Originally posted on 25th June 2007.
Earlier today, I started thinking about whether a decade could be summed up by one song. I’ve no idea why this strange thought popped into my head, but I thought I’d try to come up with a list anyway. A list that would sum up my life. Make of it what you will.
1970s – Get it On, by T-Rex – When I was a small child, I owned a spectacularly cheesy piece of vinyl entitled Stewpot’s Pop Party. It was designed for parents to chuck on the record player in lieu of actually being organised for their kid’s birthday party. Thankfully my mother was the organised type and so the entirety of this LP was never really needed, but it did perform one useful function by introducing me to the wonders of T-Rex.
1980s – West End Girls, by the Pet Shop Boys – This song was the first one I recall being obsessed with. It was so different to everything I’d been listening to up until then and began a decade-long love of the band who created it. The first gig I went to was a Pet Shop Boys extravaganza in 1991, and they gave this old favourite a new twist which made me fall in love with the song all over again.
1990s – In Your Room, by Depeche Mode – I was introduced to DM by Julie, a friend in my sixth form art class. I gradually amassed a back catalogue and then awaited the new album with bated breath. When it arrived, Songs of Faith and Devotion marked a turning point in my life. A point where my love of pop started to change and morph into a love of rock. This song formed the basis of an installation I created during my art foundation course, helped me through many break-ups, and is one of the the few tracks I love every single remix of (and they did a fair few).
2000s – Hysteria, by Muse – I know the decade isn’t over yet, so it’s probably too soon to call this one, but I reckon this will be the track that always reminds me of the ‘noughties’. Absolution was the album that first woke me up to the awesome power of Muse, and this song was my favourite off it for a long while. Perfect driving music (if you don’t mind dicing with death and speed cameras), and so amazing live that it can make me squeal. And squeal I did when Topper, Chris and Julian launched into it at my 30th birthday party. A moment etched forever in my mind, alongside the band themselves playing it at the new Wembley Stadium.
Image via princess2783_1999‘s Flickr photostream.