Music Test for Middle Age

FROM ERIC ZORN in the Chicago Tribune comes a musical test for readers who want to know when they got old. It's based on a playlist compiled by Mike Carniello of the top summer songs--from Stateside radio play--of each year dating back to when Barack Obama was three years old. By using this list, you can easily determine when middle age kicked into your life. Simply identifying the first song on the list for which you can't kind of hum the melody. (I know there's a fatal flaw to this methodology because the listing is hopelessly US pop-centric.) Nonetheless, I'm going to make this listing into a mixtape.

Have a go!

• August 1964 "A Hard Day's Night" The Beatles
• August 1965 "I Got You Babe" Sonny & Cher
• August 1966 "Summer in the City" The Lovin' Spoonful
• August 1967 "Light My Fire" The Doors
• August 1968 "People Got to Be Free" The Rascals
• August 1969 "In the Year 2525" Zager and Evans
• August 1970 "(They Long to Be) Close to You" The Carpenters
• August 1971 "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart?" Bee Gees
• August 1972 "Alone Again (Naturally)" Gilbert O' Sullivan
• August 1973 "The Morning After" Maureen McGovern
• August 1974 "(You're) Having My Baby" Paul Anka with Odia Coates
• August 1975 "Jive Talkin'" the Bee Gees
• August 1976 "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" Elton John & Kiki Dee
• August 1977 "I Just Want to Be Your Everything" Andy Gibb
• August 1978 "Miss You" Rolling Stones
• August 1979 "My Sharona" the Knack
• August 1980 "Magic" Olivia Newton-John
• August 1981 "Jessie's Girl" Rick Springfield
• August 1982 "Eye Of The Tiger" Survivor
• August 1983 "Every Breath You Take" the Police
• August 1984 "Ghostbusters" Ray Parker Jr.
• August 1985 "The Power of Love" Huey Lewis & the News
• August 1986 "Papa Don't Preach" Madonna
• August 1987 "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" U2
• August 1988 "Roll With It" Steve Winwood
• August 1989 "Right Here Waiting" Richard Marx
• August 1990 "Vision of Love" Mariah Carey
• August 1991 "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" Bryan Adams
• August 1992 "Baby Got Back" Sir Mix-A-Lot
• August 1993 "(I Can't Help) Falling in Love With You UB40
• August 1994 "Stay (I Missed You)" Lisa Loeb & Nine Stories
• August 1995 "Waterfalls" TLC
• August 1996 "Macarena" Los Del Rio
• August 1997 "I'll Be Missing You" Puff Daddy & Faith Evans
• August 1998 "The Boy Is Mine" Brandy & Monica
• August 1999 "Genie in a Bottle" Christina Aguilera
• August 2000 "It's Gonna Be Me" 'N Sync
• August 2001 "Bootylicious" Destiny's Child
• August 2002 "Hot In Herre" Nelly
• August 2003 "Crazy In Love Beyonce featuring Jay-Z
• August 2004 "Confessions Part II" Usher
• August 2005 "We Belong Together" Mariah Carey
• August 2006 "Promiscuous" Nelly Furtado featuring Timbaland
• August 2007 "Big Girls Don't Cry" Fergie
• August 2008 "Leavin'" Jesse McCartney

I took the test and came up with two nodes of middle age in my life. I'll accept sometime in the late 80s being an accurate musical result.

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I am topgold on Last.fm, the place that shows the evolution of my musical preferences.

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