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!
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FT's Conrad on July 23rd, 2008
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.”
FT's Martin Skidmore on July 23rd, 2008
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.
pink champale on July 23rd, 2008
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.
Jon on July 23rd, 2008
Great Column - though i disagree with a lot of what you say!
1978
1986
1997
FT's CarsmileSteve on July 23rd, 2008
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…
wichita lineman on July 23rd, 2008
1. 1964
2. 1972
3. Yes, but I’m keeping up rather than it coming naturally.
FT's Jim T. on July 24th, 2008
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.
Michael Lee on July 24th, 2008
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.
chap on July 24th, 2008
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.
fivelongdays on July 24th, 2008
1. 1982
2. 1994
3. No, but it’s hard to tell. Some point between 1997 and 2001, I would suppose.
The Intl on July 25th, 2008
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.
FT's Drucius@home on July 25th, 2008
1/1963
2/1969-ish.
3/No, 1977-ish.
crag on July 26th, 2008
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..
Adem With An E on July 26th, 2008
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.
FT's inquisitor on July 28th, 2008
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!
FT's byebyepride on July 28th, 2008
1) 1974
2) 1986
3) No, I guess I stopped c.2002/3. Don’t think there was a particular stimulus.
FT's Matthew H on July 28th, 2008
1. 1972.
2. From about where you are now - I was well aware of ‘Take A Chance On Me’ being top.
3. Yes.
snoball on July 28th, 2008
1. Spring 1974
2. 1980
3. “ish” - I stopped listening between 2000 and mid 2007, then started listening again.
Caledonianne on July 28th, 2008
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.
steve on July 30th, 2008
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.
a logged-out pˆnk s lord whatnot on July 30th, 2008
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
FT's sonnypike on July 30th, 2008
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.
jel on July 30th, 2008
1. 1976
2. 1985/6
3. The internet has destroyed the Top 40 as a cultural icon :(
Vin on July 30th, 2008
1. 1954
2. About 1963 - “She Loves You”
3. No. Probably started tailing off about 2000
DJ Punctum on July 31st, 2008
The internet has destroyed the Top 40 as a cultural icon :(
substantiate please
David Belbin on August 1st, 2008
1. 1958
2. 1969
3. I still follow the charts
Chris Brown on August 10th, 2008
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.
Allen Baekeland on August 21st, 2008
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.
Andy Pandy on August 24th, 2008
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