Lately, approaching 50 has given me another excuse to create a music list. (Yes, I confess! I'm a list-maker!) This time a song for each year I have lived. For the 60's and 70's this would not necessarily be music I listened to at the time (naturally), but songs and artists I've come to love later in life. If you're bored already, feel free to stop reading now. Because I will now list 50 essential songs from the last 50 years. If you don't bother reading this far too long text, I suggest you skip reading and go straight to the music list on Spotify.
1969
Well, I was born. Man went to the moon. And there was Woodstock. But the song for me from this year had to be David Bowie's "Space oddity". Even though it took me around 20 years to 'discover' it.
1970
I struggle with the 70's. It's definitely not my decade, musically. I'm not a particular fan of glam, progrock or disco. And I was too young to have a close relationship to music. Apart from Abba, which was my first true favourite band.
For 1970 I choose The Doors and "Peace frog". The Doors came into my life in the late 80's. Better late than never!
1971
I can reveal already that The Beatles is not on my list. (And no Rolling Stones. Sorry, mum!) But John Lennon is. I remember buying Imagine on cassette in the early 80's. This was a time when my sparse savings would get me no more than a handful of cassettes per year, so this one was carefully chosen and much played. I didn't know that it was released in 1971, and didn't really care. "Jealous guy" is my chosen song. 1971 also brought me a little sister. Thought that was worth mentioning!
1972
I do love good singers. The quality of the voice is essential. Bryan Ferry and Roxy Music became a favourite after Avalon. But going back to 1972, I choose "Ladytron". Still like it!
1973
Pink Floyd and The Dark side of the moon was very popular among my friends in the late 80's. None of us were old enough to claim to have listened to them in the 70's, but that never matters when it comes to good music. "The great gig in the sky" is still majestic.
1974
Supertramp is one of these bands that never was cool to like. But I do. Still. (After discovering them in the 80's, of course.) "School" is a classic.
1975
And here comes Abba and "S.O.S.". I can't quite remember when I 'discovered' Abba. Probably not in 1975, but I do remember listening to Eurovision in those days, but I think it wasn't until the year after that I really paid attention. But in the late 70's and early 80's, Abba was the band for me, with Super Trouper as my all time favourite.
1976
One of the few disco songs that I actually like is Wild Cherry's "Play that funky music". I was of course over 30 before I discovered it, but here it is as a very good representative for 1976, the year I started school! It was also the year of my first flight. And my first visit to a proper city (Oslo). I especially remember finding it very strange that the summer evenings were dark and warm.
1977
I try not to include the same artist several times, but have to make some exceptions. Bowie's "Heroes" came this year. A massive hit still, and one of my many Bowie favourites.
1978
Ahh - no doubt about this year. "Wuthering heights" by Kate Bush is a masterpiece. It probably helps that I rate Wuthering Heights as the best novel ever written. Kate Bush was also one of the artists that I considered good enough to spend some money on as a young girl, and Never for Ever was part of my (rather small) cassette collection in the early 80's.
1979
My relationship with The Police (the band, that is), was a bit troubled at first, simply because it was my sister's favourite band. And one cannot like the same bands as one's little sister, can one? Anyway, in 1979, I don't think either of us had heard about the band. But now, I rate their four albums quite high. "Bring on the night". And speaking of night - I should really get myself to bed, and not let the midnight sun fool me to stay up any longer. I'll continue into the beloved 1980's tomorrow!
1980
We've now entered into "my" decade, musically. This was when my taste in and passion for music was formed. But not as early as 1980. I was still in my Abba phase, and it would take me another 10 years before I ordered Substance from the local record store because of "Love will tear us apart", released as a single in 1980 and still excruciatingly beautiful in its strange way.
1981
Ultravox is one of my many favourite bands from this decade. My main relationship with them started later, with the album Lament, but from there, I worked my way back to their best song, "Vienna". A masterpiece
1982
From now on, my musical choices are more or less in sync with my life. I remember listening to "More than this" on the radio and decided there and then that my next cassette had to be Avalon by Roxy Music. How wonderful it was, and still is. I think it must have been around this time, that my taste in music started to depart slightly from that of my classmates. I was never into Kiss, soft rock or Michael Jackson. Not then, not now. And even Abba faded out of my life around this time.
1983
As a proper teenager, my bedroom walls were plastered with posters and pictures of (good looking) bands. Abba-pictures were being replaced by Wham, Paul Young, David Bowie, and, from this year on, Duran Duran. And I must say, even today, that there was actually more to Duran Duran than pretty faces. They produced a string of very good pop songs throughout the 80s, most of which I can still listen to today without being embarrassed, like "Union of the snake", for instance.
