MAY MEFI MUSIC CHALLENGE

May 1, 2010 4:57 PM

Cover the song that was #1 on the charts the day you were born. In addition to the usual mefimusicchallenge tag, please tag your submission with numberonehit. Suggested by minifigs.
posted by flapjax at midnite (153 comments total) 7 users marked this as a favorite

We're talkin' Billboard charts?
posted by chococat at 6:43 PM on May 1, 2010


NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!11!!!!!!!

Stuck between "People got to be free" by the rascals and "Hey Jude" by, no you'd never guess, THE BEATLES...on September 21st, 1968 the #1 hit single was...

HARPER VALLEY PTA by Jeannie C. Riley.

Oh, if only my Mom had held me in for JUST...ONE...MORE...DAY!!!!!!!!!!!111

NOOOOOOO!!!1!!!!!!!!
posted by snsranch at 6:48 PM on May 1, 2010 [1 favorite]


We're talkin' Billboard charts?

That'd probably be the way to go, I guess. But, if there's some other legitimate chart, folks can go with that, I s'pose.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 6:59 PM on May 1, 2010


This link may be of interest. Mine is "Lady" by Kenny Rogers - I'll have to check that one out.
posted by ORthey at 7:01 PM on May 1, 2010


Haha! Are you kidding, sns? Harper Valley PTA is a GREAT song! You lucky bastard!

Heck, I even made an FPP on it once.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 7:05 PM on May 1, 2010


Tell you what, though, I feel pretty lucky on this one... May 25, '57? All Shook Up by Elvis.

Yeah.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 7:09 PM on May 1, 2010


snsranch, we're so close. I can do People Got To Be Free if I go for US charts; Mony Mony if I go for UK; or this one from the 1050 CHUM Toronto charts.

ORThey you HAVE to do that song.
posted by chococat at 7:17 PM on May 1, 2010


Mony Mony is a really cool song.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 7:18 PM on May 1, 2010


The Tommy James one. But I can't separate it from the Billy Idol one from my first year of university. Everyone would shout along to it, "Get laid get fucked!" Really stupid.
posted by chococat at 7:20 PM on May 1, 2010 [1 favorite]


And oh ya, I would totally trade you for Harper Valley PTA.
posted by chococat at 7:22 PM on May 1, 2010


the Tommy James one is the only one I know. Wasn't aware of a Billy Idol cover.

Tommy James, IMO, deserves a lot more respect than history has granted him. I mean, damn, between garage-rock masterpieces like Hanky Panky and Mony Mony, then psych-pop gems like Crimson and Clover and Crystal Blue Persuasion he covered some territory. Then throw in an out-of-left-field tune like Sweet Cherry Wine and, well, he was a pretty interesting musician.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 8:19 PM on May 1, 2010


Man, I really don't think I can pull off the Roberta Flack ballad "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face."
posted by umbú at 8:35 PM on May 1, 2010


Are you kidding, umbú? Man, I can totally hear that with some of your Brazilian vibe, for example. Maybe pick up the tempo, and, hell, do it as an instrumental, if you don't wanna sing it.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 8:37 PM on May 1, 2010


ORThey, I was an American Top 40 addict as a kid, and I started listening right around the week you were born. I would listen on my clock radio. I can hear Kasey Kasem introducing 'Lady' in my mind.
posted by umbú at 8:37 PM on May 1, 2010


Thanks for the vote of confidence, flapjax. I poked around and found a Johnny Cash cover that makes the tune seem more within reach.
posted by umbú at 8:46 PM on May 1, 2010


Oh, shit. I almost got Ghostbusters. Instead, I have When Doves Cry, which should be...interesting. I might just have to give it a go.

...and try to convince man vs sun to do Blondie's Rapture. HA!
posted by askmeaboutLOOM at 9:03 PM on May 1, 2010


Heart. Of. Glass.

Fuck yes.

And I guess I should get the challenge loaded in here. Freakin' May, all ninjaing up on me.
posted by cortex at 9:50 PM on May 1, 2010 [1 favorite]


This site says it's "Come Together" by the Beatles, but this site says it's "Wedding Bell Blues" by the 5th Dimension. One of those sites is one day off!

