Flashback Time

All right, so Pam’s tagged me with a music meme. And what the hell, I’ll play along. The idea is to go here and grab the list of the top 100 songs from your high school graduation year (though I’m not exactly sure what measuring stick they’re using to pick the “top songs”). Then mark them up as directed. (Oh, and I’ve added hyperlinks from the song titles to the track in the iTunes Store — when it’s available — in case your memory needs some refreshing... or if this little trip down memory lane inspires you to expand your collection.)

I’m going to try to do this with my high-school self in mind; in other words, this is what I thought about the songs then (and I was fairly tolerant at the time, going through a bizarre sort of pop/metal phase). In at least one case (and I’ll leave it to you to pick which one) a song I hated has since grown on me, and in several instances a tune I liked has deteriorated in my estimation into a stinking pile of pus.

I don’t think I can realistically ask you to completely withhold judgment, but I can tell you that any barbs directed my way will leave me psychologically unscathed — I’m long past obsessing over my teenage shortcomings (but if you want clarification on any of my choices, ask away and I’ll gladly address it in the comments).

So without further ado, here’s the list.

Green = Made everyone shut up so I could hear it clearly
Black = Could certainly tolerate it, but wasn’t running out to buy the single (yes, we had singles back then)
Red = Actually made the effort to get up and change the dial on the radio
Blue = Um... what was that one again?

1. That’s What Friends Are For, Dionne Warwick, Elton John, Gladys Knight, and Stevie Wonder
   
2. Say You, Say Me, Lionel Richie
   
3. I Miss You, Klymaxx
   
4. On My Own, Patti Labelle and Michael McDonald
   
5. Broken Wings, Mr. Mister
   
6. How Will I Know, Whitney Houston
   
7. Party All The Time, Eddie Murphy
   
8. Burning Heart, Survivor
   
9. Kyrie, Mr. Mister
   
10. Addicted To Love, Robert Palmer
    
11. Greatest Love Of All, Whitney Houston
    
12. Secret Lovers, Atlantic Starr
    
13. Friends And Lovers, Carl Anderson and Gloria Loring
    
14. Glory Of Love, Peter Cetera
    
15. West End Girls, Pet Shop Boys
    
16. There’ll Be Sad Songs (To Make You Cry), Billy Ocean
    
17. Alive And Kicking, Simple Minds
    
18. Never, Heart
    
19. Kiss, Prince and The Revolution
    
20. Higher Love, Steve Winwood
    
21. Stuck With You, Huey Lewis & The News
    
22. Holding Back The Years, Simply Red
    
23. Sledgehammer, Peter Gabriel
    
24. Sara, Starship
    
25. Human, Human League
    
26. I Can’t Wait, Nu Shooz
    
27. Take My Breath Away, Berlin
    
28. Rock Me Amadeus, Falco
    
29. Papa Don’t Preach, Madonna
    
30. You Give Love A Bad Name, Bon Jovi
    
31. When The Going Gets Tough, Billy Ocean
    
32. When I Think Of You, Janet Jackson
    
33. These Dreams, Heart
    
34. Don’t Forget Me (When I’m Gone), Glass Tiger
    
35. Live To Tell, Madonna
    
36. Mad About You, Belinda Carlisle
    
37. Something About You, Level 42
    
38. Venus, Bananarama
    
39. Dancing On The Ceiling, Lionel Richie (a song that I now ridicule mercilessly, but at the time, it didn’t particularly bother me)
    
40. Conga, Miami Sound Machine
    
41. True Colors, Cyndi Lauper
    
42. Danger Zone, Kenny Loggins (maybe this is a Top Gun thing, but I still love it)
    
43. What Have You Done For Me Lately, Janet Jackson
    
44. No One Is To Blame, Howard Jones
    
45. Let’s Go All The Way, Sly Fox
    
46. I Didn’t Mean To Turn You On, Robert Palmer
    
47. Words Get In The Way, Miami Sound Machine
    
48. Manic Monday, Bangles
    
49. Walk Of Life, Dire Straits
    
50. Amanda, Boston
    
51. Two Of Hearts, Stacey Q
    
52. Crush On You, Jets
    
53. If You Leave, Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
    
54. Invisible Touch, Genesis
    
55. The Sweetest Taboo, Sade
    
56. What You Need, INXS
    
57. Talk To Me, Stevie Nicks
    
58. Nasty, Janet Jackson
    
59. Take Me Home Tonight, Eddie Money
    
60. We Don’t Have To Take Our Clothes Off, Jermaine Stewart (this one still makes me cringe)
    
61. All Cried Out, Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam With Full Force
    
62. Your Love, Outfield
    
63. I’m Your Man, Wham!
    
64. Perfect Way, Scritti Politti
    
65. Living In America, James Brown
    
66. R.O.C.K. In The U.S.A., John Cougar Mellencamp
    
67. Who’s Johnny, El Debarge
    
68. Word Up, Cameo
    
69. Why Can’t This Be Love, Van Halen
    
70. Silent Running, Mike and The Mechanics
    
71. Typical Male, Tina Turner
    
72. Small Town, John Cougar Mellencamp
    
73. Tarzan Boy, Baltimora
    
74. All I Need Is A Miracle, Mike and The Mechanics
    
75. Sweet Freedom, Michael McDonald
    
76. True Blue, Madonna
    
77. Rumors, Timex Social Club
    
78. Life In A Northern Town, Dream Academy
    
79. Bad Boy, Miami Sound Machine
    
80. Sleeping Bag, ZZ Top (I was a big ZZ Top fan after Eliminator, but this just didn’t do it for me)
    
81. Tonight She Comes, Cars
    
82. Love Touch, Rod Stewart
    
83. A Love Bizarre, Sheila E.
    
84. Throwing It All Away, Genesis
    
85. Baby Love, Regina
    
86. Election Day, Arcadia
    
87. Nikita, Elton John
    
88. Take Me Home, Phil Collins
    
89. Walk This Way, Run-D.M.C.
    
90. Sweet Love, Anita Baker
    
91. Your Wildest Dreams, Moody Blues
    
92. Spies Like Us, Paul McCartney
    
93. Object Of My Desire, Starpoint
    
94. Dreamtime, Daryl Hall
    
95. Tender Love, Force M.D.’s
    
96. King For A Day, Thompson Twins
    
97. Love Will Conquer All, Lionel Richie
    
98. A Different Corner, George Michael
    
99. I’ll Be Over You, Toto
    
100. Go Home, Stevie Wonder

As for tagging... well, since I pretty much abandoned this blog several months back, I think my readership is about nil. So that means that if you’re reading this, then you’ve been tagged. And I do expect you to participate.