1984
This is THE year for me, musically. This is when I saw the light! This is when my life changed. A Saturday morning in October, (probably still in bed), I listened to my favourite radio show, Pandora's Jukebox (legendary radio!), where U2's new album, The Unforgettable Fire, was presented. If I remember correctly, three songs were played, "Pride", "Bad" and possibly the title track. I was hooked there and then, and never looked back. I became a true fan (a fanatic, some would say) and even joined their fan club, which took quite some work, considering this was before the internet and swift bank transfers. I stayed with U2 until Zooropa or therabouts, but after that their songs lost their magic. To me at least. Still love Bono's voice, though. Having to pick just one song, I choose "The Unforgettable Fire".
1985
This Is the Sea was long rated (by me) as the best album in the world. Ever! I probably wouldn't say so today, but I still love it. The big music and Scott's distinctive voice reached a top with this album, and I really don't think it sounds dated and old fashioned now. The album is simply full of wonderful songs that make me feel happy and nostalgic and victorious and basically good. "Don't bang the drum" is one of them. When I worked as a teacher in the mid-90's I made my pupils (16 year olds) discuss the differences and similarities between "Old England is dying" and Shelley's poem "England in 1819". Poor things:)
1986
Talk Talk is one of the greatest bands of the 80's. Together with U2, Waterboys, The Cure and The Smiths, they represent the very best of that decade. To me, at least. Also, they never stuck around long enough to make a boring record. I remember buying The Colour of Spring (cassette) at a petrol station in the middle of nowhere. It was very cheap, only 10 NKR, and I'm not quite sure if I bought it because I already liked the band, or because it was so cheap, and the cover looked like it might be good music inside. Probably the last. A brilliant album, from which I've chosen "Life's what you make it".
1987
I must have The Cure on my list, and very conveniently, the 1987-spot was available. Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me is still one of my favourite Cure-albums, along with Disintegration. I was 18 this year. Got my driver's license and was allowed into pubs and discos. By the way, this was also the year I definitely learnt that my taste in music was seldom applauded by DJs. My relentless effort to try to persuade the DJ to play a good song was rarely listened to. And still isn't. Which is a pity, because I love dancing (or rather 'moving to music' as my kids would call it after watching my attempts ... ), but only when the music is acceptable. I hereby apologize to DJs past and present for being such a nuisance! So many songs to choose from, but I finally landed on "How beautiful you are".
1988
My last year at sixth form college and first year at university. Big year! I loved moving to Tromsø, and my plans to stay just a short while before moving south was soon cancelled. My plans to study biology also mysteriously evaporated, and I ended up doing English literature instead. Still don't know what happened, but I enjoyed every minute of being a student. (Almost.) I had a few musically inclined friends at sixth form, and one of them was a Smiths fan. I remember endless bantering between him and me and another friend about which band was the best: Smiths, U2 or REM. (The answer is obvious, of course!) I did grow to like both Smiths and REM. Especially Smiths. And I was a true fan of Morrissey when he went solo. The first few albums, that is. Before he lost it completely! But Viva Hate is a great album and "Everyday is like Sunday" a perfect popsong!
1989
The first proper thing I bought with my student loan was a stereo. My first record player and living in a town with a very good record store meant more records in my then very meager collection. And no more cassettes were needed. (Only to make mix-tapes!) My taste in music has always centred around Pop in its many shapes and fashions, but usually not hit list stuff. I had a short goth-pop period, where The Mission, Sisters of Mercy, Killing Joke etc. were frequently heard in my student bedsit. In this company, All About Eve was a natural ingredient. Not exactly very goth, but more romantic, bohemian folk pop. And very much to my liking. Listening to Scarlet and Other Stories today, I still recollect that feeling of longing, happy sadness and nostalgia of being 20 and on top of the world. (As you feel when you're 20!) "The Pearl Fishermen" is the last track of the album.
1990
New decade, and slowly my musical taste moved slightly away from straight pop/rock towards more electronic music. The 90's wasn't really a good decade for music from me. Somewhat like the 70's, I never really got the zeitgeist, music wise. Grunge, for instance, didn't really appeal to my pop heart. Norway's best band in 1990 was undoubtedly Bel Canto - from Tromsø. Birds of Passage was their second album, and my favourite of their 7 released so far. Known for their Arctic electronica sound and, not least, Anneli Drecker's fantastic voice, clearly inspired by a band like Cocteau Twins. (And yes, the album was first released in 1989, but on my record it says 1990, so that's what I'll use!) Everyone should listen to this album regularly. It's still brilliant and feels strangely old without being outdated. "The Suffering" is one of the most beautiful songs they've ever made.