If I go to the U.K. charts, it's "Sugar Sugar" by The Archies, which is a superior song in either case.
posted by Karlos the Jackal at 3:14 AM on May 2, 2010


UK #1 for Dec 21st 1958 - Conway Twitty "It's Only Make Believe". US chart - "To Know Him Is To Love Him" by the Teddy Bears. If my mum had hung on another day it'd have been "The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)" by The Chipmunks and David Seville. I'm not sure whether I'm relieved or disappointed about that...... Anyway, if I get round to it I'm going with Mr Twitty (never heard of him, but with a name like that he sounds like my kind of guy).
posted by MajorDundee at 4:14 AM on May 2, 2010


The Emotions' Best of My Love or Elvis Presley's Way Down. You just can't win, can you.

I tried looking for charts for Latin American countries, but apparently no one keeps/publishes historical data older than a couple of years.
posted by micayetoca at 5:25 AM on May 2, 2010


Nat King Cole "Nature Boy". Meh, but then I fell meh most of the time
posted by francesca too at 6:24 AM on May 2, 2010


Hey! Nature Boy has potential. That recording sucks, but the song is a great song and it wouldn't be hard to find a cool way to do it.
posted by micayetoca at 6:28 AM on May 2, 2010


handy-dandy link (only useful in the US, though)
posted by askmeaboutLOOM at 9:06 AM on May 2, 2010


Sorry to dis on Harper Valley PTA, flapjax, but that one brings up too many weird memories for me...people smoking in cars with the windows rolled up, the every lovely aroma of way too much Aqua Net and seeing my very serious Navy Dad totally working it in a Nehru jacket.

All Shook Up is awesome BTW. I'm pretty excited about the variety of songs coming out here. Damn cool stuff.

So, chococat, one HV PTA for Mony Mony? I'll throw in some banjo strings.
posted by snsranch at 1:43 PM on May 2, 2010


Damn, just missed "Call Me." Maybe I can think of something interesting to do with "Another Brick in the Wall."
posted by uncleozzy at 3:40 PM on May 2, 2010


uncleozzy: that's tragic.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 7:14 PM on May 2, 2010


So, chococat, one HV PTA for Mony Mony? I'll throw in some banjo strings.

Haha! This is gonna be like governments trading their carbon emission credits or whatever!
posted by flapjax at midnite at 7:50 PM on May 2, 2010


Nat King Cole "Nature Boy". Meh

Nature Boy is an awesome song! Really great melody, and if you can get beyond any initial perceived hokeyness of the lyrics and see it in the context that it came from you might like it a bit more. There was a great MeFi post last summer about the origin of the song, very cool story. Written by a total proto-hippie in 1948.
Besides, how can you hate on a song who's message and final, resolving lyric is "the greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return."
posted by chococat at 9:19 PM on May 2, 2010


Let's not discount the awesome prerogative that is rewriting those portions of lyrics one dislikes. If 75% of a song is shit you can't stand and 25% is hooky awesomeness, rewrite/adapt the rest and make that hooky nougat core work for you.
posted by cortex at 10:05 PM on May 2, 2010


I got Vogue by Madonna and World In Motion by New Order if I go with the UK.



holy shit.
posted by Corduroy at 11:07 PM on May 2, 2010


There was a great MeFi post last summer about the origin of the song, very cool story
posted by chococat


I missed that when it was posted. It's fantastic. Thanks for linking to it.


I got Vogue by Madonna and World In Motion by New Order if I go with the UK.
posted by Corduroy


Damn, you are young.
posted by micayetoca at 6:17 AM on May 3, 2010


So I was planning on doing some lo-fi spoken word thing cause, c'mon there has to be some awesome 80s pop tune on the day of my birth. But no. had I been born a day earlier, it would be Tina Turner, a day later, Prince, instead I get this
posted by The Whelk at 8:25 AM on May 3, 2010


Wait, a dude sings that song? I'm not buying it.
posted by uncleozzy at 8:29 AM on May 3, 2010


We Are The World by USA For Africa? Oh, come on, that's just not fair.
posted by ZsigE at 8:30 AM on May 3, 2010 [4 favorites]


Is it acceptable to play the "Alice In Wonderland" card here, and cover what was #1 on your unbirthday?? For some reason the idea of covering Conway Twitty - who sounds like an extra from a Foghorn Leghorn cartoon - is failing to quicken the pulse......
posted by MajorDundee at 10:21 AM on May 3, 2010


Wow, nature boy is an incredible song.
posted by umbú at 11:33 AM on May 3, 2010


My condolences, The Whelk. You're going to have to really turn that one inside out to salvage it. Maybe you could do it in the style of The Residents.
posted by umbú at 11:39 AM on May 3, 2010


Is it acceptable to play the "Alice In Wonderland" card here

For those of you who have kids, perhaps you can choose to play what was No. 1 the day your favorite one was born. (and good luck explaining the other kids why you chose that day)
posted by micayetoca at 11:45 AM on May 3, 2010


Oh yeah. March 15, 1984: Jump.
posted by Jon_Evil at 11:49 AM on May 3, 2010 [1 favorite]


"Missing You" is an awesome song. The Whelk and umbú are crazy.

