Firsts
Today is the very first day of Autumn (I like when the Summer is over. It's time.) and the very first week of the first year of our new Jr. High Explore! program. Wow! Everything went very well, and the buzz is good. I hope that the kids really take to the program. Of course, I'm fixated on the handful of trouble makers. I need to learn to deal with them but not let their misbehavior color how I view the entire group. For the most part, we have wonderful and thoughtful kids. It's been a lot of work, but I believe it will be leaps and bounds better than what they've experienced before.
If any of you have the unfortunate experience of listening to Mark & Mercedes in the morning, you may have already heard them talk about Blender Magazine's Top 500 Songs Since You Were Born (circa 1980). Well, we actually have a subscription to Blender, so what you missed on M&M is my very own commentary on the Top 10. Here goes:
10. In da Club 50Cent: Ok, maybe I am "older" than my peers, but other than a sampling on itunes just now I don't remember ever hearing this song before. So, I really can't agree with it's spot at No. 10 when songs I do know and love like You Oughta' Know and Nothing Compares 2 U are at 149 and 113 respectively. So, I'm a chick song girl.
9. Baby, One More Time Britney Spears: Yeah, this is a guilty pleasure for me, too. I love this song, and I have danced to it in front of a mirror more than once (now you know.). How come I didn't look that good in a plaid skirt at 16? I am not at all implying that Britney is a good musician/vocalist, because she isn't. So, it must be a great song if it can catapult a precocious (for lack of a better word) girl with mediocre talent into a global superstar. The other Brit song that I like, Toxic, makes the list at No. 110.
8. Sucker MCs Run-DMC: (Sigh) I think that I missed the whole rise of rap. I suppose that this is old school, but it's new to me. Should I know this song? Do I really know this song, but itunes had a crappy sample? Well in any event, this song is not in my CD collection. Maybe, it's a classic and I just don't know it. Is this the song that started it all? So many questions that I'm not sure if I care if I get answers to...
7. Love Will Tear Us Apart Joy Division: I have an excuse for this one: I was only a few months old when it came out in 1980! How in the world can we be expected to know this one, especially those of you who were born way after 1980?! I'm really batting a thousand here! lol.
6. Like a Prayer Madonna: Ok, now we're talkin'! I'm a little surprised, but I totally agree. I loved this song the first time I heard it on KLUC 98.5 during the 5th grade and I still do. This is the song that made me a Madonna fan. I don't know if it was the Catholic ties or its appeal to my developing secret inner wild girl, but I couldn't get enough of it. I wasn't alone: in the 6th grade, seven of my girlfriends and I performed Like a Prayer in the school talent show. We had killer outfits of Batman pants, vests and black felt hats and our dance was, well, very literal. If you're lucky, someday when I'm drunk I'll show it to you. We had a great one to Papa, Don't Preach too. (BTW: That's No. 468 in case you were wondering.)
5. Smells Like Teen Spirit Nirvana: Wow, I know two in a row! I'm not a huge fan of this song. I like it fine, but (surprise, surprise) I didn't really "get" the grunge thing when it was at the height of its popularity during the end of Jr. High/beginning of High School. I wanted my Madonna glamour, plus I was entering my country faze ( Garth did make the list at No. 207 with Friends in Low Places- I'm partial to that one.) However, I can't hear this song without being reminded of my Freshman year, and we spoofed that video quite a bit back then. That janitor was a riot! It always takes me back...
4. One U2: I must admit that I am a late U2 convert. I have only recently discovered that I really do enjoy a lot of their songs. I just missed the buzz. This is a great song. Did you know that it's actually a break-up song? I didn't.
3. Sweet Child O'Mine Guns N' Roses: 80s Hair Band! Yeah, embarrassingly enough I do a pitiful Axl Rose impersonation to this song. My childhood bestfriend and I used to take an old rag mop and turn it upside down saying that it was Axl Rose. We thought that we were hilarious. I am discovering that I really do like 80s Rock. I just missed it. What was I listening to?! Must have been Disney records and Tiffany.
