Tag / Happy Days

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March Sadness

With the corona virus wiping out the NCAA tournament that was supposed to go into full action today, someone posted the above TV show theme song bracket.  Since the world is coming to an end, I figured why not play along and see what the top TV theme song (at least from these selections) is.

Barney Miller (#1) vs. Amen (#16)
This one isn’t even close.  The bassline from the Barney Miller theme is a classic and easily surpasses the faux-gospel tune that introduced Amen.

Cheers (#9) vs. Harper Valley PTA (#8)
I’m surprised that the Cheers theme, known pretty much by everyone, is ranked this low.  I’m not too familiar with the Harper Valley PTA theme (listening to it now, it sounds vaguely familiar), so I’ll go with the classic 8-9 upset and go with Cheers.

Roc (#5) vs. The Jeffersons (#12)
What the what?  I don’t get this matchup at all.  Movin’ On Up, performed by the recently departed Ja’net DuBois, was a rollicking good time that introduced The Jeffersons for 11 seasons.  The Roc theme just doesn’t match up.  It pains me to even call this an upset.

Facts of Life (#4) vs. Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (#13)
You take the good, you take the bad, you take them both and there you have…..  In West Philadelphia, born and raised, on the playground is where I spent most of my days….  This is a tough one.  You really can’t go wrong with either one.  I even have two versions of both of them in my iTunes library.  So, I leave it up to said library and, since Fresh Prince has the most listens, that gets the nod.

Golden Girls (#3) vs. Magnum P.I. (#14)
OK, if I can be honest for a moment, my initial reaction was that I didn’t even know the Magnum theme.  A quick trip to YouTube later and I realize that of course I do and it is pretty iconic.  That said, there was no doubt in my mind that I knew the Golden Girls theme, so that has to get the nod.

Dukes of Hazzard (#6) vs. Knight Rider (#11)
At first blush, this is a slam dunk in favor of Waylon Jennings and the Duke boys.  But there’s something about the Knight Rider theme that just screams 80s.  I guess I have to go with my gut, though, and stick with the country stylings from Hazzard County.

Happy Days (#7) vs. Greatest American Hero (#10)
I don’t know how this one is even a contest.  Happy Days has a pretty good theme song for a long running, hit show.  Greatest American Hero cannot claim to be the show Happy Days was, but Joey Scarbury provided a classic love ballad for its theme song that easily wins this battle.

A Different World (#2) vs. WKRP in Cincinnati (#15)
Both are nearly perfect examples of their time.  I probably enjoy WKRP more, but I’m willing to concede that A Different World is the better song.

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Top 200 Albums – #11 – 20

itunes_imageNearly 4 years ago, we first counted down the Top 200 albums in my iTunes library. Since that time, I’ve successfully managed to migrate my music collection to a new PC with the stats intact. So, I figured it was time to take another look, based on number of plays from late 2007 through January 1, 2018.

The penultimate grouping has the nearly final batch of 10 albums, ranked between #11 and 20, including 3 compilations, 2 comedy albums, 2 studio albums, 2 greatest hits package, and, finally, 1 bootleg live performance.

#20: Patton Oswalt – Feelin’ Kinda Patton
iTunes stats: 169 plays
Previous Ranking: N/A

This total for Patton Oswalt’s standup set would be significantly higher if I were to ever sync my old iPhone 4s again.

#19: Garfunkel and Oates – All Over Your Face
iTunes stats: 170 plays
Previous Ranking: 27

10 tunes from the musical comedy duo contribute to this total.

#18: The Monkees – The Monkees Greatest Hits
iTunes stats: 177 plays
Previous Ranking: 14

19 different tracks from the made-for-TV band make up this total.

#17: Garbage – One Mile High… Live
iTunes stats: 184 plays
Previous Ranking: 63

The audio rip of the band’s live video release makes the list thanks to 21 different tracks.

#16: Various Artists – TV’s Hits Vol. 7: Cable Ready
iTunes stats: 191 plays
Previous Ranking: 12

This collection of TV theme songs, mostly from the early to mid 90s, uses 13 different tunes, from shows like Mad About You, Saved By The Bell, and Blossom.

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Top 200 Albums – #11 – 20

itunes_imageMy latest desktop computer arrived in late 2007, at which point I transitioned all of my music off of my laptop. 2 iPods, 3 iPhones, and an iPad later, that computer is still my main repository of music, with iTunes updating its stats every time I listen to something.

Having already gone through cassette tapes and CDs, and digital music, it’s time to roll everything up with the Top 200 albums whose songs I’ve listened to as of September 2014, according to iTunes. Today we near the end of the list and look at the bottom half of the top 20 albums, breaking the 100 listen mark.

#11: Garbage – Absolute Garbage
iTunes stats: 123 plays
The greatest hits package from Garbage uses 17 songs to make up this total.

#12: Various Artists – TV’s Hits Vol. 7: Cable Ready
iTunes stats: 119 plays
This collection of TV theme songs, mostly from the early to mid 90s, uses 13 different tunes, from shows like Mad About You. Saved By The Bell, and Blossom.

#13: Patton Oswalt – Werewolves And Lollipops
iTunes stats: 114 plays
This total for Patton Oswalt’s standup set would be significantly higher if I were to sync my old phone again.

#14: The Monkees – The Monkees Greatest Hits
iTunes stats: 110 plays
19 different tracks from the made-for-TV band make up this total.

#14: Journey – Journey’s Greatest Hits
iTunes stats: 110 plays
4 different tunes make up this total, although 1 of them contributes 106 of the listens.

#16: Queen – Queen: Greatest Hits I & II
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Top 200 Albums – #172 – 180

itunes_imageMy latest desktop computer arrived in late 2007, at which point I transitioned all of my music off of my laptop. 2 iPods, 3 iPhones, and an iPad later, that computer is still my main repository of music, with iTunes updating its stats every time I listen to something.

Having already gone through cassette tapes and CDs, and digital music, it’s time to roll everything up with the Top 200 albums whose songs I’ve listened to as of September 2014, according to iTunes. Today we keep moving up the list and look at the 9 albums tied for 172nd with 24 listens.

#172: Tori Amos – Under The Pink
iTunes stats: 24 plays
Tori places her second album on this chart with her second solo album, thanks to its 2 hits.

#172: The Muppets – The Muppet Movie
iTunes stats: 24 plays
2 tracks from this soundtrack put in on the list.

#172: Warren G – Regulate…G Funk Era
iTunes stats: 24 plays
Warren G’s debut album places this high thanks to his biggest hit and the 2 follow ups that nobody probably remembers.

#172: Bangles – Bangles: Greatest Hits
iTunes stats: 24 plays
5 of the Bangles biggest hits contribute to this total for their greatest hits album.

#172: Run DMC – Ultimate Run DMC
iTunes stats: 24 plays
This greatest hits collection makes the chart thanks to 3 of Run DMC’s biggest hits.

#172: Mexican Cheerleader – Mexican Mystery Tour
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