So far, ZsigE looks to be the clear loser. Condolences.

This site gives charts for Australia, too, if that helps anyone. (Although it looks like ZsigE may still be stuck!)
posted by Karlos the Jackal at 3:07 PM on May 3, 2010


The more I listen to Lady, the more I realize it may well be my destiny to cover it.
posted by ORthey at 7:06 PM on May 3, 2010 [2 favorites]


I'm finding it hard to believe that "Tie a Yellow Ribbon 'Round the Old Oak Tree" was such a worldwide hit. Yeah, no way.
posted by sleepy pete at 7:13 PM on May 3, 2010


"Tie a Yellow Ribbon 'Round the Old Oak Tree" is truly one of the most odious songs ever written.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 8:30 PM on May 3, 2010


I've been put off this contest after trying hard to find something I might be able to work with given my lack of talent. Apparently I have a choice between Crystal Gayle's Dont It Make my Brown Eyes Blue in Canada, Wings' Mull of Kintyre in England, or You Light Up My Life by Debbie Boone in the US. Ewwwwwwwww.
posted by Kirk Grim at 11:44 PM on May 3, 2010


Yeah, that's what we call an "eponysterical" comment around here. Your situation is indeed grim, Mr. Grim. But remember, you can pretty much do ANYTHING with a cover. Turn one of those into an insane comedy number, or a Death/Sludge dirge, or a wall of shrieking noise over (under?) which you whisper the lyrics... I'm sure you can come up with something great!

but hey, we don't call it the Mefi Music Challenge for nothing...
posted by flapjax at midnite at 11:56 PM on May 3, 2010


Ooh you picked mine!
I get Two Tribes or When Doves Cry or if I go for the Irish No.1 I'll have to do Hole in My Shoe as done by Neil from the Young Ones.
posted by minifigs at 9:04 AM on May 4, 2010


Ooh you picked mine!

Indeed! looks like it might be a busy and lively one this month, too, minifigs. Thanks for the idea!
posted by flapjax at midnite at 9:13 AM on May 4, 2010


rewrite/adapt the rest and make that hooky nougat core work for you

"You light up my life" has such amazing weed song potential, If I can actually pull it off I'm gonna be like Weird Cheech Yankovic.
posted by Kirk Grim at 3:54 PM on May 4, 2010 [3 favorites]


I'm thinking about a "Missing You" as a total non-song drunken bar rant thing.

Cause like, I have no musical talent whatsoever.
posted by The Whelk at 3:58 PM on May 4, 2010


(anyone wanna just do a a few bass beats behind me?)
posted by The Whelk at 3:59 PM on May 4, 2010


(I can knock you out a sloppy-ass backing track if you like. Do you even care what key it's in, or is the assertion here that it will not be sung along to so much as shouted tunelessly at?)
posted by cortex at 4:15 PM on May 4, 2010


Hey, The Whelk, yea, I'll do that. (Drunken bar rant sounds right up my alley.)
posted by snsranch at 4:25 PM on May 4, 2010


You have been MeMailed.
posted by The Whelk at 5:01 PM on May 4, 2010


Good luck with this.
posted by cortex at 6:13 PM on May 4, 2010 [1 favorite]


Good luck with this.

Great jumping jeebus, he's gonna need it!

you're gonna have one helluva hangover in the morning, cortex
posted by flapjax at midnite at 6:22 PM on May 4, 2010


Holy shit, Whelk. Hands across MeFi.

I, on the other hand, am stuck with fucking "Brother Louie." Jeeeeeeeesus.
posted by mintcake! at 6:31 PM on May 4, 2010


Oh god I am going to have to get so drunk and angry
posted by The Whelk at 8:10 PM on May 4, 2010


You say that like it's a bad thing, Whelk
posted by Kirk Grim at 10:41 PM on May 4, 2010


Strange. I've just found out that a song that I've recently discovered (movie soundtrack) and been struggling with for two weeks now .... was #1 on the day I was born.
posted by nicolin at 6:28 AM on May 5, 2010


nicolin, it's fate.

