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Fifty Years Of Music – 1979

Fifty years ago, I made my first appeared on the Earth.  In celebration, we are going to take a look at the year-end Billboard Hot 100 singles chart for each year of my life and see what songs resonated with me at the time and if they continue to do so to this day.

We continue our look back at the music of my lifetime with 1979, the year I started kindergarten and turned five.  I still have no knowledge of these songs from their original release, but we are starting to get to an era where the songs would become some of my favorites.  Only 16 of the Hot 100 are familiar to me now, with just five of them appearing in my collection in one way or another.

#95: Van Halen – Dance the Night Away
iTunes stats: 7 plays

Thought to be the only track written explicitly for the group’s second album, the track peaked at #15 on the Hot 100.

#92: Robert Palmer – Bad Case of Loving You (Doctor, Doctor)
iTunes stats: 16 plays

Originally recorded by Moon Martin the year prior, the cover version from Palmer reached #14 on the charts.

#81: Electric Light Orchestra – Don’t Bring Me Down
iTunes stats: N/A

Perhaps best known for the misheard lyric of “Bruce” following the title line, the track is the band’s highest charting hit in the US.

#78: Earth, Wind & Fire – September
iTunes stats: N/A

Peaking at #8, the song has become an Internet meme in the 21st century, becoming popular every year in September as we approach the 21st.

#53: Sister Sledge – We Are Family
iTunes stats: 14 plays

Chosen by Willie Stargell to be the official theme song of the 1979 Pirates on their way to a World Series title, the track topped out at #2 on the Hot 100.

#48: Village People – In the Navy
iTunes stats: N/A

The group’s final top 10 hit, it reached #3 on the charts.

#40: Kenny Rogers – The Gambler
iTunes stats: N/A

A crossover hit that reached the top of both the Hot 100 and the country charts, the song earned Rogers a Grammy for Best Male Country Vocal Performance in 1980.

#34: Cheap Trick – I Want You to Want Me
iTunes stats: 30 plays

After the original release from 1977 failed to chart, a rockier live version released eleven months later cracked the top 10, peaking at #7.

#31: Peaches & Herb – Shake Your Groove Thing
iTunes stats: N/A

The group’s first charting single since 1971, it spent 22 weeks on the charts, topping out at #5.

#9: Anita Ward – Ring My Bell
iTunes stats: N/A

Sampled by DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince in 1991, the song, which reached the top of the charts, was Ward’s only major hit.

#8: Village People – Y.M.C.A.
iTunes stats: N/A

Peaking at #2, the song has long been used at Wrigley Field when the opposing team makes their first mid-inning pitching change.

#6: Gloria Gaynor – I Will Survive
iTunes stats: N/A

Released in October of 1978, the anthem spent three non-consecutive weeks atop the Hot 100 in 1979.

#5: Peaches & Herb – Reunited
iTunes stats: N/A

A huge crossover smash, it spent four weeks at #1 on both the R&B singles chart and the Hot 100 chart.

#4: Rod Stewart – Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?
iTunes stats: N/A

Ranked at #301 in Rolling Stone’s 2004 list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, it spent four weeks atop the charts in February of 1979.

#3: Chic – Le Freak
iTunes stats: N/A

The group’s third single, it became their first #1 on both the Hot 100 and the R&B charts.

#1: The Knack – My Sharona
iTunes stats: 34 plays

The band’s debut single, it spent six weeks at the top of the charts in the summer of 1979.

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FB10: Week 3

A move in the right direction, as some early nice weather let me get outside a little bit during the week.  The week got off to a slow start, with only 2700 steps on Sunday.  A nice bounce back on Monday put me over 4100 steps.  Tuesday fell off a bit, dropping down to 3300 steps.  Wednesday jumped back up to 4000 steps.  A walk around the block on Thursday left me 23 steps shy of 4500.  An afternoon trip out for a haircut on Friday helped push me to 4400 steps.  The best day of the week came on Saturday, as I needed just 32 more steps to reach 5900 thanks to a morning trip to the grocery store.

