Thread by @LostArcNZ

Yesterday I talked about a playlist for my 50th where I put 3 songs from each year since 1969. Lots of discussion about 1979 where I had 6 shortlisted. So...what made the list?

First. I don't like disco. I tend to prefer Rock. I don't like The Eagles (cc @JohnJCampbell). We also had a live band so if they played it I didn't have it on my list. Also, these are not necessarily my **fav** songs from each of these years, because I like some obscure stuff.

So here it is year by year.

1969:

Come Together – The Beatles
Suspicious Minds – Elvis Presley
Proud Mary – Creedence Clearwater Revival
Some argument could be made that this should go in 1968 not 1969 but released in 1969.

1970

Let it be – The Beatles
Immigrant Song – Led Zeppelin
After Midnight - Eric Clapton

1971

Ain’t no sunshine – Bill Withers
American Pie – Don McLean
Stairway to Heaven – Led Zeppelin

1972

Lean on Me – Bill Withers
Smoke on the Water – Deep Purple
Walk on the Wild Side – Lou Reed

1973

Free Bird – Lynyrd Skynyrd
Money – Pink Floyd
Midnight Train to Georgia – Gladys Knight and the Pips

1974

Killer Queen - Queen
Rikki Don’t Lose That Number – Steely Dan
It’s Only Rock and Roll (But I like it) – Rolling Stones

1975

Fame – David Bowie
Wish You Were Here – Pink Floyd
Long Way to the Top (if you Want to Rock and Roll) – AC/DC

1976

Blinded by the Light – Manfred Mann
The Boys are Back in Town – Thin Lizzy
(Don’t Fear) The Reaper – Blue Oyster Cult

1977

We Will Rock You – Queen
Solsbury Hill – Peter Gabriel
The Chain- Fleetwood Mac

1978

Roxanne - Police
Sultans of Swing – Dire Straits
Dreadlock Holiday – 10CC

1979 was hotly contested and a subject of it's very own thread yesterday. The winners were:

London Calling - The Clash
Highway to Hell - ACDC
Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2) - Pink Floyd

1980:

Whip it - Devo
Ace of Spades - Motohead
Hells Bells - ACDC

1981:

Tainted Love - Soft Cell
Start Me Up - Rolling Stones
In the Air Tonight - Phil Collins

Phil made the list mainly because of the iconic drums.

1982:

Eye of the Tiger - Survivor
I Ran - Flock of Seagulls
Hot in the City - Billy Idol

Got to have a bit of bad boy Billy on there, eh.

1983:

Giant - The The
King of Pain - Police
Modern Love - David Bowie

The The not as well known to many but such an important point of my own musical listening journey. Could not leave them off.

1984:

Small Town Boy - Bronski Beat
Wild Boys - Duran Duran
When Doves Cry - Prince

Although I like Rock more than any genre, I consider Small Town Boy to be one of the most important songs of the 80's. And Who doesn't like a bit of Duran Duran.

1985

Don't You (Forget About Me) - Simple Minds
Broken Wings - Mr. Mister
We Built This City - Starship

Not a huge Starship fan but this song is peak 80's.

1986:
Tuff Enough - The Fabulous Thunderbirds
Livin' on a Prayer - Bon Jovi
Land of Confusion - Genesis

I like Disturb's cover of Land of Confusion better but it's still a rocking song. And the cover wasn't released in 1986 :P

1987:

Devil Inside - INXS
Learning to Fly - Pink Floyd
Beds are Burning - Midnight Oil

Left out Welcome to the Jungle, GnR. GnR should be right in the "zone" of bands I like, the right genre, but I have never really gelled with their music.

1988

Good Thing - Fine Young Cannibals
I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) - The Proclaimers
Don't Worry be Happy - Bobby McFerrin

Because is it even a party playlist without 500 miles on it, and in 1988 you could not turn on the radio without hearing Don't Worry be Happy.

1989:

Break Away - Big Pig
I Remember You - Skid Row
Love in an Elevator - Aerosmith

I love Big Pig. No guitar, heaps of rhythm, and lots of melody using different instruments, often harmonica and strong vocals. Break Away by no means my fav Big Pig song but the most well known

1990

Thunderstruck - ACDC
Hard to Handle - The Black Crowes
Here comes your Man - ThePixies

Because can you even wear a black T-shirt if you don't include Thunderstruck.

1991

Black - Pearl Jam
Killing in the Name of - Rage Against the Machine
Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana

Wow, what a stellar year.

1992

Man on the Moon - R.E.M
People Everyday - Arrested Development
So What'Cha want - Beastie Boys

1993

Are You Gonna Go My Way - Lenny Kravitz
Disarm - Smashing Pumpkins
w.m.a - Pearl Jam

Disarm is probably my fav Smashing Pumpkins song, and although w.m.a is not everyone's cup of tea, I consider it politically important, and sadly, still relevant today.