1991
And now to something slightly different! Primal Scream's Screamadelica hit me like a hammer. It was instant love! And a bit of a shock. I'd bought their eponymous second album on sale the year before, without knowing anything about the band. The cover looked like something The Jesus and Mary Chain could have made, so I bought it without listening to it first. Turns out the sound wasn't what I'd thought it would be. But I liked it very much. So when Screamadelica was released, I expected more of the same. But again - I was very wrong! In a good way. It probably ranks among my top 10 albums ever. "Loaded" is my pick from this gem.
1992
This year saw the release of Lush' second album, Spooky. I didn't really listen to this album a lot until the year after, when I spent spring term at the University of York, studying English romanticism. My bedsit was in the Bishopthorpe Road area, and I used to walk to the University some of the days. And always while listening to music on my walkman. (Yes, cassettes were still useful!) Since I'd stopped buying music on cassettes years ago, I had to tape my favourite records and CDs, so that I could play them on my walkman. Thus, Spooky became one of the albums that very often accompanied me to my studies. Problem was, Spooky was on one side of the tape, on the other was Diesel Park West's Decency. Which I unfortunately tired of after a while. Such was life pre-internet and Spotify! "Untogether" is very much indie-pop of my taste. Typical Mariann-music, as my friends used to say.
1993
I had to get Cocteau Twins onto my list, and 1993 saw the release of their lovely Four-Calendar Cafe. I played it a lot that autumn, and still enjoy it immensely. It's one of the CDs I frequently play in my car, and - when I'm alone - very loud! I'm usually not very avant garde when it comes to music, and often 'discover' bands years after other people. This was the case with Cocetau Twins, which didn't rise to fame in my musical world until Heaven or Las Vegas in 1990. "Summerhead" seems a suitable songtitle for today.
1994
This year I moved to Bergen, and thinking back, the soundtrack to my two wonderful years there is dominated by Portishead and Tricky. My trip hop-years, in other words. Dummy was played constantly at Cafe Opera, where we used to hang out, and lately I've listen a lot to this album. Still very good. "Sour times" is a classic!
1995
In 1995/96 I worked as a teacher, and sometimes I let the kids play music in class. Mostly of their own choice, but sometimes I "forced" them to listen to my music, like Tricky. They weren't too impressed. (These are the same kids as mentioned in the 1985 passage, by the way.) I've never grown out of my music missionary mentality, constantly trying to get my surroundings to open their ears to all the good music around that's not necessarily featured on the Top 40 lists, but usually without success. It seems you're born with a certain taste in music ... :) Might it be genetically decided?
"Brand new you're retro" is energetic and cool and a super soundtrack for doing house work!
1996
Ash is a fairly straight pop band from Northern Ireland, which has released a string of catchy tunes over the years. I love the both naive and intelligently composed pop songs from their early albums, and especially their second one, 1977, where you'll find "Goldfinger". They've even been to Tromsø a couple of times and done very good concerts, which they do deserve a medal for. (Not many good bands come up here!) This was also the year I got a job at the University Library in Tromsø. Where I still work ... Must like it here:)
1997
My son was born this year, and from now and quite a few years on, work and kids took away my listen-to-music-time. But I still managed to hang on to what was happening on the music scene in-between everything else. Radiohead released their third album, OK Computer, this year, and hits like "Karma Police" got a lot of air play. (Have I mentioned that I love listening to the radio? Used to work at the local Student Radio when I was young, and have been a fan of good radio ever since. NRK P1 and NRK P13, and of course, BBC Radio 6 are my favourite stations.) I've chosen the song "No Surprises".
1998
A very strange year, musically. I lived in France for most of the year, and French music at that time was really ... well, not exactly my cup of tea. It was so bad, that for a while, Ricky Martin was the highlight of what was played on French radio! However, Massive Attack's Mezzanine was hard to avoid, with "Teardrop" being played everywhere. Seem to remember it was even the original theme song to the TV-series House. Their album Heligoland from 2010 is also a huge favourite of mine. Love "Risingson" with its distinctive bass sound.
1999
I round off the 90s with one of pop music's very best voices, David Sylvian, who released his fifth solo album this year, Dead Bees on a Cake. This is an album for dark and lonely nights where you let Sylvian transport you to a world of soft velvety bliss. Not one for the millennium party, in other words:) "Wanderlust" is very representative of the album.