Total steps: 29,063

Daily average: 4151.9

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The Call To The Hall

Three former Bears will be heading to Canton this summer as part of the NFL’s Hall of Fame class of 2024: Steve McMichael, Devin Hester, and Julius Peppers.  McMichael, the legendary defensive tackle who is battling ALS, makes it after nearly two decades of waiting.  Hester, the record-setting return man gets in on his third try. Peppers, a nine-time Pro Bowl defensive end, makes it on his first attempt.

McMichael, 66, spent thirteen seasons with the Bears, earning All-Pro honors twice.  He’s currently second in franchise history with 92½ sacks and third with 814 tackles.

Hester, 41, was drafted in the second round of the 2006 draft and quickly made an impact, returning a punt for a touchdown in his first game and recording six touchdowns over his first thirteen weeks.  In less than two seasons, he became the leading kick returner in Bears history.  In 2011, Hester became the NFL’s all-time leading punt returner after breaking Eric Metcalf’s record with a TD return against the Panthers.  He currently holds the NFL career record with 20 special-teams regular season touchdowns.

Peppers, 44, spent most of his 17-year career with the Panthers, but gathered 37½ sacks in his four seasons with the Bears, earning All-Pro honors in 2010.  He is currently fourth in NFL history with 159½ sacks.

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Book 6 (of 52) – The Mystery Guest

The Mystery Guest – Nina Prose

A few years after her previous encounter with law enforcement, hotel maid Molly Gray once again finds herself in the middle of a mystery when a reclusive mystery writer is murdered at the hotel. Working with the police this time, she uses her peculiar skills to put together clues the police never discovered and helps discover the murderer.

Nita Prose follows up her debut novel, The Maid, with The Mystery Guest, continuing the adventures of her neuro-divergent maid.  I found myself enjoying this entry more than I did the first, so Prose is moving in the right direction.  Since this was just released in November, I assume I have quite some time before I need to decide if I want to go back for a third go-around.

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Should I Even Worry About A 10,000 Step Club?

My world was very different four years ago, as I was finishing up my fifth year using a Fitbit.  I had just added 45 new 10,000 step days, my third best year to date, and, with upcoming trips to Boston and California already on the docket, things were looking good to add a good number more and add some new tales to this list of my Top 25 step days.  Then, the corona virus happened, the world basically shut down for the next year or so, and I stopped needing to leave the house.  I’ve worked from home since March of 2020, which theoretically gives me plenty of free time to go out for walks, but, in practice, leaves me homebound more often than not.  I managed just two 10,000 step days for the just completed ninth year of Fitbit usage, which is my worst total since I started this whole step tracking thing some thirteen odd years ago, leading to a total of 285 since I started keeping track back in 2011.  With that in mind, here’s the list of my Top 25 step days, which has now stayed static for four years.

1: 4/14/2018 – 27,470 steps

My best single day total is from my April 2017 trip to New York to see Angelina.  The day’s excursions included trips to the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, the Museum of the City of New York, Central Park, the Guggenheim Museum, and the Empire State Building.

2: 7/21/2018 – 27,278 steps

My July 2017 trip to Virginia, to hike up Catawba Mountain to McAfee Knob with Jeff and Val, fell just short of the top spot.

3: 6/6/2013 – 24,988 steps

2013’s trip to Disney World, which spent 5 years as my single day best, included excursions to both Epcot Center and the Magic Kingdom, and yes, falling 12 steps short of 25,000 still irks me.

4: 6/3/2019 – 24,665 steps

The first full day of 2019’s summer trip to Washington DC spent most of the day at the Smithsonian Zoo.

5: 8/8/2019 – 23,866 steps

Late in the summer of 2019, I spent two weeks in San Francisco for a work trip.   On my last full day, I went out after work, walking to Pier 39 and then back the other direction to Oracle Park to see the Giants take on the Phillies.  My totals would have been even higher, but I was dead tired and took an Uber back to the hotel after the game.

6: 3/18/2018 – 23,780 steps

My first day in Las Vegas for the 2017 IBM Think conference, the day’s totals include gallivanting around town, including a late night trip up to Caesar’s Palace from the MGM Grand to see Absinthe.

