Stretching Your Memory: What is the oldest song you remember when it was new?

[onairb]

At age 4 in 1978, I remember hearing 'Baker Street' by Gerry Rafferty on the radio quite a bit; the first song I associated with a year. I also heard Lou Rawls' 'You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine' and Wings' 'Silly Love Songs' a lot that year, even though they were both from 1976. I also recall 1977's 'Just the Way You Are' by Billy Joel..which, for some reason, I thought was the same song as 'Baker Street'...must have been a weird conflating of the sax solos in each song! I think my memories of hearing that song, as well as Rita Coolidge's 'Higher and Higher', and Captain and Tennile's 'Love Will Keep Us Together' are from airplay in 1978 or later.

As far as Billboard Number Ones...I had a vague memory of the 'Theme From SWAT' in 1976, though it may have just been from the TV show, like 'Welcome Back', John Sebastian's 'Kotter' theme.

I probably heard 'How Deep Is Your Love' as a new song, but, after checking the Fred Bronson Billboard book, it seems the earliest number one I can match with the right year is Blondie's 'The Tide Is High' in late '80/early '81. For some reason, all I remember of the aftermath of John Lennon's murder was that everybody played 'Imagine' a lot. I really don't recall the singles from the 'Double Fantasy' album.
From 1981, I remember most of the number one songs ...but not 'Rapture' or that Stars on 45 thing. I went through a phase later on where I was more interested in older music than current stuff, so after about mid-1986, I didn't get back into new popular music til the early '90s...and I've again lost interest since about 2007.

 

[Dave Andrews]

I think it was probably "Papa's Got A Brand New Bag" or "Reach Out (I'll Be There)", although I really didn't start listening to KHJ a lot until about 1968.

One memory that sticks out is when the teenage girl next door had the radio on and the song "Bread and Butter" by The Newbeats was being played to death, even though it was at least a year old I think. (It floored me when I found out they were an all-male band.)

 

[DaveArnold]

Personality-Lloyd Price

 

[jfrancispastirchak]

One memory that sticks out is when the teenage girl next door had the radio on and the song "Bread and Butter" by The Newbeats was being played to death... (It floored me when I found out they were an all-male band.)

You might be equally "floored" (or "embarassed", to honor the spirit of this thread) to learn that the so-called Wonder Who? were really the Four Seasons. Their copy of Peter, Paul & Mary's Don't Think Twice was a mild hit in roughly the same era as Bread & Butter. The lead vocal's exaggerated falsetto was Frankie Valie's. Valie was reportedly displeased with several studio takes, so, just for comic relief, he purposely lampooned his own trademark suprano style. Scored plenty of airplay.

 

[OldNumber7]

I was lucky enough to be the youngest of four kids and the radio was always on in my house. I distinctly remember the Singing Nun's "Dominique" when it was all over the radio just before I turned 4. And the Beatlemania on the radio that came a few months later is very clear in my memory -- especially the kitchen radio blasting I Wanna Hold Your Hand and Can't Buy Me Love.

 

[oldies76]

And the Beatlemania on the radio that came a few months later is very clear in my memory -- especially the kitchen radio blasting I Wanna Hold Your Hand and Can't Buy Me Love.

Sounds like you were born at just the right time!!

 

[Earthradio Lives]

I was born in August, 1963. My first true memory of music on the radio was in the late spring of 1967. I specifically remember hearing "Light My Fire" by the Doors on my local Sacramento Top 40 stations in the car with my 16 year old brother and my Dad. I heard the song on both KROY (1240) and KXOA (1470). After a few listens, I noticed that KXOA would occasionally play the LP version. Even at that tender age, I knew the difference between the long and short version of "Light My Fire."

It took another eight or nine years before I began regularly listening to the local Progressive Rock stations, but I really developed a great appreciation of a wide variety of music from those wild stations.

 

[radioman148]

The first song I remember when it was new was "Let Me Go Lover" by Joan Weber (1955).

 

[Goat Rodeo Cowboy]

The first song I remember when it was new was "Let Me Go Lover" by Joan Weber (1955).

Thank you for the memory-jog. I hadn't thought of that song for a long, long time.

 

[jfrancispastirchak]

One nice thing about this thread-- we are all too old to claim a Lady Gag-Gag mumber as being "the oldest song (we) remember when it was new..."