I wonder, what's the song? Gonna make a wild guess: The Windmills of Your Mind?
posted by flapjax at midnite at 6:33 AM on May 5, 2010


Oops... no it isn't fate... I've just mistakenly taken one song (The long and winding road / Beatles) for another (He's my brother / The Hollies) because some lyrics of the latter are pretty close to the title of the first. Never mind, I could just learn that other song.
posted by nicolin at 7:55 AM on May 5, 2010


OMG, for me it is "My Sweet Lord" / "Isn't It a Pity". Which sucks, because I'm in a Nur Ein over at SongFight! right now, so there's no way I'll have time to cover it. Unless, of course, I get kicked out of Nur Ein V for sucking.

So if you see a cover of "My Sweet Lord" / "Isn't It a Pity" from me, you know what happened.
posted by davejay at 10:11 AM on May 5, 2010


We Are The World by USA For Africa? Oh, come on, that's just not fair.

It is if you get other MeFites to fill in the parts live over the internet.
posted by davejay at 10:13 AM on May 5, 2010 [1 favorite]


Dibs on Dan Aykroyd's part.
posted by mintcake! at 10:30 AM on May 5, 2010


I'll take Cyndi Lauper's.
posted by umbú at 10:48 AM on May 5, 2010



It is if you get other MeFites to fill in the parts live over the internet.


I've got a bad mic, I can be whoever can;t sing.
posted by The Whelk at 10:54 AM on May 5, 2010


This is a great effing challenge. I can't wait to see what comes out of this.
posted by ORthey at 11:05 AM on May 5, 2010


I'll take Cyndi Lauper's.

"...well well well WELLLLL!!!!"
posted by chococat at 11:27 AM on May 5, 2010


Hmph. "My Sharona."

"Message in a Bottle" has potential. Thanks, UK!
posted by Madamina at 11:29 AM on May 5, 2010


There's a great version of My Sharona (I mean, as great as My Sharona can be made) by my hero Towa Tei. I found no online versions of it, but if you want to check it out let me know.
posted by micayetoca at 12:42 PM on May 5, 2010


Actually, I just heard it now again (I only got that album a couple of days ago) and the version is as bad as the original was, only more modern. I might get rid of that song so if you want it, let me know.
posted by micayetoca at 12:47 PM on May 5, 2010


Since there's just me, home alone with my drums and percussion junk and no recording equipment, I usually don't pay much attention here, but this is a terrific idea for a music challenge. To tell the truth, I had no idea that the Billboard charts even existed when I was born (late May, late 40’s), but thanks to ORthey’s link I see that (even though I predate the Hot 100), the wonderful Ghost Riders in the Sky was #1 all that summer of my birth. Even though plenty of others from Bing Crosby to Johnny Cash to The Ventures to Elvis to Debbie Harry to R.E.M. already have graced us with their versions, I might have to take a stab at this.
posted by LeLiLo at 1:41 PM on May 5, 2010


Hope you'll take a righteous stab at it LeLiLo. It'd be great to hear more from you around these parts.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 4:45 PM on May 5, 2010


Just for fun, I had a look and thought I'd go local Aus/NZ charts, but Stevie Wonder's "I just called to say I love you" as #1 for 2 months straight turned me right off that idea. Wham ftw.
posted by Enki at 7:53 PM on May 5, 2010


Every Rose Has its Thorn....

PLEASE GOD NO.
posted by deacon_blues at 12:28 PM on May 6, 2010


Alright I just woke up from shock and have decided that I was obviously born in Australia - Don't Worry, be Happy. Yessir. I've been looking forward to doing a challenge and as long as I don't have to cover a Poison song I'll be satisfied.
posted by deacon_blues at 12:42 PM on May 6, 2010


Hmm, I think I might have been born in Australia too, since I would get to record (Just Like) Starting Over, which is more appealing than either Imagine or The Tide is High.
posted by TwoWordReview at 4:02 PM on May 6, 2010


Theme from Shaft. Yay, but, blergh.
posted by fleacircus at 1:45 AM on May 7, 2010


YES. My song makes use of a drum machine, which I possess.
posted by hellojed at 4:02 AM on May 9, 2010


But it's Tiffany's "I Think We're alone now"
posted by hellojed at 4:05 AM on May 9, 2010


I've always wondered what that would sound like as a spacey goth-club number.
posted by The Whelk at 6:03 AM on May 9, 2010