2000
Goldfrapp is one of my favourite bands from this millennium and "Utopia" one of the best pop songs ever made! It has quite weird lyrics, like "My dog needs new ears. Make his eyes see forever", apparently it is about genetic engineering, according to Wikipedia. Felt Mountain is bizarre at times, but mostly elegant, seductive and beautiful.
2001
Living in Tromsø, I cannot not have Röyksopp on my list. I think they are exceptionally brilliant electronica artists, and their live shows are truly great. "Eple" is of course of international fame and a stroke of genius! Not usually fond of instrumentals, but this is one of the exceptions.
2002
I'm not usually a fan of chart music, but sometimes the charts and I agree. This is the case with Coldplay. Hated by many so called music aficionados, but that doesn't take away the fact that they make good pop music. At least they did at this time in their career. A Rush of Blood to the Head is packed with good songs, like all their first 4 albums. "Clocks" was a huge hit and probably one of their most loved songs. Also, my daughter was born this year.
2003
This year, my two favourites were Ephemera and Karin Park, both based in Bergen. Karin Park 'won' with her brilliant debut album Superworldunknown, where the title track is well worth listening to. Park rose to Eurovision fame 10 years later after writing Norway's song "I feed you my love" performed by Margaret Berger, which was actually quite good.
2004
Back to the charts. I liked Keane from the first song I heard. Tom Chaplin has a beautiful voice and their songs are well made. Unfortunately they only lasted for two albums in my view. After Hopes and Fears and Under the Iron Sea (2006), I more or less lost interest. Sadly. "Your Eyes Open" is one of many good songs from their debut.
2005
Editors ended up with the same fate as Keane. Two and half very decent albums, and then they sort of fell from my playlists. But for the last half of that decade I rated them as among my favourite bands. The Back Room was introduced to me via BBC's 6Music, where "Munich" was played a lot. Every time it was aired, I thought to myself, 'I really like this song. Who is it?' This was at a time when I still bought CDs, so I went out and bought it and loved it!
2006
Most of the bands on my list are well-known and/or critically acclaimed, and most of them main stream indie/alternative music. Australian Howling Bells is a band that never made it in Norway, I think. I've never met anyone who likes them, at least. Introduced to me through 6Music. Actually, I much prefer their second album, Radio Wars (2009), but that year was already taken by Röyksopp! And strangely, I couldn't find any other favourites from 2006. Probably not a good year for Mariann-music! Still, "Setting sun" is a good song.
2007
I never really got into The Libertines, and to me, Pete Doherty was more famous for his drug abuse than his music. But then I started listening to Babyshambles' Shotters Nation, and was almost surprised by how much I liked it. That such an (apparently) dysfunctional man can create such good music shouldn't really come as a surprise. The world of music and art is full of similar examples. "Delivery" is simply perfect. And a change from much of the trip hop/indietronica that I usually listened to. I possibly still have a couple of rock 'n' roll bones left in my body:)
2008
As I've mentioned, I've tried not to include the same artist more than once, but I've had to make a few exceptions. The best album of 2008 was Goldfrapp's Seventh Tree, so here they are again. More laid back and less weird than Felt Mountain, and a big jump from the two previous albums. "Cologne Cerrone Houdini" is breathtakingly beautiful. Haven't listened to it for a while, but remember playing it a lot the first years after it was released. Brings back good memories.
2009
And while speaking of bands that appear twice on my list: Next stop is Röyksopp again, with their best album so far, Junior. Full of brilliant songs, with Robyn, Karin Dreijer and Anneli Drecker on vocals. Of these, I much prefer Drecker. The lovely, sauntering (can this word be used about music?) "Vision one" is my favourite, and has, of course, Drecker on vocals.
2010
There are some songs that simply stick to your brain because it is a perfect match with something inside you. Crystal Castle's "Celestica" is one such song. It was love at first 'hear'. I usually describe Crystal Castles as noise electronica, but "Celestica" lacks the noise element. More pop, I'd say. But then, I call everything pop:) One of a handful songs I frequently had on repeat while walking to work.We have now, of course, moved away from music in physical form, like records and CDs. Spotify (and radio) is my main source of music at this point, and has been so for some years. I still keep my records and CDs (and stereo, the one I bought in 1989) in my living room, but don't buy any new stuff. It's the same with books, where almost everything I read is e-books. Culturally, my home looks like I stopped caring some time around 2005:)
2011
Cat's Eyes is another of the bands on my list which isn't particularly well known. At least not in my circles. Their eponymous debut album covers various genres, from 60's pop, to Nick Cavish rock to dream pop-ish melodies with an orchestral sound. All the songs sound like they could have been on the soundtrack to a Tarantino film. One of the two members, Rachel Zeffira, released a solo album in 2012 which is also brilliant.) I recommend the song "Cat's Eyes".
