Do you remember what you were doing on this day 10 years ago? How about 20? Howze about 50?
While you may not remember exactly what was happening on Jan. 31, 2002, or Jan. 31, 1982, chances are if you heard a song that was popular during that time it would most likely stir up your memory.
Well, with good ol’ Al Gore’s invention (made famous by Gee Dubya Bush), the Internets, one is able to travel back in time to find the top hit for this day — within reason – all the way back to the 1890s. The Billboard charts date back to the 1930s, so I don’t know how this Website that has all the top Billboard songs for a given day happens to have those top songs back to the 1890s. But this is the Internet. This particular site not only provides the opportunity to find the No. 1 song for a particular day but as well will let you hear it using clickable Rhapsody, iTunes and even some You Tube recordings.
It is quite a find actually. Supposing it’s accurate — if you want accuracy you do the cross checking — it gives everyone who uses a song to reflect upon their lives a melodic memory machine. So here are a few top songs for this day, Jan. 31:
Five years ago: “Irriplaceable,” BeyoncĂ©, 2007
Ten years ago: “U Got It Bad,” Usher, 2002
20 years ago: “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me,” Elton John and George Michael, 1992 This is kind of a time warp since Elton first released the song solo in Summer 1974 when I was in Navy boot camp.
30 years ago: “Centerfold,” J. Geils Band, 1982. I remember a very cute friend from college asking me what would I do if I one day saw her on a centerfold. I said: “Uh, look?”
40 years ago: “American Pie,” Don McLean, 1972. Jeez, 40 years ago! Man, that really makes me feel old! Makes me feel like driving my Chevy in a levee, even if it’s dry.
50 years ago: “Peppermint Twist,” 1962, Joey Dee and the Starliters.
56 years ago: “Memories Are Made Of This,” Dean Martin 1956. I don’t think I heard this one until now, but then again I was only three months old when this was No. 1.
It is an interesting listing, this walk way down Memory Lane, plus an opportunity to listen to most of the songs. I don’t know what kind of “phile” you call a music lover but that’d be me. Of course, there are many who are much more into music than I am but between a fanatic and a hater on a scale of 1 and 10 with 1 being a fanatic, I would probably be a 2.75.
Interesting factoid: The No. 1 hit on this day in 1957 — I was 15 months old then — was “Singing The Blues” by Guy Mitchell. I don’t know Guy Mitchell. I also don’t know what I was doing that day either. I was probably throwing icky things. But I know and am a big fan of Marty Robbins (“El Paso,” “Devil Woman,” “Big Iron”) and I always thought he first recorded this song Guy Mitchell took to No. 1 on Jan. 31, 1957. The song did go to No. 1 on the country charts in 1956-57 with Robbins’ version which, along with the three aforementioned songs, are among my favorite Marty Robbins tunes. Guy Mitchell’s version is a bit more pop and has whistling in it. Whistling is good for some things, such as Old Spice commercials, but not for great songs such as “I never felt more like singing the blues/I never thought that I’d ever lose/Your love, dear/Why did you do me this way …”
Take a trip back to memory lane and you can even whistle if you’d like.
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