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Blogging Christian Driving God History Music Radio Travel

My Favorite Music Decade

Greetings my friends. It’s Thursday October 29TH 2020, and it’s the start of another 4-day weekend of blogging – today, tomorrow, Sunday, and Monday. I don’t blog on Saturdays. That’s my day of rest. That’s my day with God’s Word. I also don’t blog on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Those are just my days off from this blog. There are a few Tuesdays each year when I do blog for a special occasion. The next one will be in December.

I normally don’t blog about music on Thursdays because I already do so on Fridays and Mondays, but I’ll make an exception this week.

When I was in the Wichita Falls Texas area last month we were listening to 50s On 5 on SiriusXM in my Uncle’s big Ford pick-up truck. He’ll be 90 in a couple of months, so the 1950s were his decade for pop music. He was 18 to 28 back then, so he heard those great hits on some great old-fashioned AM radio stations. Every so often he would hear a song that he wasn’t too fond of, so he would switch it over to 60s On 6. From there he would switch it over to the Love music channel. That wouldn’t last long, as it was soon back to 50s On 5.

My brother is 45. His favorite decades channel is 80s On 8 – followed closely behind by 90s On 9. That’s what we listened to in his SUV while driving around the northeastern suburbs of Dallas Texas. Every so often he’d switch it over to 70s On 7 – knowing that it’s my favorite music decade.

I loved ’70s music back in the ’70s when it was brand new on the radio. I was 2 to 12 during the ’70s. I remember listening to Top 40 radio for almost as long as I’ve been alive. I remember those childhood years in Prince Georges County Maryland with my very first radio – listening to WWDC AM-1260 out of Washington D.C. – and also WPGC AM-1580 (and then later on FM-95.5). Those were the best pop music years of my life !

But then 1980 hit, and I all but abandoned ’70s music for the next 30 years. Top 40 music continued on, and the ’70s seemed so outdated to me. It also brought back some bad memories for me. I wanted to leave those behind forever.

But then something weird happened in 2010. After 3½ years of listening to only Christian pop, rock, hip hop, and dance music from the day of salvation – I started listening to a local South Florida “oldies” station that was playing ’70s music on my coworker’s radio at her desk. I began reminiscing about the decade that I had left behind. I soon went all ’70s all the time, and that lasted nearly 7 years until 2017. It was actually during those 7 years that my weekly hit music chart was on its longest hiatus since its inception 35 years ago.

I still listen to ’70s music today alongside Christian pop music. My two favorite radio stations are both nationwide – K-LOVE and ’70s On 7. My iPod Shuffles that I listen to at work contain 305 (my area code) of my greatest hits of all-time (interchangeable), and almost 40% of them are currently from the ’70s.

The music that used to remind me of the bad times of my childhood now remind me of the good times. There were so many happy days back then, and now I see the light. The memorable music was the soundtrack of my life and times as a toddler, child, and preteen.

All rights reserved (c) 2020 Christopher M. Day, CountUp Ministries

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1990s Blogging Music Radio

My Top 5 Hits RETRO – 1990

Every 2ND, 3RD, and 4TH Friday of the month I post the Top 5 of one of my classic hit music charts based on personal preference and influenced by radio airplay from either 15, 20, or 30 years ago this weekend (rotating each week).

It’s the 4TH Friday of the month, so I go back 30 years ago. Here it is – for the week ending Sunday October 28TH 1990:

  1. “Can’t Stop Falling Into Love” – Cheap Trick
  2. “Love Is The Ritual” – Styx
  3. “Can’t Get Enuff” – Winger
  4. “Falling To Pieces” – Faith No More
  5. “Black Cat” – Janet Jackson

Why replicate a good thing when I can present the real thing ? 30 years ago this weekend my weekly hit music chart was a Top 40, and I analyzed my chart in a column known as “Chartbeat C.M.D.”

In my original handwriting – here’s that column:

Big changes are coming to RETRO starting next month and into December. I’ll be removing 20 years ago from the monthly rotation, and I’ll be adding 25 years ago and 35 years ago. My hit music chart began 35 years ago next month in England, and 25 years ago this month it was resurrected after a 3-year hiatus. The beginnings of both of these distinct eras are intriguing, and I’m looking forward to looking back at these music memories of my life. 

