I HIT 20 (AND 20 HITS BACK): My [simulated] All-Time Hot 100 circa 1980

I've been looking back at the music I loved when I was younger, trying to imagine what I would have named as my All-Time Hot 100 when I was a nascent rock 'n' roll fan. We've seen my lists from 1976, 1977, 1978, and 1979. Now, it's the fall of '79, as I enter my senior year in college. I'm 19; soon I'll be 20. And there was music.


I was never a particularly good student, but nor was I ever in much danger of failing outright. Science was a mystery to me. I was adequate at math, albeit barely adequate. I was pretty good with history and social studies, and potentially very good with anything that involved a-readin' and a-writin'. I skipped fifth grade because I was reading at a high school level. I discovered that I could write; with practice, I developed an ability to write well. I entered college at 17, enrolled in a program designed to earn a four-year degree in three years, and walked away from academia in the spring of 1980, a BA in English in my hand and a punk rock song in my heart. I was 20 years old. I wasn't quite ready for prime time, but prime time awaited nonetheless.

My senior year at Brockport was pretty good. I got along with my roommate, and we shared some similar tastes in music. My girlfriend Brenda lived directly downstairs from my seventh-floor dorm suite. A combination of boys from my floor and girls from her floor formed a broomball team, and that was a righteous good time. There were parties, there was rock 'n' roll, camaraderie, and even a day trip to Letchworth State Park, culminating in an impromptu slumber party. Overall, it was probably the closest thing to a contented period in my academic career.

But still, I was anxious for it to be over. I just didn't want to be in school anymore. I grabbed my diploma in May, briefly (very briefly) toyed with the idea of grad school, and moved on. Brenda still had another year to go; we wanted to remain together, so we got an apartment in the village. Needing money for my share of the rent, I took the job that was available: working part-time at McDonald's in Rochester, a twenty-minute bus ride away. I lost that job when I saw a tied-up garbage bag full of what I presumed to be garbage, and tossed it into the trash compactor; the bag contained several pairs of the owner's expensive shoes, which had been dropped off for him at the store. Oops. Luckily, as summer ended, the McDonald's back in my college town was hiring, and a full-time fast-food paycheck was mine for the taking. Success! Meager success, but it meant money for rent, groceries, beer, and records. I would remain an employee of McDonald's of Brockport for two years.

So here's an approximation of my top-of-the-pops soundtrack from the start of my senior year in the fall of 1979 through the start of my residency at McDonald's of Brockport in late August of 1980. It was a more difficult list to simulate than the previous entries, but I think I captured the broad strokes of my musical world at the time, a portrait of the blogger as a young about-to-be man. We'll return with one more list, compressing fall of 1980 through August of 1982 into one big WHOOOOSH! There will be noise. And please, just ignore that garbage bag full of shoes. It's for your own good, man. Trust me.



Accidents Never Happen Blondie
All Around The World The Jam
All Kindsa Girls The Real Kids
American Girl Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
Any Way You Want It The Dave Clark Five
Baby Blue Badfinger
Babysitter The Ramones
The Ballad Of John & Yoko The Beatles
Blitzkrieg Bop The Ramones
Capital Radio The Clash
Carbona Not Glue The Ramones
Catch Us If You Can The Dave Clark Five
Chinese Rocks The Heartbreakers
Clampdown The Clash
Complete Control The Clash
Coming Up Paul McCartney
Cool Metro David Johansen
Couldn't I Just Tell You Todd Rundgren
Crazy Little Thing Called Love Queen
Damaged Goods Gang Of Four
Death Of A Clown The Kinks
Do Anything You Wanna Do Eddie & the Hot Rods
Do You Love Me The Dave Clark Five
Do You Remember Rock 'n' Roll Radio? The Ramones
Don't Wait Up For Me The Beat
The Door Into Summer The Monkees
Dream Police Cheap Trick
Dreaming Blondie
Even The Losers Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
Every Little Thing The Beatles
Follow Me Artful Dodger
Fortune Teller The Rolling Stones
Frenchette David Johansen
Get Off Of MyCloud The Rolling Stones
Girls David Johansen
Go All The Way The Raspberries
God Save The Queen The Sex Pistols
Good Girls Don't The Knack
Government Center The Modern Lovers
A Hard Day's Night The Beatles
Heart Full Of Soul The Yardbirds
Help! The Beatles
I Just Want To Have Something To Do The Ramones
I Wanna Be Sedated The Ramones
I Wanna Be With You The Raspberries
I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend The Rubinoos
I Want You To Want Me Cheap Trick
If I Needed Someone The Beatles
I'm Bored Iggy Pop
I'm Down The Beatles
I'm Straight The Modern Lovers
I'm The Man Joe Jackson
It's My Life The Animals
It's The Same Old Song The Four Tops
Laugh Laugh The Beau Brummels
Let's Go The Cars
Lies The Knickerbockers
Love Is Only Sleeping The Monkees
No Matter What Badfinger
No Reply The Beatles
One Track Mind The Heartbreakers
Personality Crisis The New York Dolls
Pleasant Valley Sunday The Monkees
Pop Muzik M
Porpoise Song (Theme From Head) The Monkees
Pretty Vacant The Sex Pistols
Public Image Public Image Ltd.
Refugee Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
Revenge The Scruffs
Revolution The Beatles
Rock 'n' Roll High School The Ramones
Rock And Roll Girl The Beat
Rockaway Beach The Ramones
Rockerfeller The Most
Roxanne The Police
School Days The Runaways
Shake Some Action The Flamin' Groovies
Shattered The Rolling Stones
Sheena Is A Punk Rocker The Ramones
Sleazy The Village People
So You Want To Be A Rock 'n' Roll Star? The Patti Smith Group
Starry Eyes The Records
Stop Your Sobbing The Pretenders
Strange Town The Jam
Sunday Girl Blondie
Superman (Main Title Theme) The London Symphony Orchestra
Surrender Cheap Trick
Take A Chance The Most
Teenage Alcoholic The Ohms
Teenage Kicks The Undertones
The Ties That Bind Bruce Springsteen
Tomorrow Night Shoes
Walking Out On Love Paul Collins
Waterloo Sunset The Kinks
What I Like About You The Romantics
(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding Elvis Costello & the Attractions
When I Look In Your Eyes The Romantics
Wouldn't You Like It The Bay City Rollers
You Can't Put Your Arms Around A Memory Johnny Thunders
You Really Got Me The Kinks


WHEN WE RETURN: No Time To Be 21/This Year I'll Be 22

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Our new compilation CD This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 4 is now available from Kool Kat Musik! 29 tracks of irresistible rockin' pop, starring Pop Co-Op, Ray Paul, Circe Link & Christian Nesmith, Vegas With Randolph Featuring Lannie Flowers, The Slapbacks, P. Hux, Irene Peña, Michael Oliver & the Sacred Band Featuring Dave Merritt, The Rubinoos, Stepford Knives, The Grip Weeds, Popdudes, Ronnie Dark, The Flashcubes,Chris von Sneidern, The Bottle Kids, 1.4.5., The Smithereens, Paul Collins' Beat, The Hit Squad, The Rulers, The Legal Matters, Maura & the Bright Lights, Lisa Mychols, and Mr. Encrypto & the Cyphers. You gotta have it, so order it here. A digital download version (minus The Smithereens' track) is also available from Futureman Records.