I have been doing a little research by looking back at Billboard's Year End Hot 100 Singles for the
years in which I was in grade school. Since my primary information about music during those years was Z100 Top 40 radio, it makes sense that most of those songs make up the soundtrack of my earliest years. In fact, every New Year's I reminisce about my pre-teen years when I stayed up late listening to the radio to hear the top 100 songs of the year. Hoping that my favorites would earn the top spots. All I can say is that I must have been disappointed in 1986. New Year's Eve, in 7th grade, this is what I might have had to listen to for the final 10:
I was jolted by these results. I had started my journey in the Top 100 looking at 1984 and 1985. There I found plenty of songs that I enjoyed as a boy and can still enjoy now. Take a look:
This historical data mining of my early radio listening options explains so much to me. For example: why do I remember boring adult contemporary sounding songs like Steve Winwood's "Higher Love" so fondly. There was literally nothing better coming out on my top 40 station that year. And in comparison to what I consider a gold mine of pop gems being churned out in the early 80's my ears must have been hungry for anything that had a decent sound. I thought the reason that I turned to Pink Floyd in my Jr. High years had something to do with puberty angst. But it may only have to do with the disastrous turn of pop music quality in the latter part of the 80's.
Please comment and let me know if you know what destroyed pop music in 1986. Otherwise, enjoy the many songs that I have recently added from '84 and '85. Plus the handful that I could stomach from 1986.
Life Mixed Tape on Spotify.
Comments
Post a Comment