 

[Goat Rodeo Cowboy]

One nice thing about this thread-- we are all too old to claim a Lady Gag-Gag mumber as being "the oldest song (we) remember when it was new..."

Some of us are too old to give Lady Ga-Ga a second look! :

 

[billyg]

Does "The Chipmunks sing the Beatles Hits" count? ;D And my parents had a couple of Herb Alpert ("Whipped Cream") and Lawrence Welk ("Winchester Cathedral") LP's that they bought when they bought a big console RCA stereo in 1966.

Besides all the kids albums, the first Top 40 record I remember hearing on the radio and wanting a copy of (and getting one, thanks Mom!) was the Turtles' "Happy Together" in the summer of 1967. I was about to go into kindergarten that fall, pretty sophisticated choice for a 7 year old.

 

[CatCall]

My oldest is "Up, Up and Away" by the 5th Dimension, from 1967. I can remember it playing in the car (may parents had a Bel Air back then) and the lyrics were fun and appealing as a kid.

 

[Tom Wells]

I'm going to stretch the truth a little bit and say I remember hearing "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" by the Tokens
over and over while I in the IN the hospital as an infant. ( 1961)

First song on the radio that really got my attention in a BIG way was Surfin Bird by the Trashmen.

 

[radioman148]

I'm going to stretch the truth a little bit and say I remember hearing "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" by the Tokens
over and over while I in the IN the hospital as an infant. ( 1961)

First song on the radio that really got my attention in a BIG way was Surfin Bird by the Trashmen.

Surfin Bird is now my Grandson's favorite record. I play it for him all the time.

 

[cd637299]

I'm going to stretch the truth a little bit and say I remember hearing "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" by the Tokens
over and over while I in the IN the hospital as an infant. ( 1961)

First song on the radio that really got my attention in a BIG way was Surfin Bird by the Trashmen.

Surfin Bird is now my Grandson's favorite record. I play it for him all the time.

And such an important social message in that song. (I feel that SOME music magazine or SOME music critic SOMEwhere has said that.) :

cd

 

[jfrancispastirchak]

And such an important social message in (Surfin Bird, Trashmen). (I feel that SOME music magazine or SOME music critic SOMEwhere has said that.) :
cd

On Surfin Bird, my Mom had a commentary of her own. After witnessing Sandy Becker's bizzare, goggle-eyed lip-synch of this masterpiece on NYC's WNEW Channel-5, she turned to me with an icey, unconditional admonition never to bring that "trashy" record into our home. 41-years later, the live-DJ played it at my brother's wedding reception at the Knights of Columbus Hall. Mom was there. She just rolled her eyes and grinned.

 

[SolidGold16]

One nice thing about this thread-- we are all too old to claim a Lady Gag-Gag mumber as being "the oldest song (we) remember when it was new..."

Some of us are too old to give Lady Ga-Ga a second look! :

Thank God for that ;D she doesn't deserve a first look IMO. (LMAO "Lady Gag-Gag" ) Where are all the good female singers of today? Does everyone get by on hype alone these days? No substance, only flash. Where is the next Karen Carpenter, Carole King, or Carly Simon? Sad to think any children of today won't have such awesome singers to remember their childhood with...

 

[SolidGold16]

I'm going to stretch the truth a little bit and say I remember hearing "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" by the Tokens
over and over while I in the IN the hospital as an infant. ( 1961)

First song on the radio that really got my attention in a BIG way was Surfin Bird by the Trashmen.

Surfin Bird is now my Grandson's favorite record. I play it for him all the time.

Thanks to Family Guy, this song has a new generation of admirers...although it is annoying when Peter starts singing it [even worse than the original] lol

 

[jfrancispastirchak]

Where are all the good female singers of today? Does everyone get by on hype alone these days? No substance, only flash. Where is the next Karen Carpenter, Carole King, or Carly Simon? Sad to think any children of today won't have such awesome singers to remember their childhood with...

Yes, you're right. A sober wake-up call to an otherwise amusing discussion. Guess we can salvage a few good female vocalists; Carry Underwood for instance. Maybe Kelly Clarkson too. While Clarkson's vision of music isn't exactcly my cup of tea, she is very good at what she does. I also would include Pia Tuscano. But I'm afraid that the "flash" you bemoan has claimed the female gender even worse than male singers.