A Song For Each Year Of My Life - Part Three

This is for the "Melodic Milestone Playlist" Vocal Challenge which you can read about below.

The Prompt

Create a personalized soundtrack to your life.

In 2015 I created a project to pick a song for every one of the 58 or 59 years of my life. I am now in my 66th year so will create six eleven-year playlists and link them together. You can read and listen to Part Two here:

This is Part Three.

1979 - Driver 67 - "Car 67"

Anyway just over a third through my musical life Odyssey and I know there's a plethora of decent stuff in the chart from 1979, but the Sex Pistols had well and truly crash-landed with The Great Rock and Roll Swindle, but I always had a soft spot for "Car 67" by Driver 67, so that gets my vote.

1980 - Peter Gabriel - "Games Without Frontiers"

Very often people, especially at work, and especially when things aren't going perfectly will tell you to "Think Outside The Box", and use "Agile Methodologies" and any other buzzwords that happen to be the flavor of the day. I remember a manager who asked to see if we could get training and courses on JFDI (Just F******g Do It) as it seemed to often get good results. The same manager after a training course told me when I suggested a solution that at the time he thought I was a f*cking idiot as my idea was so off course, he then said he realized that mine was the only solution that would actually work, and it wasn't the solution the course runners had in mind.

It's just when things seem impossible, or the odds are stacked against you, you probably have it in yourself to find an answer however unexpected it may be, just never give up. Giving up is the killer, believe that success, and what you are looking for will come to you.

I love Peter Gabriel, who walked out of Genesis when they had just produced what was their most ambitious album "The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway" and struck out on his own, starting WOMAD and Real World nearly going bankrupt and now doing alright for himself producing incredible music and commanding respect, so that's why I chose "Games Without Frontiers", and this was one of the most difficult choices I've made so far and I'm hardly halfway through my musical journey.

1981 - Dire Straits - "Romeo And Juliet"

Here we are in year 25 of my musical journey. In 1981 my first daughter was born and the song that I have chosen had a definite influence on her name. Hope me writing this is not too traumatic for her, "Romeo and Juliet" is a brilliant Dire Straits song but a far too wordy Shakespeare play.

1982 - Blancmange - "Living On The Ceiling"

So my musical Odyssey hits year 26 and have chosen the excellent Blancmange "Living On The Ceiling", a brilliant duo whose music has a great cutting edge and they are still touring today.

1983 - The Cure - "Love Cats"

The Odyssey hits year 27, 1983. Lots of people complain about how rubbish music was in the 80s. Well was it? 95% is always rubbish and among lots of others The Cure were a major fixture of the 80s and they are without doubt one of the greatest bands ever. I love "The Love Cats", so how could I not choose that? Also, a lot of my Vocal friends will be starting to see music that was made within their lifetime.

1984 - Kirsty MacColl - "A New England"

Anyway, the musical journey continues and I originally chose "When Doves Cry" by Prince but it wasn't on Youtube, but more importantly my youngest daughter was born in 1984 and her name was influenced by one of my favorite singers of the time the sadly missed Kirsty MacColl who hit the charts that year with A New England but I had loved her since her first single "They Don't Know". So you get a song written by Billy Bragg and sung by Kirsty MacColl, what's not to get euphoric about?

1985 - The Cult - "Sanctuary"

1985 was not the greatest of years for chart music but there was still "Sanctuary" by The Cult which is a great record, and gives me an excuse to play the Spoon version as well which I still think sounds great despite my vocals.

1986 - Hollywood Beyond - What's The Color Of Money

Year 30 and I've chosen Hollywood Beyond's "What's The Color of Money", I could have chosen The Damned's "Eloise" but this edged it just because it's original and a one-hit wonder.

1987 - Mental As Anything - "Live It Up"

The musical Odyssey hits 1987 year 31 and I chose "Live It Up" by Mental as Anything because 1987 was my first year in Newcastle and I remember in the first week I went to the Odeon (since fallen into decay and disrepair) and saw "Crocodile Dundee", a film I still love.

1988 - Primitives - "Crash"

Hitting year 32 and though the charts were awash with Kylie Minogue when she wasn't good, I chose this absolute gem "Crash" by The Primitives, which we covered in Spoon.

1989 - Midnight Oil - Beds Are Burning

The musical journey continues into year 33 and hits the halfway mark. In 1989 although Guns 'n' Roses hit the charts with some fine songs and an idiot frontman, the vote has to go to "Beds Are Burning" by Midnight Oil great music, a political conscience, and a great frontman. Could Peter Garrett front Guns 'n' Roses? Now there's a thought.

Conclusion

I am now halfway through these playlists and looking forward to sharing the rest of the songs with you. I hope that you are enjoying these too.

The journey continues here with music from the nineties into the millenium.