Feel Free to keep commenting on my JOY post below. Thanks if you've commented. I could always do with more help.In the meantime, a quick story: My family and I traveled across Australia from Sydney to Perth in December 1980. Click on this MAP -- it’s that little road that hugs the southern part of the continent. That’s a looooong way. It was, of course, as hot as any antipodean summer. And air-conditioning was for the haves, rather than the have-nots. There were 4 kids in the backseat for basically nine days of outback. I know it sounds like hell. But it was a blast, as I remember. Totally defining.
We had, of course, no CD player. (I didn’t see my first CD until 1986.) We had only a portable tape player. And only one compilation tape of classic hits from 1980. Needless to say, those songs are burned on my brain; burned as only desert sun can. For your Youtube-ing pleasure, this one carried us, as on the wings of eagles in the desert:
And this was a 1980 CLASSIC (also on that tape):
What was a song that defined your age 10?
PS Thats us in Perth with Grandma plus cousins.
40 comments:
I bought my first CD when I was ten. It was Michael Jackson's "History". I became obsessed with: "Stranger in Moscow" and "They Don't Really Care About Us".
I was 10 in 1987 [ I can't believe you're only 7 years older than me! ;-p ], and from memory I was right in to Video Hits at the time.
Some favourites:
"Faith", George Michael
"Land Of Confusion", Genesis
"Livin' On A Prayer", Bon Jovi
"Something So Strong", Crowded House
"The Final Countdown", Europe
So many classic hits. But that last one remains my favourite (thanks mainly to G.O.B. Bluth from Arrested Development).
Lunch...
1987 was my final year of High School. You can imagine what 'A Final Countdown' was like for my year group...
Anyone else?
FABULOUS!!!!
Here's to the class of '87!
Now to think of a song defining me when I was 10 ... I was rather oblivious to popular culture at aged 10, though somewhat curious about the Village People, KISS and ABBA posters on friends' walls.
The Beatles were my favourites ... but a specific, defining song?
What springs to mind is a song my best friend Rachel Lucas and I made up and went round singing to elderly people - 'We're the Jesus Team, we want to help you. Use Jesus' loving beam to help us manage through...'
I think your 10 year old choices were somewhat stronger in the lyrics dept. than mine!!!!!!
ahhhh - 1984 - would have to be 'Wake me up before you go go' and 'careless whisper'. I remember having a fight with my friend Natalie that the teacher had to sort out....it was because we both liked George Michael, and Natlalie said i had to like Andrew Ridgley - otherwise she wouldn't be my friend anymore!!!
PS: love the scoop shorts in the photo, have got to love 1980's Australian Fashion
S xxxxx
Megs. Lol. Yes -- you and I have vastly different experiences then. I had no Jesus beams in my life as far as I could tell.
:)
Sharon -- 1984 was a tidy year, was it not. Enjoy THIS. Any other memories you from that list?
By the way, if you search on youtube, and its there...
then link your song.
For example, Lunch: "The Final Countdown", Europe
And Sharon: "Wake Me Up Before You Go Go".
Easy.
When I was 10 my cousins got me into "Hungry Like the Wolf" by Duran Duran.
By the way, how did someone who had seen the cultural sophistication of Perth end up in a dumpy backwater hicks-ville like NYC? For the sake of the gospel, I guess?
Hey Justin, The list made me cry!! wow! What a great year for songs - I remember most of them from the car when mum would pile us all in to collect dad from the Maitland Bowling club at 6pm every night! having a weird flashback day, listening to ABC radio in Newcastle because Maitland is about to flood...and feeling all sad, meant to be studying for final Theology exams (please pray - they are next Thursday and Friday) - interesting how the past seems so close but yet we are unable to grasp it.....In the words of Meatloaf 'Objects in the rearview mirror appear closer then they are'
S xxx
Oh, God bless you, what a wonderful post. And since I am several years younger than any of you, I definitely have to comment. I was 10 in 1994 and '95, so my top songs were these:
"Wonderwall" by Oasis (that album was the first I ever bought)
"Ironic" by Alanis Morissette (second album ever)
I also listened to lots of Beatles (Revolver and Rubber Soul) and the really cheesy pop station in Albany, NY.