But it's Tiffany's "I Think We're alone now"

Which itself was, of course, a cover. That gets me to wondering, how many actual bona fide #1 hits have been covers?
posted by flapjax at midnite at 6:11 AM on May 9, 2010


"In 1983, Tracey Ullman included a version on her debut album, You Broke My Heart in 17 Places. This song was the album's most successful single, charting in the top ten of various national charts. MacColl performed backing vocals on Ullman's version and keeping her original "bay-ay-be-ee" in the middle of the song, which went to #2 in the U.K., #8 in the U.S., and became the theme song for the final three seasons of Ullman's later television series Tracey Takes On."
posted by The Whelk at 7:04 AM on May 9, 2010


I am not going to record a cover of 'Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep'. There are limits.
posted by motty at 6:50 PM on May 9, 2010


Billy Jean

or

Total Eclipse of the Heart.

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.
posted by Cantdosleepy at 5:21 AM on May 10, 2010


My vote is for Total Eclipse of the Heart, with a reenactment of that video.

Billy Jean seems easier than it is. Chris Cornell did a -terrible- version and last week I saw Caetano Veloso here in a guitar-and-voice-only concert. Even he couldn't pull it off.
posted by micayetoca at 6:48 AM on May 10, 2010


Yeah, every part of the Billy Jean is iconic. The beat would be tedious if it wasn't just so, the bass line needs just the right amount of movement, and the vocals are irreplacable. Ian Brown does a terrible cover of it from time to time.
posted by Cantdosleepy at 7:06 AM on May 10, 2010


I've been meaning for a while to do a cover of Billie Jean that would nicely subvert this difficulty, as it would be less about cover Billie Jean sufficiently well per se than about establishing that Billie Jean and Moondance are actually the same song in different costumes.
posted by cortex at 7:24 AM on May 10, 2010


I can hear it. You could do Billie Jean in the style of Moondance, or just switch back and forth between the two songs. There are lots of possibilities there.
posted by umbú at 8:14 AM on May 10, 2010


Or maybe you could do a medley with moondance first, somehow implying that the pregnancy resulted from that magical night.
posted by umbú at 8:15 AM on May 10, 2010


Ha!
posted by cortex at 8:41 AM on May 10, 2010


So, wait... the kid was the MOON'S son? Whoa....
posted by flapjax at midnite at 4:36 PM on May 10, 2010


Gah. "Without You," by Nilsson. Vomit.
posted by Pecinpah at 5:14 PM on May 10, 2010


Oi! Spoke too soon!

I was born in the UK, so UK charts should be fair game, yeah? If that's the case, then I have my choice between Chicory Tip's 'Son of my Father', or T. Rex's 'Telegram Sam,' which are both spacious yards away from the vomitous saccharin of Harry Nilsson. w00t, me!
posted by Pecinpah at 5:31 PM on May 10, 2010


Both son of my father and telegram sam are great songs. Which one are you going with?
posted by umbú at 6:50 PM on May 10, 2010


I was born in the UK, so UK charts should be fair game, yeah?

Absolutely. And even if you weren't born in the UK, if there's a #1 on the UK chart (or American, Australian, Venezuelan, what have you) you're welcome to do it, if you want. We're pretty relaxed about these things around here.

Actually, after having so much fun with mine (from the US Billboard chart) I thought I might look into some other charts, and see if there's some other # 1 that'd be fun to cover.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 11:42 PM on May 10, 2010


I think I'm going to go with 'Son of my Father', both because I've never heard it before and because it sounds like a song that one could apply a thumpy drum track to with good effect.

I think I'll do as Flapjax suggests, however, and check some more international charts. Could be more cover-y goodness going on in much of the world that I'm completely unaware of.
posted by Pecinpah at 10:20 AM on May 11, 2010


If you find interesting stuff post it here, I tried with Latin American countries and couldn't find anything.
posted by micayetoca at 10:40 AM on May 11, 2010


I've heard the theory that it's just nostalgia that makes people think that pop was better in the past - that we tend to filter out the rubbish and just remember the good stuff. But then I just went to see what was number one on my birthday:

Every UK number one from 1964
Not a bad 'un in the lot, and most of them are all-time classics.

(It was Always Something There to Remind Me by Sandie Shaw, by the way)
posted by Grangousier at 4:12 PM on May 11, 2010


Grangousier, your link features charts starting at 1960.

