Skip to main content

Da na na na na na

I was born 28 years ago on this day! And in the way time works, that day was also a Saturday. I'd like to thank my mom and dad, especially my mom!

In celebration I present my Top 10 Favorite Birthday Songs:

10. Neil Diamond - Desiree (I know that in no way is this song about a birthday. It's really about Neil losing his virginity: "The time was right / The night was long". But the second verse begins, "Then came the 4th of June.")

9. 50 Cent -In Da Club (Okay, also not technically a birthday song. But since this was released, how can we get through a birthday without mentioning shorties, Bacardi, and not giving a fuck?)

8. Lesley Gore - It's My Party (Speaking of not giving a fuck: "I'll cry if I want to".)

7. Alice In Wonderland Soundtrack - The Unbirthday Song (A classic! I had this on a vinyl album of Disney's best movie songs and always asked my mom for unbirthday presents after listening to it).

6. Blur - Birthday (Droning Brit-pop for your friends that hate birthdays. "I don't like these days / They make me feel so small.")

5. Pet Shop Boys - Birthday Boy (This is an epic track from their last release, Release. I can't quite figure it out. It may be about Jesus; it might be about being gay. Hard to say.)

4. Stevie Wonder - Happy Birthday (Actually about declaring Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday a national holiday. How can you not love that, Arizona?!)

3. Ronnie Milsap - Happy Happy Birthday Baby (Not one of my favorite Milsap songs, but still a great downer of a birthday tune. The narrator writes to wish his ex a happy birthday, even though she broke his heart.)

2. The Beatles - Birthday (Somehow this song has become an acceptable alternative to the actual Happy Birthday, despite the most likely untruthful line: "It's my birthday too, yeah!")

1. No Doubt - Six Feet Under ( First of all I love any song that cops The Cars' sound. And that chous: "Today is my birthday / And I get one every year / And some day... / Hard to believe / But I'll be buried six feet underground". It's the best 23 word summation of adult birthday thoughts ever put to music.)

Comments

Carmamma said…
Well Happy Birthday! One of my favorite birthday songs has always been Concrete Blonde's "Happy Birthday" and the Waitresses's "Happy Birthday"--- The Concrete Blonde song is suppose to be a downer, but it's always the first b-day song I'm playing when the clocks hits May 18th.
Paul V. Allen said…
Thank you!

I don't know either of those two songs. I'll have to seek them out in 51 weeks...

And happy late birthday to you!

Popular posts from this blog

Stuck, or Obsession Cessastion

You may have noticed that things have slowed down around here. I had the summer off from teaching, and I spent it with my 7 month-old son. I gave myself permission to make this blog less of a priority. Well, "less of a priority" is putting it lightly. Initially, I considered an abrupt retirement. But then I reconsidered. Maybe the proximity to Brett Favre is causing this. If you're a long time reader, this is probably not all that surprising to you. Since 2007, it has become an annual ritual for me to soul-search about my waning interest in music. First I blamed an inability to express myself and a lack of quality music . Then in 2008 I cited new technology and the death of the album . Last year I wrote about how my changing life priorities hindered my ability to seek out new music. I've done a lot of thinking about it this summer and in truth I believe this was all just dancing around the issue, a slow realization of something I didn't want to admit to myse...

Billy Joel: 1980 - 1977

When I decided to write about every single Billy Joel studio album I knew had a bit of a leg up in that I'd written reviews of a handful of his records already. What I didn't realize until just now was that those reviews were of albums that had been released consecutively between 1977 and 1980. As I reread those reviews - the most recent of which is 14 years old! - I found that I still stand by them. My writing style has mellowed a bit, and I no longer give grades to albums, but otherwise my opinions then are my opinions now. So here you go... Billy Joel: Glass Houses (1980) Billy Joel: 52nd Street (1978) Billy Joel: The Stranger   (1977)

The End of REO Speedwagon's Road

I devoted the summer of 2019 to listening to and writing about Champaign, Illinois' own REO Speedwagon. It was an eye-opening journey through a complex and inspiring history, and one that ended with me seeing them in concert for the first time. They've played nearby a couple of times since then, but I haven't ventured out for various reasons. Then I saw that they were playing right here in my hometown in early November. I looked into tickets right away, but I didn't end up buying one, partly because they were quite expensive, but mostly because Ticketmaster wouldn't let me buy a ticket for just one seat! I figured I'd wait until the day of and see what offers were out there. Then, in mid-September, came the news. The band released a statement revealing that they would cease touring - and though it wasn't stated, cease to be a band - effective January 1, 2025. In digging further into this announcement, I learned that founding member Neal Doughty retired in Ja...