I think that stuff's pretty good, but "Hungry Like the Wolf" and "Wake Me Up Before You Go Go" are also excellent. I think the Limp Bizkit version of George Michael's "Faith" is a defining song of age 12 or 13 for me. And of course, "Livin' on a Prayer" is still a defining song of college frat parties all around the U.S.
Just as an addition, and at the deliberate risk of sounding sacrilegious, here is your generation's "Faith" and mine's.
A warning that the Limp Bizkit video is full of gratuitous hard-rock-related stupidity. And that George Michael really likes to shake his rear.
Waiting for a girl like you -
by Foreigner.
Down Under - Men at Work.
Computer Games - MiSex
ABBA ABBA ABBA ABBA
Scorpions - Wind of Change
Cher - If I Could Turn Back Time (this still from the video clip is something else)
Memories of my first ever tape: a compilation called 'Summer of 1986'.
Favourites:
True Colors, Cyndi Lauper
Manic Monday, Bangles
Well now. When I was ten these would have to be the stand out songs of that year.
Baker Street - Gerry Rafferty
Staying Alive - Bee Gees
Take a Chance on Me - Abba
Wuthering Heights - Kate Bush
John and Sylvia have recounted the story of your trip to Perth a few times. The car trip was obviously something that made an impression on your mum and dad, as it was recounted for others to retell later.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQifYc62LSM
And here is a link that not only encompasses music, but the fashion of 1978.
at 10? Take on Me (Ah ha) soooo good, and Kids in the Kitchen - Current Stand .... Rhea
Ok. So how do I insert a link in the comment posting section. It is bamboozling me.
Only the best from 1988!
Got My Mind Set On You - George Harrison
Never Gonna Give You Up - Rick Astley
Sign Your Name- Terence Trent d'Arby
The Loco-Motion - Kylie Minogue
Don't Worry, Be Happy - Bobby McFerrin
The Way You Make Me Feel - Michael Jackson
Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car - Billy Ocean
I had just arrived back from Japan at age 10 in 1987 so was out of touch with pop culture, but I do remember that there was a huge war in my class. You were either a fan of INXS or Croweded House and never the twain should meet!
I loved that Peter Cetera song from Karate Kid, what was it called?
Gnat Jonker Floridonker
I was 10 in 1981. Songs that stick out:
"Losing My Religion", R.E.M
"Unbelievable" UMF
"More Than Words", Extreme
"Everything I Do", Bryan Adams
Sorry, I haven't read Lunch's post on how to link in comments.
Jim -- you are a comedian.
And you are also a lot older than I thought. Ten in 1981?
You have aged well, my friend.
It has not been a good day for me today.
10 in 1991 everyone.
My bad.
for the record, the film clips to my much loved songs are on You Tube.
i was 10 in 1996 (hooray for the young 'un!)...
...sadly this was the year of the macarena...
BUT i loved Follow You Down - the Gin Blossoms
Alanis Morrisette - Ironic
and due to the excessive amount of time i spent in the car with my mum, i was exposed to a lot of Celine Dion...
and i liked it.
Golly, I think "Because You Loved Me" by Celine Dion was number one on Casey Kacem's Top 40 for 10 weeks straight. I still remember every word of that thing. Ick.
1990 was my 10th year, and I believe that year was the year of MC Hammer's great "Can't touch Dis" and Vanilla Ice's "Ice Ice Baby"...oh how the eighties went out with a fizz...
Hope you're well Justin
1984 marked my 10th birthday. I didn't have many likes/dislikes except a secret love of Huey Lewis and the News (how can any self-respecting 10 year old like "The Heart of Rock & Roll is in Cleveland"?????) and a deep loathing of Phil Collins and his insipid "Take a Look at me Now".