Way to make me feel old, dude.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 5:31 PM on May 11, 2010


July 31 1965 was a good day to be born-- Satisfaction was #1 on the US chart and the Byrds version of Tamborine Man was #1 in the UK.
posted by InfidelZombie at 9:09 AM on May 12, 2010


1) Could this challenge be sidebarred or something? From the length of this thread, people are into the concept, and already the challenge has submissions from people who have never posted a song before! It seems like it's kind of a "gateway" challenge, and some wider publicity would be great.

2) This page needs to be updated! It's still on last month!
posted by Karlos the Jackal at 4:41 AM on May 14, 2010


1) isn't a bad idea at all. Gateway challenge indeed.

2) is HOLY SHIT I WAS LATE IN GETTING TO THAT BUT SWEAR TO GOD I ACTUALLY DID IT ON LIKE THE 4TH OR SOMETHING BUT APPARENTLY THAT IS NOT THE CASE I'LL GO DO IT NOW
posted by cortex at 6:55 AM on May 14, 2010


I've never done any of the challenges before...but I got a ukulele for Christmas and I'm excited to cover "What's Love Got To Do With It"!
posted by Tesseractive at 7:34 AM on May 14, 2010 [1 favorite]


Oh, man.

I know this one already, and it's a great, great song. A version by me would be so preposterous as to defy belief. Maybe I'll do it.

Me and Mrs. Jones, Billy Paul
posted by dirtdirt at 7:51 AM on May 14, 2010


Wow. If I include the UK and Australia I get the trifecta of preposterousness: Ben and My Ding a ling.
posted by dirtdirt at 7:59 AM on May 14, 2010 [2 favorites]


My Ding a Ling in the style of William Shatner
posted by The Whelk at 8:00 AM on May 14, 2010


Maybe I'll actually finish a challenge for once (you have no idea how many one track vocals only challenge attempts are cluttering up my hard drive). My choices, however, are "The Reflex" by Duran Duran (US) or "Two Tribes" by Frankie Goes to Hollywood (UK).

Hrm. Maybe I should check out Australia.

[Goes. Checks.]

"It's Not Just Cricket" by The 12th Man.
Regularly targeting famed Aussie cricket commentators including Richie Benaud, Bill Lawry, and Tony Greig, the 12th Man LPs (beginning with 1984's It's Not Just Cricket) essentially comprise a series of extended satiric narratives purporting to offer a behind-the-scenes look at the Nine Network's broadcasts. Birmingham traditionally plays all the roles, outsourcing a handful of female characters to different actresses.
Eeentawesting.
posted by ocherdraco at 8:12 AM on May 14, 2010


Hey, not_on_display, care to do a duet?

"Na Na Na Na... Na Na Na Na... Hey Hey..."
posted by bondcliff at 8:19 AM on May 14, 2010


It would be nice if the challenges page had a little more hyperlink love. For example, it's really kind of a bastard to get to a post of a specific song you liked from it.

Could at least there be a link to the tag search associated with the particular challenge?
posted by fleacircus at 9:21 AM on May 14, 2010


That's a good idea, fleacircus.

It used to be that a link-to-the-song feature worked with the music player we're using, but I think something in an otherwise needful upgrade ended up borking that functionality for us.
posted by cortex at 9:38 AM on May 14, 2010


Holy crap, for my birthday it was "The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia" by Vicki Lawrence. Gonna have to check other countries, 'cause there's no way I'm doing that song.
posted by cerebus19 at 9:51 AM on May 14, 2010


Hmm. British #1 hit for my birthday was Gilbert O'Sullivan's "Get Down." Not a very good song, but a lot better...
posted by cerebus19 at 9:59 AM on May 14, 2010


Tonight's the Night (Gonna Be Alright) by Rod...Stewart. Good lord, that's brutal. If I do this, I'm just going to change the lyrics to "It's time for doin' it!/And by doin' it, I mean sexual intercourse!" or something like that.
posted by ignignokt at 10:02 AM on May 14, 2010


Mine is the goddamn Pina Colada Song. I have zero musical talent, but I'm tempted to record myself singing it off-key over a rhythmic arrangement of fart noises. Couldn't be much worse than the original.
posted by Metroid Baby at 10:03 AM on May 14, 2010 [1 favorite]


Am I required to do this if mine is Livin' on a Prayer?
posted by The White Hat at 11:25 AM on May 14, 2010


Jesus fuck yes. Just remember that the lyric right before the chorus is "we're all doing shots."
posted by uncleozzy at 11:44 AM on May 14, 2010


I can't sing in english, I don't know if I'd do this, I can't see The Whelk's link in my region

but WTF ???

