Popular Demographic Survey
Since there isn’t a great deal more to say about the last entry, time to scratch an itch I’ve had for a while about who exactly is reading this. I’ve kept the questions vague so as to avoid spoilers for records we’ve not covered yet.
Basically, I’d like you to answer these questions in the comments:
1. When were you born?
2. What was the year you were first regularly interested in what was at #1?
3. Do you still listen to music in the Top 40 on a regular basis (and if the answer’s “no”, when did you stop)?
There is no ‘right’ answer to #3 – I’m just intrigued as to the ‘demographics’ of the blog.
Lurkers very welcome! Come and say hello!
Tom in FT / Popular • 1,135 views • Share/Save
Re 49, the band that Look-In and NME seemed to love in equal measure, for a few (too few) joyous, months – Haircut 100.
That Haircut philosophy in short:
Les: “We smile a lot. When we’re onstage we don’t do guitar solos, we do smiling solos.”
1. 1959
2. 1971 a bit, very much so from 1972
3. No. Once TOTP went, I stayed au courant thanks to doing singles reviews for Stylus, but when that stopped, I lost touch. I keep meaning to remedy this, but I haven’t yet.
1) 1973
2) 1979 or 80
3) Since losing TOTP, Popworld and CDUK (and becoming a parent) I only really know what gets played on Hits! these days.
Great Column – though i disagree with a lot of what you say!
1978
1986
1997
1. 1974
2. I remember most of the ’78 and ’79 number ones, but i think it was mid 1980 before i became interested in the concept of number 1 per se, specifically the last number one of the band that had been at number one the day i was born (ha, i laugh in the face of the spoiler bunny ;)). i remember wondering what happened after a record got to number one, that it sort of disappeared off, like if you won a race…
3. well, it’s been a downhill slide for a while, apart from the turn of the century blip, probably not properly regularly since the mid 90s if i’m honest…
1. 1964
2. 1972
3. Yes, but I’m keeping up rather than it coming naturally.
1. Born 1968, the UK No. 1 was “Quinn the Eskimo (The Mighty Quinn)” by Manfred Mann; the U.S. No. 1 was “Love is Blue” by Paul Mauriat. I was born just a few weeks too early for “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of a Bay.” Dammit!
2. I started listening to the radio a lot, and a weekly countdown show in particular, in late 1980.
3. I have fallen out of touch in just the past 2-3 years. I just now looked at the Billboard top 10 singles and I haven’t heard a single one. Just wanted to say, I’m a longtime lurker at this site and have enjoyed reading the posts and responses very much. As an American it’s facinating to note the points at which US and UK tastes diverge, and which songs or trends bring them together.
1. 1978 (gulp)
2. 1989, in the middle of the SAW era
3. Probably when I discovered Napster really, and then I didn’t have to listen to the charts alone. 2000 I’d say, that was the end of it.
1. 1978
2. Quite late actually, aged about 18. Before that I listened exclusively to metal, and before that to whatever my parents liked.
3. Not really. I lost touch after TOTP went off air. I can’t stand to listen to Radio One or commercial radio.
1. 1982
2. 1994
3. No, but it’s hard to tell. Some point between 1997 and 2001, I would suppose.
1. 1953
2. specifically #1’s, Beatles of course. But having a sister who was a teenage hipster in the ’50s, I had a killer doo-wop & r&b collection since 1956.
3. I know what’s out there but don’t know what all of it sounds like. MTV pulled the trigger, boy bands and gansta pulled the plug.
1/1963
2/1969-ish.
3/No, 1977-ish.
1- 1973
2-1983-84
3-Stopped listening to the chart rundown on Sundays about 1993, stopped being aware of what every track in the top 20 sounded like around 2002, stopped being aware of what #1 was each week about 2004-still have an interest and try to hear the chart once or twice a month but at times more out of “duty” than enjoyment-always try to hear new tracks that reviews or on-line chat make sound worthwhile..
1) 1983.
2) 1988.
3) I still listen to some of it, definitely, but I probably listen to more stuff that SHOULD be in the Top 40 and, sadly, never makes it. If we’re talking the Australian charts, it’s hard to show much appreciation for them as, normally, they’ve been very littered with rap and hip hop acts over the last few years.
Hi!
1) 1987
2) Never. This blog is quite educational for me!
3) I still really don’t know what’s in the top 40 and what’s not. But normally I am not very on top of current music and it often happens that i don’t get around to hearing what’s popular until months later.
thanks for all the great writing!
1) 1974
2) 1986
3) No, I guess I stopped c.2002/3. Don’t think there was a particular stimulus.
1. 1972.
2. From about where you are now – I was well aware of ‘Take A Chance On Me’ being top.
3. Yes.
1. Spring 1974
2. 1980
3. “ish” – I stopped listening between 2000 and mid 2007, then started listening again.
