my one hit wonders

calgar

United States1277 Posts

May 15 2010 00:02 GMT

So I've come to realize that music is an important part of my life. It is to everyone, you say. Well not exactly music in the sense of playing an instrument, or jamming with my punk garage band, or any of that. I actually hated musical instruments growing up. Bad experience in 1st grade - having to play instruments with other people's spit on them. Scarring experience for a 7 year old. And then I opted out of chorus and did a project on the constitution (lol) in 5th grade.

Not any of that, but more along the lines of what random songs mean to me. I have a habit of listening to songs over and over again. One will just take me by storm and it just sounds magical. As I listen to it 100, 200, 500+ times (only 2 or 3 have ever made it that far!) the magic slowly fades, but I always recognize it as a piece of music that has become inextricably tied to my personality, history, memory, and being. When I hear that song the memories come back to the time, place, and feelings of the time. For some reason I have a particular affinity for random one hit wonders. Not all of my favorites are that kind, but a good portion are. I thought I'd share a few random ones and what they remind me of. Mind you, I was born in 1990, so many of these are pretty old for me to genuinely appreciate.

Real McCoy - Another Night - 1993

The german pop/electro/dance song took me by storm. I don't even remember when or where I was when I first heard it. I listened to this song a whole lot the summer between my senior year and college. This was the only period in which I seriously dabbled in iccup and I also played a bunch of UMS with this on repeat in the background. It brings back good memories - I was really excited about starting a whole new experience and was completely done and exhausted with high school.
Estimated play count - 250

Don't You (Forget About Me)- Simple Minds - 1985

I heard this on the radio while I was driving randomly one day and loved it. I will always remember my last K12 state chess championships when I hear this. I started playing chess competitively in 5th grade and continued on and off for the next 7 years. In my last year to compete in scholastic events the state championships were held in Charlotte, NC. It's basically a 5 round tournament and each game lasts up to 3 hours. I played well that weekend and was 4-0 going into the last round. A win or draw and I would win outright, getting a $1500 scholarship and a spot to play in the Denker tournament of state champions in Texas. I listened to this song a whole bunch in between rounds to try and stay focused and relaxed. Anyways, the last round my game is the last to finish in a hotel banquet room that started with ~150. Its dead drawn for well over 2.5 hours and I blow it in the final minutes, losing 1st place.
Estimated play count - 300

Tarzan Boy - Baltimora - 1985

I think I heard this in the car too. When I tried to find it online all I could remember was the "oooahahh ahhh oohh" call and so I was like fk..... But then I randomly stumbled across it on a forum and was amazed that it was the same song. I like the happy upbeat goofy electro tempo it has.

I listened to this a lot during my junior year of high school when I dabbled in WH40k. A fun game, for those of you who don't know about it it is basically a modeling/painting tabletop game. In the end its only really as fun as the people who play it with you though, and the crowds at my store weren't the coolest people. It was a great hobby while it lasted though and I enjoyed assembling, painting, and playing while it lasted.
Estimated play count - 150

We are the People - Empire of the Sun - 2008

The newest by a good 15 years. I love how ambiguous this song is - for the life of me I cannot tell the mood of the singer. I can't decide if he is reminiscing happily about his life and the good experiences he has had, or if he is depressed and longing for a better time. Regardless of the actual meaning, I think a song is most powerful when left completely open for interpretation.

I listened to this song a lot earlier in the year during my sophomore year in college. I was in a shitty rooming situation; somehow I got stuck being the only one who didn't smoke weed. 5 times a week our suite bathroom would smell terrible and we had decided to put all of our beds in one room so I was basically living in a tiny cubicle under my bunk. Got me through some unhappy times.
Estimated play count - 100