speed of dark

This Sunday is my birthday and I will be thirty years old. I see my thirtieth birthday as a milestone, but not one to dread. I am not making a big deal out of this birthday, although others in my life are trying to make it a bigger deal than I think it needs to be (I'm talking to you, co-workers).

But I have recently found myself listening to the classic rock station, turning the radio up on songs that remind me of my childhood, since music was always at the forefront in our house. So as part of my birthday celebration and also to relieve poor alt-gramma, who has been knocking herself out here on the blog, I present one song for every year of my life.

1977: The year I was born was kind of a drag for music. However, Fleetwood Mac were enjoying mainstream success, and an up-and-coming gaggle of art students known as Talking Heads released their first album.

fleetwood mac: never coming back again from Rumors [buy]

1978: Thanks to both of my parents (my Dad, especially), I have always been a fan of Dire Straits. Their debut album included this gem, one of their most famous and lasting songs. Other albums considered for 1978 included Neil Young's Comes A Time, Bob Marley and the Wailers' Kaya, and The Rolling Stones' Some Girls, among others.

dire straits: sultans of swing from Dire Straits [buy]

1979: This was a tough year for me to decide which song to pick. I considered Fleetwood Mac's Tusk, The Police's Regatta de Blanc, and even Michael Jackson's Off The Wall. But I eventally chose one of the many, many excellent Talking Heads songs.

talking heads: life during wartime from Fear of Music [buy]

1980: Although I wasn't yet listening to The Cure in 1980, this song is my all-time favorite song by the band. I almost posted my favorite AC/DC song, "Back in Black", which was also released this year.

the cure: a forest from Seventeen Seconds [buy]

1981: Alt-gramma was a big fan of Oingo Boingo and Danny Elfman from way back. I have to admit I didn't get his genius until she took me to see their final concert on Halloween in 1995. I love to hear this song on the radio, although I wonder if it's bad for He Might Be Giant to hear me singing gleefully along with it.

oingo boingo: little girls from Only A Lad [buy]

Stay tuned for years 1982-1988!