1.1959
2.1969
3.Around 1979. Because
(a)No one bought singles at University
(b)there was never anything in the charts a tenth as good as Janis Ian
(c) I discovered (i) Radio 4 and (ii) Ella Fitzgerald. Sometimes listened to Radio 1 (esp Steve Wright in the afternoon) while driving between West of Scotland courtrooms between 1982 and 87. Because I’m a middle-aged old fart the last time I bought something because I heard it on the radio was the first time Jonathan Ross played Norah Jones and said it was going to be big – and I reckon I’ve heard Come Away with me in restaurants in at least three continents.
1. 1975
2. possibly ’83, but definitely by ’84
3. still try to check out current stuff, but I’m only occasionally aware of chart positions or what’s at #1. My interest in the charts probably faded by ’89 or ’90.
1: born 7.6.1960 (two years younger than prince rogers nelson)
2: became ideologically obsessed with the charts during punk*
3: i have big hiatus breaks from ALL music listening ever-since i went into overload-depression after leaving/losing the wire; but they only last a couple of months these days (rather than years) and i always come back — i love the charts, and chartpop in the 21st century has been as good as if not better than pop at any time before it…
*can’t recall if i mentioned this before: my mum as a teen obsessively followed the charts; ie draw little diagrams linking up how particular songs had risen and fallen
Hi!
1: 1984 ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgDKtLPp46s unfortunately)
2: Probably about 1992
3: Bits and bobs. I like to keep my oar in with ‘crossover’ stuff like poppier emo/punk, bassline etc, but haven’t listened to the top 40 for at least 10 years, and am only occasionally interested in chart positions.
1. 1976
2. 1985/6
3. The internet has destroyed the Top 40 as a cultural icon :(
1. 1954
2. About 1963 – “She Loves You”
3. No. Probably started tailing off about 2000
The internet has destroyed the Top 40 as a cultural icon :(
substantiate please
1. 1958
2. 1969
3. I still follow the charts
1. 1978 (see next-but-one post)
2. Can’t really remember, but probably early in the 80s. It’s too much of a spoiler to say what the first Number One I specifically remember was.
3. Yes. Sometimes I even enjoy it.
1. 1959
2. 1969
3. No. Around 1988 I gave up, a time that corresponds to when I became a busy working musician, and the majority of my music listening was done with that in mind – learning arrangements from recordings of songs my bands were covering, stealing licks, etc. What’s on the charts bears no relation to the music I play.
BORN: 1965
YEAR INTERESTED IN No 1: late 1972 remember Chuck Berry My Ding A Ling seeming to be NO1 for ages didnt really no what No1 was before that then carried on watching TopOf The Pops every week as I started to like watching the outrageous glamrockers who were on at the time
DO I STILL LISTEN TO TOP 40: No. Last interested 1983ish – got into the soul/funk/hiphop scene and then in 1987/88 into house/techno
1) 1961
2) about 1968/9
3) started losing interest late 70s, would have tapered off totally around 1988. Couldn’t even tell you what’s Number One today.
New reader…….
1) 1973
2) Probably around 1981 due to Adam & the Ants
3) I still do listen to Top 40 stuff but consumed in a different way as I now live overseas. I stopped listening to Radio 1 regularly in around 2003.
Hi DNT – welcome on board and good revive! I should put this thread in the sidebar really.
Lurker
1)1966
2) 1970
3) 1998-ish
1. 1975 (January 15th – Mud were #1 I think)
2. 1984
3. No. Not since 1997.
1. December 1975
2. Paid attention to pop in general from about 83 onwards I think, but never really cared who was at number one until around 95-96!
3. Still read the chart every week, and go out of my way to listen to the number one if I’ve not already heard it…but don’t listen to much current stuff beyond that.
1. August 1971
2. Maybe December ’81(ish)
3. I still occasionally look at the chart but I haven’t properly followed it for over 10 years.
1. 65
2. 74/5, tho I was very excited by ernie the fastest milkman in the west getting to no.1 – 72?
3. 1990s are pretty much a blank. 10 year-old daughter’s emerging tastes has got me listening again, tho I’d say she’s not bothered what’s no.1
1. 1982 – I believe it was Madness at number one, but I’ll check when I get to that point in the archives!
2. I’m going to say 1991 as that was when I first bought a chart single, but the charts were a fixture in our house from a very early age
3. I still put the charts on if I happen to be in the car or the kitchen on a Sunday afternoon but I haven’t really paid attention since the sad demise of TOTP.
1 – 1957
2 – 1969
3 – No/1986
1. 1975
2. 1982
3. Some of the time (but only intermittedly since around, well, 1993, I guess)
1. 1966
2. 1974..ish
3. Still keep a weather eye on the charts, and keen to listen to new music whenever possible. Must have stopped obsessing around 86/87.