. None of you have ever disappointed me.

    I’d like to put a twist in my humble submission by limiting myself to a particular singer. While that means I can’t stick to dates strictly, I’ve come as close as I could with his hits, or, at least, his rendition.
    This is near some significant point in my life:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E40nEv8QXuU .
    And this is an apropos song that he does a great job with:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhumdH3MU-E

    As a parting note, thanks to all the regulars for sharing your wisdom with me these years. You’ll never know how hard it’s become to find such for one of my age.

  38. HS graduation – 1963
    Didn’t knot that was the year Sukiyaki made top 100 till just now. Plain Jane was starting on her great adventure. No wonder it’s one of my absolute favorites.

    1990, 27 years later. Part of my great adventure was dancing every chance we got, even though some times it might just be dancing in the kitchen to Love Shack.

    So did you all know Rand Paul is lead singer of B-52’s. Just go to 1:11 to see for yourselves.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SOryJvTAGs

    Unfortunately in pop music now, 27 years later, I find nothing. I now rely on oldies, big band, classical, blues, faith based music etc., for entertainment.

    TV and movies stink, unless you go back a decade or more. My youngest DIL loves the movies of the 1950s. She finds nothing current appealing either.

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