THE SUN AIN'T GONNA SHINE ANYMORE (UK) or Ballad of the Green Berets (US)

looks like I'm a gonna have to battle this here challenge out
posted by infini at 12:19 PM on May 14, 2010


I was kind of excited about this until I saw the US #1 for my birthday:

"The Streak."

Being born in the 70's is apparently a special kind of torture.
posted by anthom at 12:20 PM on May 14, 2010 [3 favorites]


You're going to make me record Van Halen? Fuck.
posted by spiderskull at 4:45 PM on May 14, 2010


...on the other hand, we have 99 Red Balloons for the UK chart. I might have to go with the more sensible of the two.
posted by spiderskull at 4:48 PM on May 14, 2010


This does sound like a perfect gateway. Thank you Mom for having me when "Another One Bites the Dust" hit #1.
posted by cmgonzalez at 4:58 PM on May 14, 2010


"The most beautiful girl in the world". Jeez. Anyone want to help me with a backing track, too?
posted by LN at 5:49 PM on May 14, 2010


either that, or "merry Christmas everybody" by Slade, if I go by the UK chart?
posted by LN at 5:56 PM on May 14, 2010


99 Luftballoons? Awesome.
posted by umbú at 6:17 PM on May 14, 2010


Oh man, if I had any musical and/or recording ability whatsoever, you people could all just totally suck it:

"Runaround Sue"
posted by FelliniBlank at 6:33 PM on May 14, 2010


I've been thinking about doing a Mefi music challenge for a while, so when I saw this sidebarred, I was VERY excited by the idea.

Then I looked up the #1 song on my date of birth - "Go Away Little Girl" by Donny Fucking Osmond.

Needless to say, I am no longer as excited as I was five minutes ago.
posted by deadmessenger at 9:04 PM on May 14, 2010


why are so many of you whining?
conway twitty? awesome!
brother louie? awesome!!
you light up my life? well if it was good enough for patti smith to cover, what the heck are you whining about???

though, yeah - we are the world is pretty harsh. yet, davejay's idea is BRILLIANT.

that said... i've always found big girls don't cry a disappointment for a birthdate song, so i, too, whine. however, on the australian charts i've got the lonely bull!

could be fun - if you are not doing a solo project - to do a mashup btwn your birthdate song and the other folks yr playin' with.
posted by lapolla at 1:39 AM on May 15, 2010


arrgh, i meant davejay's suggestion.
posted by lapolla at 1:42 AM on May 15, 2010


Africa by Toto! Might have to do this.
posted by ropeladder at 7:48 AM on May 15, 2010


conway twitty? awesome!

No, no, no.....you mean aw-ful, surely? I'm kidding lapolla. The song and performance are fine, and I'm sure Mr Twitty is a thoroughly splendid chap. The song just doesn't float my boat enough to get off my fat arse and have a go at it.
posted by MajorDundee at 9:53 AM on May 15, 2010


Actually....can I cheat a bit here? I've tried my wife's, my kids', but UK number 1 on my sister's birthday was Del Shannon's Runaway. Now.......I can work with that......
posted by MajorDundee at 10:23 AM on May 15, 2010


UK number 1 on my sister's birthday was Del Shannon's Runaway. Now.......I can work with that......

No, Major, if it was your sister's girlfriend's cousin's dentist, that would be acceptable, but just your sister? Sorry.

Seriously, speaking as the Unofficial Administrator In Kinda-Semi-Charge of this thing, I think using other people's birthdays is, well, gonna water this Challenge down too much, y'know? However, your cover of Runaway is something I'd damn well love to hear, man, so, let me say that you should ah-run-run-run-run-run with it, Dundee. But I think tagging it as an official mefimusicchallenge response might be, um... inappropriate. That's my opinion, anyway.