2. B.O.B Outkast: I know one Outkast song and this is not it! It's that whole Poloroid picture thing... Speaking of shaking things, that hideous Milkshake song actually made the list. Unbelieveable. That song is not better than a lot that were omitted. I digress, I'm sure that Outkast has done something that the Blender people think is important for our pop culture lives, but I can't tell you what it is. They did help us come up with "Hey, God" at church. Probably not what they were shooting for.
1. Billie Jean Michael Jackson: OMG! I love this song! As long as I'm in the confessional, I am actually a closet Michael Jackson fan (no pun intended). Let me clarify. I am a fan of Michael Jackson's music, not Michael Jackson the man. I wouldn't be caught dead crying outside the courtroom or pledging my allegiance to the King of Pop, but every time one of his songs plays through the ipod I can't help but dance along in my seat. And the quintessential Michael Jackson song is definitely Billie Jean. If I were only allowed to like one MJ song, that would be my choice. In light of his recent troubles, what a different song it would have been if Billie Jean had actually been a prepubescent boy or if it was just BJ... oh, never mind. He may be a freak, but he has some great songs!
Songs I'm Glad Made the List Somewhere: Livin' On a Prayer (Go Jersey Boys!), Losing My Religion (Quirky R.E.M., but I like it all the same), Creep (I didn't think that this was mainstream enough, but I love this song!), Freedom (Go pissed off George Michael! Great video.), Building a Mystery (The F-bomb probably moved it way up the list.), Time After Time, Ray of Light
Songs That Surprised Me: Islands in the Stream (love the song; classic Kenny & Dolly, but I wouldn't think that it was cool enough for Blender.), I Touch Myself (One of these days I will sing this at a karaoke bar.), Jump (Who remembers Kriss Kross? I remember the clothes...), I Need to Know (this has got to be the whiniest song ever.), Macarena (stupid dance, annoying song... No. 198?), The Humpty Dance (the video and nose ruined this one for me.)
Whew! That's a lot. I thought that I would be totally out of touch, but I didn't do too bad. How did you all do?
If any of you have the unfortunate experience of listening to Mark & Mercedes in the morning, you may have already heard them talk about Blender Magazine's Top 500 Songs Since You Were Born (circa 1980). Well, we actually have a subscription to Blender, so what you missed on M&M is my very own commentary on the Top 10. Here goes:
10. In da Club 50Cent: Ok, maybe I am "older" than my peers, but other than a sampling on itunes just now I don't remember ever hearing this song before. So, I really can't agree with it's spot at No. 10 when songs I do know and love like You Oughta' Know and Nothing Compares 2 U are at 149 and 113 respectively. So, I'm a chick song girl.
9. Baby, One More Time Britney Spears: Yeah, this is a guilty pleasure for me, too. I love this song, and I have danced to it in front of a mirror more than once (now you know.). How come I didn't look that good in a plaid skirt at 16? I am not at all implying that Britney is a good musician/vocalist, because she isn't. So, it must be a great song if it can catapult a precocious (for lack of a better word) girl with mediocre talent into a global superstar. The other Brit song that I like, Toxic, makes the list at No. 110.
8. Sucker MCs Run-DMC: (Sigh) I think that I missed the whole rise of rap. I suppose that this is old school, but it's new to me. Should I know this song? Do I really know this song, but itunes had a crappy sample? Well in any event, this song is not in my CD collection. Maybe, it's a classic and I just don't know it. Is this the song that started it all? So many questions that I'm not sure if I care if I get answers to...
7. Love Will Tear Us Apart Joy Division: I have an excuse for this one: I was only a few months old when it came out in 1980! How in the world can we be expected to know this one, especially those of you who were born way after 1980?! I'm really batting a thousand here! lol.
