An irrational measure of your coolness

Here's a meme making the rounds.


Wikipedia has assembled the Billboard hot 100 from 1940 on. Use this useless information to chart your life against the hits. This may reveal to you what a sad-geek month you were born in, or... how cheesy is the musical taste of the American People.

We have already established that I am not at all cool by most Internet quiz-measurements (which may also be uncool - who's to say?). Except the part where I turned out to be Spiderman. That was a high point.

You'll want to run through this exercise on your own birth week before you commit to burning a CD set for yourself. You may not like the results.

Anyway, it's a fun birthday gift idea that still comes in under $50 for most friends.
Share your birth week high/low hits with the Readership.

Billboard number 1 the day I was born
There, I've Said it Again....Bobby Vinton
this is not an auspicious beginning

By the following year, the Beatles had hit the scene, so things are picking up
(age 1) I Feel Fine... The Beatles
(2) We can Work it Out.... The Beatles

I am feeling cooler already

I am thinking you don't want a list of 45 pop songs. Do you? How sad. You must have some work to do. I'll give the highlights.

(3) I'm a Believer....The Monkees. Oh Davey... I love you so....
(6) Raindrops Keep Fallin... BJ Thomas. Did this win the Oscar? Does anyone remember why?
(8) Melanie's Brand New Key gives way to American Pie.
American Pie. That eats up a lot of CD space.

(11) Lucy in the Sky... the Elton John version, which I think still qualifies as Beatles-cool. If I count it, it is 6 Beatles songs already.
(12) 1976 was sooo awesome. Convoy...CW McCall.
I can sing every word. My CB handle was Green Jeans

(14) Baby Come Back... The Bee Gees.
Here comes Disco!

(17) Starting Over... John Lennon. How sad. Beatles count = 6
(18) Physical... Olivia Newton-John. Lennon sprains neck spinning in grave.

(20) Say Say Say... McCartney and Jackson.
The 80s just got BIG

(21) Like a Virgin... Madonna
(23) Walk Like an Egyptian... The Bangles

This being a line stolen from To Kill a Mockingbird, it holds a special (though quirky) place in my heart.


(27) Justify My Love...Madonna. Both of us are already too old for this music

before too long I will be hitting songs I don't know.

(29) I will always love you... Whitney Houston
Earlier today, the cube-row and I were discussing how we like Dolly's version so much better than this one, which sounds more like "I will always stalk you," as if rejected from the first version of DreamGirls. Dolly's is more wistful and mature.

(30 - 32)
Mariah Carey, BoyzIIMen, Mariah Carey & BoyzIIMen.
I have no memory of this chart domination.

After 35... I really don't know what these songs even are. It's true. Maybe I need a different chart.

(40) Hey Ya... OutKast
insert your own comment

This year's song is by "Flo Rida and T-Pain." And I would make fun of that if it weren't for Oingo Boingo, Duran Druan, and Skrittipolitti.

Final Beatles count - 6 Plus Elton.

Keep your feet on the ground, but keep reaching for the stars.