At the end of the day, though, this site is about music: the main thing is sharing and hearing people's stuff, and having fun with it. So, do as you will!
posted by flapjax at midnite at 8:31 PM on May 15, 2010


First I was thinking, "hey, I might actually try this, let's see what the song was—yeah it was 1988, but surely it couldn't have been something so bad that it isn't even worth a snarky ironic cover, right?" Wrong. My God. I feel dirty.
posted by abcde at 12:58 AM on May 16, 2010


Mine is "Another Brick In The Wall Part 2". I'm doing a cover entirely in nanoloop (iPhone version), since I figure that's as far away as you can get from prog-rock.
posted by DecemberBoy at 4:56 AM on May 16, 2010


God, a carnaval song. Well, at least it will be easy to sing even when blindingly drunk.
'Where is my party nose' indeed. Accompanied by accordion. (no, I'm not going to link to it. It's in Dutch anyway)
Where do you guys record the lyrics btw? I do all my singing in the car because I want to be loud and expressive but am aware that my enjoyment doesn't transfer through walls.
Should I record something in my car? And learn some sequencer program to conjure up an accompaniment? What's a cheap microphone that is not awful?
posted by joost de vries at 10:50 AM on May 16, 2010


I may cheat and choose the nr 2; 'Words' by the Bee Gees. Flapjax, harsh as he is, won't notice, I'm sure.
posted by joost de vries at 10:53 AM on May 16, 2010


I've got my eye on you, de Vries.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 4:57 PM on May 16, 2010


I also have billy jean. Hmmm.
posted by French Fry at 12:00 PM on May 17, 2010


Or Come on Eileen. well that's just the bakers biscuits.
posted by French Fry at 12:04 PM on May 17, 2010


Oh man, I get "Like A Prayer"! I've got a viola and a voice and have never recorded anything before that wasn't a noodly jam. But this challenge is extremely tempting ...
posted by Devika at 1:42 PM on May 17, 2010


DOOOO IIIIIIT
posted by cortex at 1:45 PM on May 17, 2010


I'm no musician, but checked mine just for fun, and the Australian chart is definitely the winner for me. Norwegian Wood/Nowhere Man by the Beatles. No contest.

The US chart had a Righteous Brothers song, while the UK was Sinatra's Strangers in the Night. Really, UK? I'm so disappointed in you!
posted by misha at 1:49 PM on May 17, 2010


Hm. For the US (and Australian charts!) I get Olivia Newton-John's 'Physical,' which is a fucking terrible song. On the UK charts, though, we get 'Under Pressure,' which is kinda cool, but I cna't see puling it off on a ukulele.
posted by kaibutsu at 6:43 AM on May 18, 2010 [1 favorite]


Come on Eileen!

French fry. Do it, ta-loo-ray-eh.
French fry. Do it, ta-loo-ray-eh...
(repeat and speed up)
posted by umbú at 8:28 PM on May 18, 2010


I got 'Physical' too, kaibutsu. The whole morning I was working on it I just kept shaking my head and muttering "I can't believe I'm doing this." I've yet to record the vocals, and I have no idea how or if I will. I'd love to hear two MeFi interpretations of the song, though!
posted by naju at 1:54 PM on May 19, 2010


oh for christ's sake. I was born in March, 1966. Here are the #1s for 1964-1968:



1968 (Sittin' on) the Dock of the Bay Otis Redding
1967 Happy Together The Turtles
1966 The Ballad of the Green Berets S/Sgt. Barry Sadler
1965 Stop! In the Name of Love The Supremes
1964 Can't Buy Me Love The Beatles

auuuugh
posted by mwhybark at 8:31 AM on May 20, 2010


hm, overseas charts, that's the ticket
posted by mwhybark at 8:32 AM on May 20, 2010


hm, for the UK: "The Sun Ain't Goinna Shine Anymore," by the Walker Brothers. Has the benefit of personal obscurity.
posted by mwhybark at 8:35 AM on May 20, 2010


I would trade the left one of anything I have two of to be able to sing or play.
posted by vapidave at 10:41 AM on May 22, 2010


Another One Bites the Dust. (Is that some kind of an omen or what?)

If my singing didn't frighten children and small animals I might just do this.
posted by TooFewShoes at 2:34 PM on May 24, 2010


So if I was born in Switzerland, do I have to dig up a Swiss pop chart, or do I just go American?

Oh, fuck. It's Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head for the US.

Or, according to swisscharts.com, it's the far awesomer Venus. The original, mind you.

I don't know that I can sing worth a crap. And I wish I could play guitar, because that would be way better than doing it with synths - because I'd rather get closer to the original.
posted by O9scar at 1:51 AM on May 26, 2010


Madonna's Papa Don't Preach or Boris Gardiner's I Want to Wake With You

I may just have to go with Madonna for my first ever MeFi music and challenge submission. Now to figure out how to record it.
posted by lizarrd at 6:25 PM on June 2, 2010


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