# The music of your life **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 6, 2012, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-music-of-your-life/633895 "2012-09-06T19:31:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2012, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-music-of-your-life/633895/1 "2012-09-06T19:31:39Z")
This might be treated as a game, so where to put the thread is debatable, but since music is the main issue, I’ll start in Cafe Society. Recently my wife and I watched one of those fund-raiser shows on the local PBS station with Nick Clooney and Peter Marshall hosting a variety of Big Band Era Vocalists. There were plenty of promotional CD/DVD offers of tunes from that era and we decided to go to YouTube to find as many as we could. That turned into a few hours of one-thing-leads-to-another tune-hopping and a lot of fun for us. That gave me the idea to try to condense all the music I have loved over my lifetime to a precious few songs and tunes. Maybe by decade or by ten-year spans of my life, whichever makes more sense. And that gave me the idea for this thread. It would be great if you could supply YouTube links to your favorites, but just the names will work, too. And the band/artist you associate with your favorite version of whatever. I’m going to try to narrow my list down to seven songs from the 70 years I’ve been around. What do you think? ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2012, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-music-of-your-life/633895/2 "2012-09-06T19:34:34Z")
One favourite song from each decade of our lives; is that what you’re looking for? ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2012, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-music-of-your-life/633895/3 "2012-09-06T19:59:39Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > One favourite song from each decade of our lives; is that what you’re looking for? That sort of thing, yes. But instead of the literal 70’s, 80’s, 90’s, etc., you could opt for ages 0-10, 11-20, 21-30, etc. You decide what’s more meaningful in your own case. ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2012, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-music-of-your-life/633895/4 "2012-09-06T20:20:42Z")
'70s - **The Clash** - [Complete Control](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TcKiC2yB0s) '80s - **Husker Du** - [Celebrated Summer](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GtCL1xq6hNU) '90s - **The Divine Comedy** - [Tonight We Fly](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnY9ea_q3nI) '00s - **Sleater Kinney** - [You’re No Rock ‘n’ Roll Fun](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNpKjmNaJpQ) '10s - **The Divine Comedy** - [At the Indie Disco](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sB--qzE4JhE) ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2012, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-music-of-your-life/633895/5 "2012-09-06T20:26:59Z")
This looks like a really strange assortment to me–can’t say it looks like “my life”–but this is what I came up with off the top of my head: Age 9: [Like a Rolling Stone](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLiLSRKms30) Age 15: [My God!](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dh0woT7NkKI) Age 21: [Awaken](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXWTwBIqowk) Age 38: [Amnerika](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7msf3Fv06Q) Age 47: [Level Five](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0knXXImMXPQ) Age 53: [Hallmark](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=beYlKfThEGY) ---
**Author:** ![phreesh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9fc29f/32.png) [@phreesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phreesh)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2012, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-music-of-your-life/633895/6 "2012-09-06T20:34:03Z")
80s - [Police](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNIZofPB8ZM) 90s - [Tragically Hip](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6yD92BLKt0&feature=related) 00s - [Beck](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIrG6xBW5Wk) 10s - [The National](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEE0OGJUE-4&feature=fvwrel) ---
**Author:** ![phreesh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9fc29f/32.png) [@phreesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phreesh)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2012, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-music-of-your-life/633895/7 "2012-09-06T20:35:58Z")
> [@woodstockbirdybird](#): > > '00s - **Sleater Kinney** - [You’re No Rock ‘n’ Roll Fun](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNpKjmNaJpQ) Sleater Kinney ROCKED! Pick up Wild Flag. Equally awesome. Corin Tucker band is pretty good, too. ---
