what were you listening to at 18?

Current work: Meds revisions (really, really, REALLY)
Listening to: Sandy Denny live at the BBC (wonderful)
Reading: Sophie King, Mums@ home (finished it this morning and enjoyed it)

Today I’m doing a meme which I pinched from Jenna’s blog – which songs were on the radio you were 18? Apparently you pick five songs from the list of most popular songs from that year and talk about five of them.

I’m going to have to morph that slightly – apart from the fact I can’t stick to just five songs, I looked at the list here - and it’s… um… not my taste. Worse, some of those songs are being sung at the moment by my children, VERY badly, while playing ‘Boogie’ on the Wii. (Yes, I know it was my idea to get it because we’d had such fun at my BIL’s… but sometimes I really think someone should distract me with chocolate when the ideas aren’t bright ones.)

When I was 18 I didn’t listen to Radio 1, except for the Friday Rock Show (Tommy Vance introduced me to some fantastic stuff – I used to love the Friday Night Connection, where three songs were played and you had to work out the connection between them, which was usually really obscure). I did however buy a lot of records (and as an impoverished student, I didn’t do discos and the pub: I did cinema and the secondhand record shop and cheap wine while listening to said music and having deep conversations with good friends). I was listening to Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Rush, Genesis, Deep Purple, Whitesnake, Rainbow… (and Pentangle if I wanted people to go home *g* or so the story goes – actually, I love the track ‘Light Flight’ so I was sharing, not chucking people out. But I guess folk, especially back then, was an acquired taste).

So my version of the meme is to pick some songs from around that era (aka my student days) which I loved and bring back good memories. So here goes:

Bryan Adams: Summer of 69 – still my fave song by Bryan. I borrowed ‘Reckless’ from my best mate, played it on my Walkman on the way in to uni, and bought it on the way home. ‘Run to you’ was in the charts the week when I was 19, as I remember another friend buying it for me. I still play the album quite a lot: it’s really stood the test of time.

Howard Jones: Hide and Seek – my best mate always remembers calling in at my house and she could hear this one floating all down the stairs. (I wasn’t the housemate from hell, btw – this was when I was on my own in the house. My degree was in Eng Lit and my housemates were mainly scientists and lawyers, so they were in the lab or in lectures while I was studying wherever I wanted, i.e. library, garden or comfy chair with decent coffee to hand.) My fave version ever was the one he did at Live Aid: just Howard and the piano. The intro is just beautiful. [Edit - YouTube link to it here...]

Phil Collins: In the Air Tonight – another one I borrowed from Fi. If it’s snowing or I smell coffee, I think of this song because it reminds me of walking to uni in the snow, past the off-licence that sold proper coffee. Happy days. (And yeah, of course I do the air drums in that bit in the middle. Irresistible.)

Dire Straits: Telegraph Road – still one of my faves (mainly for the piano bit in the middle that goes into one hell of a guitar piece… hmm, wonder if I can get Jim to teach it to DH? Note to self, ask on Tuesday morning).

Bon Jovi: Bed of Roses – I still love this song and I don’t care that it’s corny. DH bought me the album. And I’ve used that to, um, soundtrack a few love scenes. (I also sing it really loudly in the car with the kids.) I had a huge crush on JBJ back then and he’s aged very well – in fact, I reckon he’s sexier now than he was in his 80s poodle perm days.

Duran Duran: The Chauffeur – this was a B side, and I bought the single because I wanted this version of the song (I think the A side was ‘Rio’ but my vinyl isn’t to hand). Now, I wasn’t a Duranie but this song was acoustic and melancholy: just my cuppa tea. This is NOT the same as the one that’s on the album of ‘Rio’, btw – the version I’m talking about is the acoustic guitar (aka ‘Blue Silver’), not the synth version. I want to get my mitts on this but I don’t really want the CD box set of singles from the early 80s. I suppose I could finally stop being a Luddite and get I-tunes. Apart from this single, I do own one vinyl Duran Duran album and a best-of CD. I like Simon’s voice, I like some of the songs (DH likes one of the videos *g* - and yes, of course it’s that one), and if Duran Duran ever did an acoustic/unplugged CD of certain songs they’d have a definite hit in my age group (my kids like them, too). The acoustic version of Save a Prayer on YouTube here is gorgeous. (Oh, lord. Please someone reassure me I’m not going mad/having a middle-aged crisis. I’m confessing in public to liking Duran Duran. What next?)

Suzanne Vega: The Queen and the Soldier – another one I can thank Fi for introducing me to, and another album that has definitely stood the test of time. A few years after graduating we went to see her at the UEA together and heard her play this live. Fab. (Though I’ve just scared myself because I remember I was pregnant at the time… with son, so that was back in 1996. Blimey. I am ooooold.)

So which songs do you remember from when you were 18? If you do this on your blog, please put a link below so I can come and be nosey…

(Oh, and for the record, India Grey is a bad influence. She sent me a YouTube link… I liked this enough to buy the album, and I’ve flicked through a few of the other videos – impressive guitar playing.)