It was not until I was 11/12 that the magic of Ah ha's "Take on Me" captivated my ears every afternoon on the school bus. My love of the song was aided by Andrea, the cool 7th-grader in the back of the bus (who wore her "Frankie Says RELAX" T-Shirt almost every day), who unashamedly sang along to the song every time it aired.
Right on Track by the Breakfast Club was the song which did it for me in 1987.
I loved this song so much that I was determined to make it my first musical purchase, and so I set my sights on Right on Track '87 , one of those glorious compilation tapes that you used to be able to buy. However, once in the music shop my big sister insisted that she should by it and then big brother could copy it for me. When Big Bro conducted the said piracy, he censored those songs which he thought too rude.
The other big one was, of course, Livin' on a Prayer. I still remember singing this as loud as possible in Glenn Cooper's backyard. I had a big poster of Bon Jovi on my wall; hair, make up, the whole lot. I also had INXS on my wall, but took it down because I thought Devil Inside was Satanic.
Big Brother wasn't the only God freak in our house.
PS. George Benson...I'm impressed! Leo Sayer...not so much.
Marty - Love the mixed messages: piracy is ok if you're censoring for language!
When I was ten (1988), I don't think I'd even listened to any popular music (more than you might accidentally get on someone else's radio or on afternoon TV). The music rocking my world at that stage was Tchaikovsky's Marche Slave.
Oh dear!!!!! I turned 10 in 1976!!!!!!!! But that was in December...so I guess most of the 10th year of my life was spent in 1977. But I still feel old compared to you all.
One of the top hits for 1977 was "You Light Up My Life"...by Debbie Boone. I remember holding an imaginary microphone and mouthing the words while it was on the radio and being quite dramatic about it. LOL!
Ohy good! I just notice Jenny is about my age. Now I don't feel so bad! Thank you, Jenny. I liked that song, "Baker Street"
Priscilla -- I'm not too far from you!
yes, I noticed that.
Hi Justin, I came across your blog while googling Selwyn Sexton! (I think I vaguely remember you from Trinity?) The first album I bought was '1980 - The Summer', when I was 10. Fantastic. I spent many hours in front of the mirror singing along with the Martha and the Muffins song 'Echo Beach' into my hairbrush. I too have many happy (in retrospect) memories of travelling across large parts of Australia in the back of the hot car making up songs with my brothers. I don't think we had the tape option as my parents were quite happy with the ABC. I'm always slightly saddened by the sight of travelling families with children watching DVDs in the back, wearing headphones. I insist that we play 'I spy...' or make up songs as we drive along. However my children are only 1 and 5. Thanks for the thought provoking post.
Louise
Ahd here it is: http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=BR-y49bxSIY&NR=1
The first thing that came to mind when I thought of music in 1984 was listening to Michael Jackson's Thriller with my mom and trying to moonwalk in my living room. Itunes says that album came out in 1982, so my memory of 80's music is apparently not that great! Oh well.
With a little help from Google, here's some actual 1984 songs that stick out:
-Van Halen's Jump (favorite at the roller rink)
-Pointer Sisters' Jump (my mom took me to this concert!!)
-Huey Lewis and the News's Heart of Rock and Roll (...Tulsa, Austin, OKLAHOMA CITY!)
-Prince's 1999 (when it rained and we had to spend recess inside, we listed to a lot of Prince. I thought 1999 was light years away...)
Thanks for the trip down memory lane!
H
Sunday, October 19th
Thanks H. Nice memories.
Louise -- how did you know me at Trinity. It was an all boys school! How do you know Selwyn Sexton?
I went to a girl's school nearby, and was friends with the Wests, so spent some time at Trinity.
I went on a couple of amusing beach missions with the Sextons.
I was a friend of the Wests.
I went on a couple of amusing beach missions with the Sextons.
Marcus was the year below me at school. Thanks for dropping by.
Selwyn gave one sermon in 1978, and it was the first time I understood Christ's death. I'm thankful to God for him.
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