20 Y.O. (or something like that)--Janet, I feel your pain...

I know I don't get around to posting very often--(life has me beat to a pulp)--but I hit a milestone yesterday--the big 4-0. No, I don't mean height, I mean...you know what I mean. Such is the case in the world of Miss Jackson where turning forty is named "20 Y.O." (that means 20 years in the business, although in her case, I think it was a way of making herself sound a LOT younger than she REALLY was). I am not usually a massive fan of lists (I'm sure you couldn't tell that from my blog), but I thought it was definitely time for a list. Maybe the most important list of my pop life. My 40 favorite songs of the past 40 years. There may be several from one year and none from another. I tried to keep it to only one song per artist (if I was super strict about the list, there would be several Pet Shop Boys, Marc Almond, David Sylvian, Erasure, and New Order tracks, but that would leave little room for anything else). This way, the list also represents my greatest pop loves of the past 40 years. Some songs may be overrated due to their freshness, while others I have left off are possibly underrated (i.e. U2's "One", Coldplay's "The Scientist", Dead or Alive's "You Spin me Round(Like a Record)". They are not necessarily the best songs, or the most popular, but somehow hold a special meaning to me, or move me emotionally.

So here is the list, presented in all its glory. Maybe you'll find something worth checking out.


40)"Valentine" by the Delays
39)"Just Like Heaven" by the Cure
38)"No Regrets" by Robbie Williams
37)"Election Day" by Arcadia
36)"Imitation of Life" by R.E.M.
35)"Who's That Girl?" by Eurythmics
34)"Bad Cover Version" by Pulp
33)"Victims" by Culture Club
32)"Hold Back the Night" by Sinead O'Connor
31)"Life on Mars" by David Bowie

30)"Goodbye to Love" by the Carpenters
29)"Frozen" by Madonna
28)"Poison Arrow" by ABC
27)"Sour Times" by Portishead
26)"Don't Give Up" by Peter Gabriel & Kate Bush
25)"#1 Crush" by Garbage
24)"Stay" by Shakespear's Sister
23)"Everyday is Like Sunday" by Morrissey
22)"Pain in Any Language" by Billy Mackenzie w/Apollo 440
21)"Falling" by McAlmont/Butler

20)"Love is Stronger Than Death" by the The
19)"Winter" by Tori Amos
18)"Hide & Seek" by Imogen Heap
17)"True Faith" by New Order
16)"Torch" by Soft Cell
15)"With Every Heartbeat" by Robyn w/Kleerup
14)"Tarantula" by This Mortal Coil
13)"Always" by Erasure
12)"Xanadu" by Olivia Newton-John
11)"Still Life" by Suede

10)"Running Up That Hill (a Deal With God)" by Kate Bush

9)"Last Night I Dreamt Somebody Loved Me" by the Smiths

8)"The Winner Takes it All" by ABBA

7)"Enjoy the Silence" by Depeche Mode

6)"Utopia" by Goldfrapp

5)"Teardrop" by Massive Attack feat. Liz Frazier

4)"Forbidden Colours" by David Sylvian w/Ryuichi Sakamoto

3)"My Hand Over My Heart" by Marc Almond

2)"Bachelorette" by Bjork

1)"Miracles" by Pet Shop Boys


Maybe some of your favorites are on this list too!


other songs that didn't quite make the cut:

"Heartbeat" by Annie
"Save Me" by Aimee Mann
"Before Today" by Everything but the Girl
"The Damned Don't Cry" by Visage
"Do You Realize?" by the Flaming Lips
"My Best Day" by Lightning Seeds w/Alison Moyet
"Situation" by Yazoo
"Deadline for my Memories" by Billie Ray Martin
"Peek-a-Boo" by Siouxsie & the Banshees
"Higher Than the Sun" by Primal Scream
"Genius of Love" by Tom Tom Club
"You Know me Better" by Roisin Murphy
"Crucified" by Army of Lovers
"Tonight We Fly" by the Divine Comedy
"White Flag" by Dido
"Don't You Want Me" by the Human League
"Sloppy Heart" by Frazier Chorus

maybe next time!