**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2012, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-music-of-your-life/633895/8 "2012-09-06T21:38:00Z")
Cool idea! Here’s mine: Age 11 (1962) [“Shut Down”](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pYU0p6WZhU) - The Beach Boys Age 21 (1972) [“Dixie Chicken”](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXvoRRMSSGU) - Little Feat Age 31 (1983) [“Pancho and Lefty”](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxzJAF1BxP4) Willie Nelson & Merle Haggard Age 41 (1992) [“Take Me With You (When You Go)”](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtZHGvUFKvI)- The Jayhawks Age 51 (2002) [“High Water (For Charley Patton)”](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fdqF4XIUsE)- Bob Dylan Age 61 (2012) [“Codeine”](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4V_vBPaI1d0) - Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit Not my favorite song from the _decade_, but what I think was from favorite song from each year listed. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2012, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-music-of-your-life/633895/9 "2012-09-06T22:14:46Z")
If you’re having as much trouble as I am with my memory for dates and songs, perhaps the pages on either side of [Billboard Top 100 Songs of 1962 - Year End Charts](http://www.bobborst.com/popculture/top-100-songs-of-the-year/?year=1962) might help. You can go backward or forward a year at a time to see what was on the charts at year end, or you can tamper with the URL to jump around as far back as 1946. If you have a better source, please share. ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2012, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-music-of-your-life/633895/10 "2012-09-06T23:06:40Z")
> [@phreesh](#): > > Sleater Kinney ROCKED! Pick up Wild Flag. Equally awesome. Corin Tucker band is pretty good, too. Got 'em all, of course. New Corin Tucker album in a couple weeks. ---
**Author:** ![Angel\_of\_the\_Lord](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/angel_of_the_lord/32/2949_2.png) [@Angel\_of\_the\_Lord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angel_of_the_Lord)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2012, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-music-of-your-life/633895/11 "2012-09-07T01:26:17Z")
Doing five year spans: Age 0-5: **[Alouette](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xM0UyNqrS0o)** (Traditional) Age 5-10: **[Question](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBsdHoTdOmc)** - The Moody Blues. Age 10 - 15: **[Don’t Turn Around](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INi7srItF6g)** - Ace of Base Age 15 - 20: **[Welcome to the Occupation](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXMSQp2ChKo)**: R.E.M. Age 20 - 25: **[American Jesus](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12kcpP-8jfM)** - Bad Religion Ages 25 - 30: **[The Royal We](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPzU1Uz8ujw)** - Silversun Pickups You’ll note they’re not chronological. Given the way my taste in music’s gone, there’s no way they could be. ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2012, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-music-of-your-life/633895/12 "2012-09-07T02:35:07Z")
1980s: “[Beat It](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ym0hZG-zNOk),” Michael Jackson 1990s: “[Mary Jane’s Last Dance](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aowSGxim_O8),” Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers 2000s: “[The Real Slim Shady](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GX-PA_0C5go),” Eminem 2010s, of course, belong to **Ke$ha**. I’ll pick “[Tik Tok](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iP6XpLQM2Cs),” even though it actually came out in late 2009. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2012, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-music-of-your-life/633895/13 "2012-09-08T03:05:10Z")
This has been way harder than I expected. I’m still looking for the latest decade’s stuff, and here are the ones I have selected from the list: =========================== – 1941-1950 Riders In The Sky Vaughn Monroe - Riders in the sky - 1949.wmv [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2d_FeDuQ4ho) Laura – 1951-1960 How High The Moon Les Paul Mary Ford How High the Moon [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZFKeyGpgK0) Moonglow And Theme From Picnic Lullaby of Birdland All I Have To Do Is Dream What’d I Say – 1961-1970 Take Five Everybody’s Talkin’ Green-eyed Lady Green Eyed Lady by Sugarloaf, from 1970, Liberty-LP. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/CVaOlCGnJDY/hqdefault.jpg "Green Eyed Lady by Sugarloaf, from 1970, Liberty-LP.") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVaOlCGnJDY) – 1971-1980 Stormy Monday Riders On The Storm Alone Again (Naturally) Long Cool Woman (In A Black Dress) Superstition Money Money - Pink Floyd HD (Studio Version) [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/cpbbuaIA3Ds/maxresdefault.jpg "Money - Pink Floyd HD (Studio Version)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpbbuaIA3Ds) Lowdown This Masquerade Southern Nights Deacon Blues – 1981-1990 Are You Going with Me? Morning Train (Nine To Five) Hearts MARTY BALIN - Hearts [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/kSZITC4tEes/hqdefault.jpg "MARTY BALIN - Hearts") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSZITC4tEes) Billie Jean Money For Nothing Kissing A Fool – 1991-2000 Tom’s Diner Enter Sandman Caravan - MICHEL PETRUCCIANI solo live [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/zWmz5-NoFzk/hqdefault.jpg "Caravan - MICHEL PETRUCCIANI solo live") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWmz5-NoFzk)