2012
Even though my musical taste at this point is leaning very much towards electronica or inditronica, every now and then a good, old-fashioned singer-songwriter comes along and wins the throne for a while. Richard Hawley is one of many English singers with a divine voice. He had been critically acclaimed years before I discovered him of course, but Standing at the Sky's Edge must clearly be one of his best. When I summed up the musical year 2012, I wrote the following (on this blog): "Love his baritone voice and the bluesy darkness in his songs." I think that sums it up, more or less. "Leave your body behind you" is one of many fabulous songs on this album.
2013
Late in 2013 I stumbled across Danish artist, Agnes Obel. Like Rachel Zeffira, who topped my list in 2012, Obel is classically trained, which makes her music a mixture of folk, pop and classical. But in a good way. Her concerts are amazing. I went to see her once with a colleague who had never heard about her before, warning my colleague that this would possible be a quiet affair. It was the opposite, quite rock 'n' roll, just with several cellos! "Dorian" from Aventine is heavenly beautiful.
2014
When I look at my 2014-list, it's made up of old classics like Bryan Ferry and Simple Minds, but more often, bands that were new to me that year. Some of them, I haven't heard from since. Like Snowbird. Perhaps it was only a project, formed by ex-Cocteau Twin, Simon Raymonde. And Moon sounds very much like Cocteau Twins, but without Elizabeth Frazer's otherworldly voice, though the singer on this album is almost as good. Atmospheric dream pop. A lot of animal imagery in the song titles - owls, foxes, birds, mice and bears, like in "Bears on my trail".
2015
I don't promote Norwegian artists because they are Norwegian, but because they are good and world class artists. Susanne Sundfør is one of these, who writes non-mainstream songs, sometimes heavily electronical, sometimes more folky. Her live shows are also highly recommended. "Delirious" from Ten Love Songs is driven by Sundfør's distinctive voice and a hard electronic sound which simply works out great.
2016
Denmark is not exactly famous for its good pop music, but they have produced the best album so far this millennium. Trenemøller's Fixion knocked me off my feet with its electronica inspired by The Cure, Joy Divison, Siouxsie & the Banshees etc. Dark and mesmerising. "Complicated" sounds familiar and brand new at the same time and I haven't tired of it yet. It has this sad, nostalgic feeling to it that I enjoy so much, and which is, perhaps, a common trait in many indie pop songs. I haven't heard any albums better than Fixion since.
2017
The XX has been on my playlist before, but I never really took to them until I See You, with its string of perfect indietronica songs. I really struggled to pick out one song, but ended up with the one that first caught my attention, "Dangerous".
2018
This was not a good year for Mariann-music. I didn't really fall in love with any album, just liked a handful of them, without getting ecstatic. But one song by Belgian band, Hooverphonic, did make its way to my frequently played songs. Hooverphonic is a band with lots of brilliant songs, and lots of boring songs. I can't decide whether they are good or not, and they have never featured on my top 10 or top 20 lists. But inbetween the boring stuff, they produce gold and diamonds, like "Romantic". A pure pop song, and if this had been 1990, I would have played it constantly on my radio shows. I do not understand why it never became a hit in Norway. Its perfect for radio. In my humble opinion.
2019
What to say about 2019? It is clearly not finished yet, so everything might happen. So far, I've listened quite a lot to Eliot Power's "Inferno". And Josefin Öhrn's Sacred Dreams. And IRAH. And Aldous Harding. But most of all, I've listened to ISÁK. Which is the band I'll choose for 2019. I'm prettty sure they will make my top 10 this year, with their mix of electronica, pop, and Sami folk. Their very short debut album Ealán was released earlier this year and is packed with great songs, like "Mun Lean Dás". Another thing is of course that this is song 51. And I haven't really started my 51st year yet. But soon ... :)
That's it folks! I had an intention of writing very little for each year. I see that this became too much. Nobody reads blog post this long. But if you've come this far, I supposed you did. Now I suggest you listen to the music also. I've made a list on Spotify. And enjoy. As I will. There will always be great music. Always.
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