A Hit Song for Every Year of My Life So Far
The postings on this site are my own and don’t necessarily represent IBM’s positions, strategies or opinions.1965
"Eight Days a Week" -- First song I sang along to in my oldest sister Deb's record collection
1966
"Summer in the City" -- From the first time I heard it, I could imagine New York all "hot and gritty"
1967
"Groovin'" -- La la la. La la laaaah...
1968
"Grazing in the Grass" -- My wife Pat told me she got to hear the group sing this song live in a University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh campus-concert
1969
"Leaving on a Jet Plane" -- If I remember correctly, Lisa Peskin's older sister could play this on a guitar
1970
"Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head" -- Another sing-along song, and I felt like the singer when I sang it. This was a year prior to a phase where I cried daily, in 1st Grade
1971
"It's Too Late" / "I Feel the Earth Move" -- I used to turn on Deb's record and dance by myself to this, spinning around in our living room till I was so dizzy that I had to lie down and when I opened my eyes, I could see the earth moving under my feet, and the rest of me
1972
"American Pie" -- I knew a levy had to be wet, since it was dry now, but didn't know what it was.
1973
"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" -- My best friend at the time, Alicia, and I hung over the back of her family's sofa, listening and singing along to this song upside-down.
1974
"Kung Fu Fighting" -- This was the first song other than "American Pie" that I felt told a compelling story.
1975
"Lovin' You" -- This hit was the first song that awoke romantic feelings in me. The birds, her high voice; I was transported
1976
"Love Hangover" -- I couldn't believe this song was allowed on the radio, but I loved it
1977
"Sir Duke" -- This Stevie Wonder tune was the only song my dad ever bought me, as a single, because I think he liked it, too
1978
"Le Freak" -- A prime rollerskating hit
1979
"Ring My Bell"
1980
"Upside Down"
1981
"Rapture"
1982
"Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic"
1983
"Sexual Healing"
1984
"Let's Hear It for the Boy"
1985
"We Built This City"
1986
"Holding Back the Years"
1987
"C'est La Vie"
1988
"Father Figure"
1989
"Buffalo Stance"
1990
"All Around the World"
1991
"Groove Is in the Heart"
1992
"We Got a Love Thang"
1993
"All That She Wants"
1994
"Streets of Philadelphia"
1995
"100% Pure Love"
1996
"Give Me One Reason"
1997
"Fly Like an Eagle"
1998
"Gettin' Jiggy wit It"
1999
"Man! I Feel Like a Woman!"
2000
"Shackles (Praise You)"
2001
"All for You"
2002
"Butterflies"
2003
"Beautiful"
2004
"White Flag"
2005
"Beverly Hills"
2006
"Black Horse and the Cherry Tree"
2007
"Party Like a Rockstar"
2008
"American Boy"
2009
"Empire State of Mind"
2010
"Teenage Dream"
2011
"Moves Like Jagger"
2012
"Call Me Maybe"
2013
"Get Lucky"
