That song meme

[chickenfeet]

via stelpa

"Many feel that the song that was the number 1 hit on the day you were born shapes the rest of your life. And that the song that was number one on your 18th birthday, is your "Life Theme""

Accordingly, then, here are my songs:

#1 when I was born:
UK: All Shook Up - Elvis Presley
US: Let Me Be Your Teddy Bear - Elvis Presley

These seem curiously apt.

#1 on my 18th
UK: Barbados - Typically Tropical
US: Jive Talkin’ - The Bee Gees

Neither of which mean anything to me

Comments

[lnr]

When I was born in 1975 David Bowie's Space Oddity was no 1. I have always thought this was very very cool.

In 1993 it was Meatloaf's appalling I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That).

[bopeepsheep.livejournal.com]

Born
UK - Metal Guru by T.Rex
US - The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face by Roberta Flack

18th birthday
UK - Killer by Adamski
US - Vogue by Madonna

I'm fine with the 1972 ones but not so keen on the 1990 tracks, either as music or themes for life. The fact that Jim Henson and Sammy Davis Jr died on my 18th birthday doesn't seem inspiring either.

[bopeepsheep.livejournal.com]

Hmmm. You were born after Chart Day (Tuesday in those days) so according to my book/sources it's Billy Connolly's D.I.V.O.R.C.E, not Space Oddity. (Went to No.1 on 18th Nov, stayed there a week, and was replaced by Bohemian Rhapsody.) Unfortunately this makes no difference whatsoever to the Meatloaf track.

[lnr]

All my sources (including the guinness book of hit singles) have DIVORCE starting from the 22nd, and indeed only being there for a week.

[bopeepsheep.livejournal.com]

The 22nd was a Saturday, which has never been chart day. I think that's meant to be 'week ending 22nd' in most sources, which makes sense when the new chart is drawn on the Sunday (23rd in that case) but none at all when the chart actually was drawn up on Tuesdays. I have a pre-Sunday copy of Guinness Hit Singles which gives all the operative dates as Tuesdays, and I even have tape recordings of most of the 1986 new charts. (Yes, that was the year I was Deeply Obsessive with music.)

[lnr]

Reading around it appears that the NME chart (which was the main one for some time) was apparently drawn up on Wednesdays but published on Saturdays. Wikipedia has DIVORCE from the 16th, a whole week earlier than most other sources.

[bopeepsheep.livejournal.com]

Sigh. No. The NME was published on Wednesdays.

Gallup was the main chart, and the one that Guinness used from 1970 on. The main commercial rival was the ILR chart which came out on Sundays and was printed in No.1 magazine, but not until the 1980s.

[lnr]

You obviously know about it rather than just relying on dodgy googling.

Still, it's a bit sad to find out something you've known for years was a cool thing about you was wrong. Typical really.

[bopeepsheep.livejournal.com]

Sorry. The change from Tuesday to Sunday screwed up a lot of data. I had a similar experience the first time someone told me that Metal Guru didn't go to No.1 until May 21st (I was born on Chart Day) and that it 'should be' Amazing Grace by the Royal Scots Dragoons Band who whoever they were. (But it shouldn't be, it is T.Rex not least because I have a copy of that day's chart and the single itself, bought specifically because it was No.1 on my birthday by my dad who cares about such things.)

[(Anonymous)]

Oh c'mon, you were "Jive Talkin'" when you replied to my last post!

[daubentonia.livejournal.com]

Oh c'mon, you were "Jive Talkin'" when you replied to my last post!

[pshtaku.livejournal.com]

I've never heard of :-

Eye Level - Simon Park Orchestra
Higher Ground - Stevie Wonder

which was number one in the UK during the week I was born.

And when I was 18...

Emotions Mariah Carey (this woman was the cause of Del Amitri losing their record contract!)
Everything I do... Bryan Adams... (Yuck!)

Nope - I prefer Ultravox - Vienna - It's means nothing to me....

[a-d-medievalist.livejournal.com]

Never trust the Wikipedia ...

[a-d-medievalist.livejournal.com]

I must be looking at the wrong charts --

The year I was born, I find that the UK single was Telstar by the Tornadoes and the US no. 1 was The Monster Mash

WHen I was 18, it appears to have been Barbra Streisand's Woman in Love for both countries.


Please tell me I'm wrong ...