1994

Black Hole Sun - Soundgarden
Parklife - Blur
When I come around - Green Day

1995

Bullet with Butterfly Wings - Smashing Pumpkins
Lump - Presidents of The United States of America
This is a call - Foo Fighters

I love the Foo Fighters, expect more in the rest of the list :P

1996:

The Beautiful People - Marilyn Manson
If it Makes you Happy - Sheryl Crow
What I got - Sublime

1997:

Monkey Wrench - Foo Fighters
The Memory Remains - Metallica
Elegantly Wasted - INXS

I kept away from many of the "heavier" bands I like but I couldn't have a playlist with **zero** Metallica on it now, could I?

1998:

Fly Away - Lenny Kravitz
Pretty Fly (For a White Guy) - The Offspring
My Favourite Game - The Cardigans

1999

Around the World - Red Hot Chilli Peppers
Learn to Fly - Foo Fighters
Higher - Creed

2000

Down with the Sickness - Disturbed
Kryptonite - 3 Doors Down
Rollin' (Air Raid Vehicle) - Limp Bizkit

I couldn't believe Down with the Sickness was released in 2000.

2001

It's been a while - Staind
Chop Suey - System of a Down
Smooth Criminal - Alien Ant Farm

Smooth Criminal is one of the tracks where imo the cover is better than the (already very good) original. SOAD a bit "Heavy" for much of this list but I could not leave it out.

2002

By the Way - Red Hot Chilli Peppers
All My Life - Foo Fighters
No One Knows - Queens of the Stone Age

2003

Seven Nation Army - White Stripes
I Believe in a Thing Called Love - The Darkness
The Reason - Hoobastank

2004

Boulevard of Broken Dreams - Green Day
Somebody Told Me - The Killers
Vertigo - U2

This was the first year where I thought hmm, not super happy with that third pick, a bit weak. I don't mind U2 but I prefer earlier stuff.

Which reminds me I probably should have swapped out
King of Pain - Police
with
Sunday, Bloody Sunday - U2

2005

How to Save a Life - The Fray
Doesn't Remind Me - Audioslave
My Doorbell - The White Stripes

My son started learning Guitar young. He learned How to Save a Life for his first concert. Most of the kids his age had their music teacher sing for them, but Jack sung it himself.

For that reason alone How to Save a Life made the list, I thought he was a very brave young 6 year old.

2006

Snow (Hey Oh) - Red Hot Chilli Peppers
The Dairy of Jane - Breaking Benjamin
World Wide Suicide - Pearl Jam

Diary of Jane I prefer the Acoustic version, which also used to be on Spotify, but no longer is. Still a banger, under appreciated in NZ imo.

2007

Working Class Hero - Green Day
What I've Done - Linkin Park
Paralyzer - Finger Eleven

Working Class Hero is a cover but Green Day's cover is iconic.

2008

Sex on Fire - Kings of Leon
Gives you Hell - All American Rejects
Re-Education (Through Labor) - Rise Against

I struggled to believe Sex on Fire is this old.

2009

21 Guns - Greenday
I Will Not Bow - Breaking Benjamin
Uprising - Muse

Another Breaking Benjamin song. If I want to see them live, I will have to go to North America - lead singer afraid of flying. May be why they don't have that much recognition in the NZ market.

Oh shit. I left out

Rusted from the Rain - Billy Talent
from 2009. For me I would probably swap out 21 guns for that. Hardly anyone knows Billy Talent but I love them (Canadian band). I somehow added for for 2009 so I think I will just leave it on...

2010

Radioactive - Kings of Leon
Pumped Up Kicks - Foster the People
Between the Lines - Stone Temple Pilots

Pumped Up Kicks is problematic lyrically but it's such a banger, can't leave it off.

2011

Rope - Foo Fighters
Lonely Boy - The Black Keys
Somebody That I used to Know - Gotye feat. Kimbra

My favourite Black Keys song is actually Little Black Submarine, but it's on my son's band set list so I left it off - I left off a few of my favourites because they were live

2012

Radioactive - Imagine Dragons
We are Young - Fun
Gangnam Style - Psy

My son couldn't believe I added Gangnam Style. I couldn't believe he wanted me to leave it off. It's just fun.

2013

My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark - Fall Out Boy
Do I Wanna Know - Arctic Monkeys
Take Me To Church - Hozier

2014

Chandelier - Sia
Say Something - A Great Big World
Am I wrong - Nico and Vinz

Not a lot of Rock I absolutely had to add in 2014 so I picked a few pop tunes that I liked from the year.

2015

Ship to Wreck - Florence and The Machine
Stressed Out - Twenty One Pilots
The Sound of Silence - Disturbed

The original is good but I think the Disturbed cover is even better.

2016

Dark Necessities - Red Hot Chilli Peppers
My Name is Human - Highly Suspect
Voices - Devilskin

Yes, I realise my list should have had more Kiwi Music in it :P

2017

Illuminant - Quicksand
Run - Foo Fighters
Freedom is Mine - Wolfmother

Joker and the Thief is perhaps a better known Wolfmother song but my son's band plays it.

2018

Blue on Black - Five Finger Death Punch
Jumpsuit - Twenty One Pilots
Cry Little Sister - Marilyn Manson

Liked the original of Cry Little Sister but also like this twist on it. Darker. Would actually have been better suited to The Lost Boys movie actually.

2019

Villainy- Dreams
The Ending - Papa Roach
All Over Now - Cranberries

And that's it.