It’s halftime my friends. I’ll be back on Sunday and Monday with 2 more blog posts for this weekend. Enjoy your Saturday. Thanks for going RETRO with me !

All rights reserved (c) 2020 Christopher M. Day, CountUp Ministries

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2000s Blogging Movies Music Radio

My Top 5 Hits RETRO – 2000

Every 2ND, 3RD, and 4TH Friday of the month I post the Top 5 of one of my classic hit music charts based on personal preference and influenced by radio airplay from either 15, 20, or 30 years ago this weekend (rotating each week).

It’s the 3RD Friday of the month, so I go back 20 years ago. Here it is – for the week ending Sunday October 15TH 2000:

  1. “Country Grammar” – Nelly
  2. “You’re A God” – Vertical Horizon
  3. “With Arms Wide Open” – Creed
  4. “It’s My Life” – Bon Jovi
  5. “Give Me Just One Night (Una Noche)” – 98°

Well that was quite the eclectic Top 5 back in 2000. I had raunchy hip hop at the top (cleaned-up for the radio), 2 songs about God almost 6 years before I knew God, Bon Jovi’s final big chart hit, and a Latin-like ballad from boy band 98°. That Bon Jovi track still sounds great 20 years later. I hear it almost every day via my iPod Shuffles at work. It was my # 4 hit of all of #Y2K. It spent 26 weeks in a row on my chart from June to December.

At the movies I saw the memorable “Meet The Parents” back on October 21ST 2000. It was 1 of 27 movies I saw in 2000 – a new record up to that point. So far in 2020 I’ve only seen 2 movies – the lowest since 1995.

This is my final “look back” at 2000. Big changes are coming to RETRO starting next month and into December. I’ll be removing 20 years ago from the monthly rotation, and I’ll be adding 25 years ago and 35 years ago. My hit music chart began 35 years ago next month in England, and 25 years ago this month it was resurrected after a 3-year hiatus. The beginnings of both of these distinct eras are intriguing, and I’m looking forward to looking back at these music memories of my life. 

It’s halftime my friends. I’ll be back on Sunday and Monday with 2 more blog posts for this weekend. Enjoy your Saturday. Thanks for going RETRO with me !

All rights reserved (c) 2020 Christopher M. Day, CountUp Ministries

Categories
2000s Blogging Movies Music Radio

My Top 5 Hits RETRO – 2005

Every 2ND, 3RD, and 4TH Friday of the month I post the Top 5 of one of my classic hit music charts based on personal preference and influenced by radio airplay from either 15, 20, or 30 years ago this weekend (rotating each week).

It’s the 2ND Friday of the month, so I go back 15 years ago. Here it is – for the week ending Sunday October 09TH 2005:

  1. “Don’t Lie” – The Black Eyed Peas
  2. “Gold Digger” – Kanye West
  3. “Wake Me Up When September Ends” – Green Day
  4. “Mr. Brightside” – The Killers
  5. “Feel Good Inc.” – Gorillaz

After a string of forgettable songs on Top 5 charts from the underwhelming year that was 2005 – finally – a collection of memorable hits on a chart with great variety.

“Wake Me Up When September Ends” is one of my favorite Green Day songs. I usually play it in heavy rotation on my iPod Shuffles all September long, and then when September ends – I remove it from rotation. This year was no different. It was their 5TH and final hit on my chart between 1996 and 2005.

Just Like Heaven

At the movies I saw “Just Like Heaven” back on October 22ND 2005. It starred Reese Witherspoon and Mark Ruffalo. It received good reviews by critics and moviegoers, and it was a box office hit. I rated it as 3.5 stars (out of 4).

Big changes are coming to RETRO starting next month and into December. I’ll be removing 20 years ago from the monthly rotation, and I’ll be adding 25 years ago and 35 years ago. My hit music chart began 35 years ago next month in England, and 25 years ago this month it was resurrected after a 3-year hiatus. The beginnings of both of these distinct eras are intriguing, and I’m looking forward to looking back at these music memories of my life. 

It’s halftime my friends. I’ll be back on Sunday and Monday with 2 more blog posts for this weekend. Enjoy your Saturday. Thanks for going RETRO with me !

All rights reserved (c) 2020 Christopher M. Day, CountUp Ministries