7: 10/24/2018 – 23,362 steps

My October 2018 trip to Boston to see Angelina for our birthday gives us our next entry.  While she was in class, I took tours of Fenway Park and Harvard, before meeting up with her for a late lunch and then heading to the airport for the trip home.

8: 3/22/2016 – 22,493 steps

My one-time second highest day took place during the ill-fated trip to Disney World in March of 2016.  The day’s excursion started at Hollywood Studios before heading over to Epcot Center with Jeff and Val.

9: 7/27/2013 – 20,592 steps

Still my highest total at home in the state of Illinois, the next entry comes thanks to the 2013 BTN 5K and a, for lack of a better word, misunderstanding about where I should be picked up after the race.

10: 12/29/2018 – 20,374 steps

We wrap up the top 10 with 2018’s trip to California and the trip to Disneyland to see Danny perform with the Lincoln-Way Marching Band.

11: 8/5/2017 – 20,218 steps

The next entry came in August of 2017 on the first day of my trip to Boston with Danny and Michael.  After landing in town, we traipsed to the Science Museum, a breakfast joint, our hotel, and, finally, Fenway Park.

12: 7/14/2017 – 20,208 steps

Down to #12 is my 2017 trip to Disney World, a one day journey with Angelina to celebrate her high school graduation. Continue reading →

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Fifty Years Of Music – 1978

Fifty years ago, I made my first appeared on the Earth.  In celebration, we are going to take a look at the year-end Billboard Hot 100 singles chart for each year of my life and see what songs resonated with me at the time and if they continue to do so to this day.

We continue our look back at the music of my lifetime with 1978, the year I turned four.  I still have no knowledge of these songs from their original release, but, because of the heavy influence of movie soundtracks, these include some of my earliest musical memories.  Only 19 of the Hot 100 are familiar to me now, with only eight of them appearing in my collection in one way or another.

#74: Barry Manilow – Copacabana
iTunes stats: 19 plays

The third single from Manilow’s fifth studio album, the song was inspired by a visit to the Copacabana Hotel in Rio.

#72: Patti Smith Group – Because the Night
iTunes stats: 27 plays

Written by Bruce Springsteen and Patti Smith, the song, which first became known to me thanks to the 90s cover by 10,000 Maniacs, peaked at #13 on the charts.

#71: Crystal Gayle – Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue
iTunes stats: N/A

Released in June of 1977, Gayle won the Grammy for Best Female Country Vocal Performance the following year.

#69: John Travolta & Olivia Newton-John – Summer Nights
iTunes stats: 24 plays

A duet from the film Grease, it was released in August 1978 as the fourth single from the movie’s soundtrack and reached #5 on the Hot 100.

#56: Styx – Come Sail Away
iTunes stats: 39 plays

The tune, which peaked at #8 in January of 1978, was used as the walk-in music for former White Sox pitcher Chris Sale.

#54: The Trammps – Disco Inferno
iTunes stats: N/A

Originally released at the tail end of 1976, it reached the top of the Dance Club Songs charts in early 1977 but had limited mainstream success until it was re-released in 1978, after being included on Saturday Night Fever soundtrack.

#39: Kansas – Dust in the Wind
iTunes stats: N/A

The band’s only single to enter the top ten in the US, the song peaked at #6 in late April of 1978.

#36: Foreigner – Hot Blooded
iTunes stats: N/A

Certified Platinum by the RIAA, the song reached #3 on the Hot 100 chart in September of 1978.

#35: Olivia Newton-John – Hopelessly Devoted to You
iTunes stats: N/A

Nominated for the Best Original Song Oscar, the single from the Grease soundtrack reached #3 on the Hot 100, #7 on the Adult Contemporary chart, and #20 on the country chart.

#32: ABBA – Take a Chance on Me
iTunes stats: 15 plays

The track reached #3 on the charts and was certified Gold by RIAA.

#26: Gerry Rafferty – Baker Street
iTunes stats: N/A

Known for its saxophone riff, the song first came to my attention thanks to its song parody from the Howard Stern Show.