6. Like a Prayer Madonna: Ok, now we're talkin'! I'm a little surprised, but I totally agree. I loved this song the first time I heard it on KLUC 98.5 during the 5th grade and I still do. This is the song that made me a Madonna fan. I don't know if it was the Catholic ties or its appeal to my developing secret inner wild girl, but I couldn't get enough of it. I wasn't alone: in the 6th grade, seven of my girlfriends and I performed Like a Prayer in the school talent show. We had killer outfits of Batman pants, vests and black felt hats and our dance was, well, very literal. If you're lucky, someday when I'm drunk I'll show it to you. We had a great one to Papa, Don't Preach too. (BTW: That's No. 468 in case you were wondering.)
5. Smells Like Teen Spirit Nirvana: Wow, I know two in a row! I'm not a huge fan of this song. I like it fine, but (surprise, surprise) I didn't really "get" the grunge thing when it was at the height of its popularity during the end of Jr. High/beginning of High School. I wanted my Madonna glamour, plus I was entering my country faze ( Garth did make the list at No. 207 with Friends in Low Places- I'm partial to that one.) However, I can't hear this song without being reminded of my Freshman year, and we spoofed that video quite a bit back then. That janitor was a riot! It always takes me back...
4. One U2: I must admit that I am a late U2 convert. I have only recently discovered that I really do enjoy a lot of their songs. I just missed the buzz. This is a great song. Did you know that it's actually a break-up song? I didn't.
3. Sweet Child O'Mine Guns N' Roses: 80s Hair Band! Yeah, embarrassingly enough I do a pitiful Axl Rose impersonation to this song. My childhood bestfriend and I used to take an old rag mop and turn it upside down saying that it was Axl Rose. We thought that we were hilarious. I am discovering that I really do like 80s Rock. I just missed it. What was I listening to?! Must have been Disney records and Tiffany.
2. B.O.B Outkast: I know one Outkast song and this is not it! It's that whole Poloroid picture thing... Speaking of shaking things, that hideous Milkshake song actually made the list. Unbelieveable. That song is not better than a lot that were omitted. I digress, I'm sure that Outkast has done something that the Blender people think is important for our pop culture lives, but I can't tell you what it is. They did help us come up with "Hey, God" at church. Probably not what they were shooting for.
1. Billie Jean Michael Jackson: OMG! I love this song! As long as I'm in the confessional, I am actually a closet Michael Jackson fan (no pun intended). Let me clarify. I am a fan of Michael Jackson's music, not Michael Jackson the man. I wouldn't be caught dead crying outside the courtroom or pledging my allegiance to the King of Pop, but every time one of his songs plays through the ipod I can't help but dance along in my seat. And the quintessential Michael Jackson song is definitely Billie Jean. If I were only allowed to like one MJ song, that would be my choice. In light of his recent troubles, what a different song it would have been if Billie Jean had actually been a prepubescent boy or if it was just BJ... oh, never mind. He may be a freak, but he has some great songs!
Songs I'm Glad Made the List Somewhere: Livin' On a Prayer (Go Jersey Boys!), Losing My Religion (Quirky R.E.M., but I like it all the same), Creep (I didn't think that this was mainstream enough, but I love this song!), Freedom (Go pissed off George Michael! Great video.), Building a Mystery (The F-bomb probably moved it way up the list.), Time After Time, Ray of Light
Songs That Surprised Me: Islands in the Stream (love the song; classic Kenny & Dolly, but I wouldn't think that it was cool enough for Blender.), I Touch Myself (One of these days I will sing this at a karaoke bar.), Jump (Who remembers Kriss Kross? I remember the clothes...), I Need to Know (this has got to be the whiniest song ever.), Macarena (stupid dance, annoying song... No. 198?), The Humpty Dance (the video and nose ruined this one for me.)
Whew! That's a lot. I thought that I would be totally out of touch, but I didn't do too bad. How did you all do?
posted by Unknown at 10:23 PM
2 Comments:
LOL I think it's so funny that you mentioned that top 500 list. If you were listening to that then you heard me on the radio. I'm the one who burst their bubble by giving the correct #1 answer (on their second call)...they asked me if I cheated and I said no...but actually Janell looked it up and told me to call.
I didn't hear you, because I got to the bank before they really got into it. That's great. You didn't technically cheat, Janell did. :)
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