c4countdown

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=pCqkHbn9ANo

Yep, there is a reason I just posted a Duran Duran music video to c4c, and that's because this song was #1 in the British charts the day I was born. I think you can guess the theme I intend for this thread so I'll just pass it over to you.

Well I think I can guess the theme for this thread. And as there were no charts as long ago as I was born, I'll submit this one, as being somewhere close:

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=3Drw4aZhdT8

And PLEASE don't think I like it.


Later edit.

Sorry I was a year out with that last one. Here's one for the correct year, and just a little more to my liking:

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=-XQybKMXL-k

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=B1pb1IZcaiQ

Looks like it's this. My birthday's in 35 minutes, but having just watched it, I may not stay alive that long...

When I started looking for this I was worried it was going to be Lady in Red, but fortunately I get the moderately cooler Madonna.

OMG, I hadn't realised how young some of you are! Espec now you're posting a-ha and Madonna at no1 when you were born! That's totally my era (and two of my favourite artists).

When I started watching Countdown I was one of it's younger viewers and I guess I still think of it being watched by people older than me, forgetting that I've aged 26 years since then!

Rod Stewart was at no1 with Maggie May when I was born (1971).

Oh shit.

(By the way, if you want to play along then this is probably a good place to start.)

Mine is 5th June 1982.

I'm not playing this game, so I won't provide a link to the song.

Gulp.

15th October 1990 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mpIBfXwJnk

No charts in the UK when I was born, so it has to be the US No 1 for Aug 31st 1953, which was: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=L_8l7FfrNoM

It was No 1 for 11 weeks and I totally disassociate myself from it. However, the only saving grace is that Les Paul invented a guitar which was named after him and they are still popular today.

Cheers.

Allan

Lesley Jeavons wrote:OMG, I hadn't realised how young some of you are! Espec now you're posting a-ha and Madonna at no1 when you were born! That's totally my era (and two of my favourite artists).

When I started watching Countdown I was one of it's younger viewers and I guess I still think of it being watched by people older than me, forgetting that I've aged 26 years since then!

Rod Stewart was at no1 with Maggie May when I was born (1971).

I was at college and working in a pub listening to it on the jukebox - This was one of my favourites and a double A side with 'Reason to Believe', which I have always marginally prefered to Maggie May.

Allan

'If' by Telly Savalas for me. Neat

If I am not mistaken (as I had only just been born on my birthday) this song with a ridiculously long title was top: What Becomes of the Brokenhearted / Saturday Night at the Movies / You'll Never Walk Alone.

aagharmer wrote:No charts in the UK when I was born, so it has to be the US No 1 for Aug 31st 1953, which was: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=L_8l7FfrNoM

Yes there were, Allan, they started in November 1952, which gives you 'Theme From Moulin Rouge' by Mantovani.

Mine is immeasurably cooler, however, it being Get It On by the amazing T Rex. A lucky escape, as two weeks earlier the chart-topper was the execrable Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep by Middle Of The Road.

jimbentley wrote:

aagharmer wrote:No charts in the UK when I was born, so it has to be the US No 1 for Aug 31st 1953

Yes there were, Allan, they started in November 1952, which gives you 'Theme From Moulin Rouge' by Mantovani.

Actually I think you'll find it was 'I Believe' by Frankie Laine.

jimbentley wrote:

aagharmer wrote:No charts in the UK when I was born, so it has to be the US No 1 for Aug 31st 1953, which was: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=L_8l7FfrNoM

Yes there were, Allan, they started in November 1952 ...

Actually there were charts before that. I remember the charts based on record sales starting, and that was what began in 1952. Prior to that, the charts were based on sales of sheet music.

I remember thinking at the time that it was a backwards step. I used to buy the sheet music, as I had a piano on which to play the tunes. Records were no good to me, as I never had a device on which to play them until way beyond the mid 50s.

jimbentley wrote:A lucky escape, as two weeks earlier the chart-topper was the execrable Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep by Middle Of The Road.

A dire record for sure, but without its existence we would have been deprived of this rather excellent bit of Magic George magic. I think it was worth it...

Phil Reynolds wrote:

jimbentley wrote:'Theme From Moulin Rouge' by Mantovani.

Actually I think you'll find it was 'I Believe' by Frankie Laine.

Oh yeah, you're right. On its third outing at the top of the charts, no less. One gold star for Phil. Collect a thousand and you can redeem them for this handsome carriage clock.

Mine was this:

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=2zy3CeI0FCY

which is a partial link to Kai's one.

Hadn't bothered to look this up before. Rather amusing since I can't stand football (it's Liverpool's anthem! )

This was no 1 in the UK when I was born - actually kinda fun.

Since I was looking anyway, I decided to check what was on 1 in the Top 40 in the Netherlands that day. Shame it wasn't a Beatles song, but at least it was a lot better than what was on 1 a few weeks earlier.