#25: Queen – We Will Rock You/We Are the Champions
iTunes stats: 22 plays/135 plays

The A and B sides to the 1977 single, the two songs, usually played together both on the radio and in concert, peaked at #4.

#17: Billy Joel – Just the Way You Are
iTunes stats: N/A

Released in early November of 1977, the track, which earned Joel two Grammy awards, topped out at #3, becoming his first US Top 10 hit.

#13: John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John – You’re the One That I Want
iTunes stats: 16 plays

The second single from the Grease soundtrack, the song reached the top of the charts and remains one of the best-selling singles of all time.

#11: Frankie Valli – Grease
iTunes stats: 18 plays

The theme from the Grease soundtrack, the song is one of four written specifically for the film and did not come from the stage production.

#10: Commodores – Three Times a Lady
iTunes stats: N/A

Often played before one of my high school religion classes, the song, written by Lionel Richie, became the group’s first #1 hit.

#4: Bee Gess – Stayin’ Alive
iTunes stats: N/A

The second single from the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, the track spent four weeks atop the Hot 100 chart in February of 1978.

#3: Debby Boone – You Light Up My Life
iTunes stats: N/A

Recorded over a pre-existing instrumental track, the song became the biggest single of the decade, setting a new record with ten weeks at #1.

#2: Bee Gees – Night Fever
iTunes stats: N/A

Another track from the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, it spent eight weeks atop the charts and thirteen weeks overall in the top 10.

 

 

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FB10: Week 2

A steady, if disappointingly poor, week with six of the seven days coming remarkably close to another day of the week.  A mere sixteen steps come between my totals for Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday, each finishing just over 4000 steps.  Wednesday fell off just a bit needing only 3 additional steps to reach 3500.  A slight increase on Thursday put me just more than 100 steps above Tuesday’s total.  Friday was just 2 steps lower than Wednesday’s total.  Saturday saw the big drop-off, needing 30 more steps just to reach 2000.

Total steps: 25,303

Daily average: 3614.7

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Book 5 (of 52) – Yellowface

Yellowface – R.F. Kuang

A struggling white author sees an opportunity when her friend, a successful Chinese author, dies unexpectedly after a night of drinking, leaving behind an unfinished manuscript.  After reworking and filling in the missing gaps in the manuscript, the white author has a best seller on her hands, but when questions pop up online, she worries that she is found out.  When she publishes a second work, solely of her own imagination save a single paragraph that served as inspiration, she is found out, as her dead friend workshopped the paragraph at a workshop years prior.  After the dust settles, everyone seems to have moved on, but the ghosts of the past never do stay dead, do they?

R.F. Kuang’s Yellowface, the winner of the 2003 Goodreads Choice award for Best Fiction, was an interesting look at the publishing industry and the effects social media can have on writers used to existing in solitude.  I was enjoying it most of the way, but the ending fell flat for me.  Outside of this, I don’t know much about Kuang or her other work, so I don’t know if we will be seeing her back here again sometime.

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Hooping It Up With 18

The Big Ten has announced multiple iterations of their scheduling plans for football to accommodate the additional four schools joining the conference next year, but there was no word of how basketball would adjust.  Until now.  On Tuesday, the conference announced details on how they will handle changes, both for the regular season and the Big Ten Tournament, for both men’s and women’s basketball.

For conference play, both the men’s and women’s schedules will remain where they are today, with 20 and 18 games respectively.  This will allow each school to maintain scheduling flexibility for their non-conference games and is consistent with the approach taken by other large conferences.  Teams that are only scheduled once per season will rotate locations annually, while those scheduled twice per season will be determined with consideration for competitive balance, geography and rivalries.

The Big Ten Tournament will expand to 15 teams from the current 14, leaving the bottom three teams in the conference sitting at home.  The top four seeds will continue to have a double bye, while seeds 5-9 will receive a single bye.  This format maintains the existing five-day schedule of the tournament and gives exposure to all teams that may still be in contention for postseason tournament invitations.