Phil Reynolds wrote:

jimbentley wrote:

aagharmer wrote:No charts in the UK when I was born, so it has to be the US No 1 for Aug 31st 1953

Yes there were, Allan, they started in November 1952, which gives you 'Theme From Moulin Rouge' by Mantovani.

Actually I think you'll find it was 'I Believe' by Frankie Laine.

Thanks Phil.

That's a lot better than the American # 1. 'I Believe' is an all-time classic and I'm pleased it's my birth date tune.

Allan

Thanks for starting this thread Ben. I LOVE knowing what was no 1 when someone was born as it so helps to define time for me.

Though Julie, I'm still unsure what era you were born in as your track was re released in the 80s.

@ aagharmer: I don't know that b side - I'll have to check it out.

Lesley Jeavons wrote:Thanks for starting this thread Ben. I LOVE knowing what was no 1 when someone was born as it so helps to define time for me.
Though Julie, I'm still unsure what era you were born in as your track was re released in the 80s.

I was born on 4th November 1963, Lesley, so the number 1 was 'Gerry The Pacemakers - You'll Never Walk Alone'

You're probably confused by a different version, as there have been a few, e.g. Kai's birthday number 1.
Coincidentally, if my youngest son had been born 2 days later, or a within a couple of weeks from then, Robson and Jerome's version would have been number 1 on his birthday too.

It was originally in Carousel, first performed in 1945, sung, incidentally, to a character called 'Julie':
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/You%27ll_N ... one_(song)

Wonder if that had anything to do with the choice of my name. Probably not, and as my mother's dead, and since I haven't spoken to my father in years (hopefully he's rotting in hell somewhere), maybe I'll never know.

edited to apologise for the maudlin nature my post veered into. 2 friends have had parents die recently, which seems to have affected my mood ATM.

Let's move forward to December 5th, 1984... not one of my favourites, but a great song nonetheless

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=ShN8UIk5-mw

Rob Francis wrote:Let's move forward to December 5th, 1984... not one of my favourites, but a great song nonetheless

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=ShN8UIk5-mw

Ooh! Great cool song to have as you birthday no1, Rob!

This song was #1 on my birth week.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8b0IKQxx2k

A very appropriate song, especially considering my friendship with people here!

Rob Francis wrote:Let's move forward to December 5th, 1984... not one of my favourites, but a great song nonetheless

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=ShN8UIk5-mw

If I'm not mistaken The Power of Love was also released by two other artists (possibly in the same year) Huey Lewis and The News (the brilliant opening theme to Bk2Ftr) and some woman possibly named Jennifer something.

I know I'm a fountain of information...

Emma informs me this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcTr9J30rjw was No 1 on my birthday (16th Jan 1989) which I unashamedly know all the words to. (Incentive to get me drunk at COLIN )

Also worthy of note is this song http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGoWtY_h4xo which probably has the most people born during its number one duration in 1991 for 16 Bryan Adams-licious weeks

Dinos Sfyris wrote:If I'm not mistaken The Power of Love was also released by two other artists (possibly in the same year) Huey Lewis and The News (the brilliant opening theme to Bk2Ftr) and some woman possibly named Jennifer something.

Jennifer Rush. All 3 were very different songs though just with the same title, not like the recent Hallelujah splurge.

Dinos Sfyris wrote:Also worthy of note is this song http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGoWtY_h4xo which probably has the most people born during its number one duration in 1991 for 16 Bryan Adams-licious weeks

Upon further research there was indeed a Countdowner of note who was born during those dark times.

And why hasn't Jono contributed to this thread yet? His song is the only one of its, ahem, genre that I'll admit to liking.

I've not been able to identify what topped the charts on the day I was born - the nearest found is "Valencia" by Paul Whiteman, which reached no.1 a couple of weeks later.

Dan Vanniasingham wrote:Hard to tell if music vids have progressed in 26 years

I wasn't feeling too bad about my age until I watched this, but I now feel positively ancient as I can remember buying the vinyl (in my early teens)!

My birthday song was "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" by Marmalade.

Naomi, did they do it before or after The Beatles?

Going by the link to the Echo piece that Jennifer Turner just posted, Rachel's DOB is 11/01/86 (if she's 23 on Sunday), so her birth song is

Pet Shop Boys 'West End Girls'.

So, she is my age!

Happy birthday dear Rachel...

Jason Larsen wrote:So, she is my age!

Happy birthday dear Rachel...

I feel socially inferior. I didn't have a Birthday song in 1928. In fact, nobody in our family had the means to listen to music, except in the pub with an old piano. But my uncle Fred did own a Crystal set.

George, if you're a new member here, welcome to the forum, sir!

It's amazing that the only type of popular music there was when you were growing up was classical!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSGvqjVHik8

24 May 1985

I've never heard of that song!

Jason Larsen wrote:George, if you're a new member here, welcome to the forum, sir!

It's amazing that the only type of popular music there was when you were growing up was classical!

He's not that old, for crying out loud.

Out of curiosity the number one when I was born appears to be
http://youtube.com/watch?v=1D0yc_zd8x8
I remember it well.

Phil Reynolds wrote:

Jason Larsen wrote:George, if you're a new member here, welcome to the forum, sir!

It's amazing that the only type of popular music there was when you were growing up was classical!

He's not that old, for crying out loud.

I've Hurt my ribs laughing, there must be somebody that I can sue.

The record we played over and over again at my 21st birthday party was "Peggy Sue" by Buddy Holly. The gramophone I had only played one disc at a time and I think I only had about 20 of them, one song on each side. They were called 78's and were very brittle black material which shattered easily. At the same party one of my friends sat on my copy of "Heartbreak Hotel" by Elvis Presley and broke it, as well as my heart! My Dad kept requesting "The Shifting Whispering Sands" and boring us to death!

I'm sorry, Phil!

Les, that's a cute song, and a song everybody knows, too! Patti Page sang the most popular version of it, though.

She's still alive, you know.

And Kathie, you were a sixties child, weren't you?

Jason Larsen wrote:I'm sorry, Phil!

Les, that's a cute song, and a song everybody knows, too! Patti Page sang the most popular version of it, though.

She's still alive, you know.

And Kathie, you were a sixties child, weren't you?

I was born in 1939, so my best 'music' memories are the 60's, although it was always Stateside music rather than UK music. I loved all the rock and roll singers like Elvis, Buddy, Gene Vincent, Eddie Cochran, Bobby Darin, Floyd Cramer, etc. I can't remember all their names now!

Whoops, Floyd Cramer was a rock pianist, not a singer! Sorry!

You know some of those American singers, don't you, Kathie?

Jason Larsen wrote:You know some of those American singers, don't you, Kathie?

Oh, Jason, I absolutely loved them all and, in a way, it helped my education as I started to learn commercial subjects at school and practiced my shorthand by jotting all the words down as the record was playing. Then I transcribed the words in a book and enhanced each song with drawings of the singer (I'm no artist!) and doodles of the theme. I had a great time, believe me, and just wish I could find that book now!

The singers I remember from my childhood (I'm about a year older than George ) are Gracie Fields and George Formby. When war broke out, I was sent away to my grandparents in the Isle of Wight, who had no electricity (or running water), though they did have a wireless set, for which the battery had be charged weekly at the garage. There wasn no gramophone, so was entertained by the offerings of the Home Service & Forces Programme. For some reason, I recall that I liked to dance about to "Franklin D Roosevelt Jones" whenever it came on.

Peter Mabey wrote:The singers I remember from my childhood (I'm about a year older than George ) are Gracie Fields and George Formby. When war broke out, I was sent away to my grandparents in the Isle of Wight, who had no electricity (or running water), though they did have a wireless set, for which the battery had be charged weekly at the garage. There was no gramophone, so was entertained by the offerings of the Home Service & Forces Programme. For some reason, I recall that I liked to dance about to "Franklin D Roosevelt Jones" whenever it came on.

I remember that one Peter. It was sung by a male group but I can't remember their names. Tunes like that swung along with lovely rhythm, unlike today's screeching "music"

George Jenkins wrote:

Peter Mabey wrote:The singers I remember from my childhood (I'm about a year older than George ) are Gracie Fields and George Formby. When war broke out, I was sent away to my grandparents in the Isle of Wight, who had no electricity (or running water), though they did have a wireless set, for which the battery had be charged weekly at the garage. There was no gramophone, so was entertained by the offerings of the Home Service & Forces Programme. For some reason, I recall that I liked to dance about to "Franklin D Roosevelt Jones" whenever it came on.

I remember that one Peter. It was sung by a male group but I can't remember their names. Tunes like that swung along with lovely rhythm, unlike today's screeching "music"

I've just remembered the name of the Group, it was the Mills Brothers, which means that I will not lie awake tonight wondering.

This memory fete of mine proves that the rumours put about my Family that I am going senile, is quite untrue. On the other hand, what did I do yesterday? so perhaps---

I guess you do love music, Kathie!

Jason Larsen wrote:I guess you do love music, Kathie!

I've always loved rock music and the nearest to the 60's groups and singers now is Bruce Springsteen. At least he is still alive as most of the originals have either been killed in plane/car crashes or have died prematurely of natural causes. Oh yes, and I've actually got a letter which Bill Haley wrote to me in 1956, but of course you won't know who he was will you?

Of course!

He sang the original theme song from Happy Days!

Checking the Irish charts I found that they only started the week after I was born.
Top of the UK charts was Elvis'shttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjiBHT3Z0d8 She's Not You.
However I much prefer this one which was top of the US charts:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myIG.
More of a classic I think.
P.S. I also noticed that the number one selling single of the year was Acker Bilks "Strangers On The Shore", a piece of music I love even though I'm not into jazz of any kind. Coincidence? Maybe not.