Hot 100 #19

This week proved to be most problematic. Normally, I just put a number into the Search Title box on my music player and it gives me a clear list of all songs with that number in the title. When I did that for 19 though, I got thousands of songs - including all the year songs from the 20th Century, from 1901 to 1999, plus any Live recordings that featured a date (Live 1987) or similarly dated remixes (1996 remix). As such, finding songs that featured the number nineteen in the title became an impossible task. I kinda gave up and went by ones I could remember off the top of my head and your suggestions. Luckily, there were some crackers among those.

Bandwise, it proved similarly tricky. The 1975, 1990s and 1910 Fruitgum Company were all disqualified for having their 19 in the wrong place, and the only caveat I allowed for a dated 19 was that I would allow the year 1919. Fortunately, there was a postpunk band from Bradford with just that name...

1919 - Cry Wolf

(Not the a-ha song, in case you were wondering.)

Points also to The Swede for finding a song that referenced that particular year...

John Cale - Paris 1919

That's a belter too.

While The Swede's here... what else does he have for us this week?

Ronnie Hawkins & The Hawks - Nineteen Years Old

Can - Nineteen Century Man

I had money on you suggesting that last one, Swede.

Speaking of songs about being 19 years old, here's another one from Lynchie...

Muddy Waters - She's Nineteen Years Old

Probably not acceptable these days.

And, of course, there's this contrasting pair which featured here a few months back...

Joe Jackson - Nineteen Forever

The Courteeners - Not Nineteen Forever

Thanks to Rigid Digit, Brian and Martin for suggesting those two; the latter was in serious contention for this week's top spot.

Martin also suggested this...

Tom Waits - 2:19

...and something else, which we'll return to a little later.

Before we get onto the really obvious suggestions, here's a few less obvious ones.

Charity Chic offered...

Dave Schramm - Number Nineteen

(Link courtesy of JC, from a recent Schramms ICA over at The Vinyl Villain.)

Jim In Dubai suggested...

A dreadful song and a brilliant song this week, will let you figure out which is which :-)

The Commentators - N-N-Nineteen Not Out

(I think this may have been Rory Bremner if my memory serves me right)

I'm guessing that was your dreadful suggestion. Although it's not quite as bad as Snooker Loopy.

Christmas Island - Nineteen

That's much better.

Finally, here's John Medd, who offers...

Girl -19

Sadly, John, I couldn't find that anywhere on the internet, since putting the words "girl" and "19" into
a search engine led me nowhere. The only info I have is what you gave me...

I used to love this when I was, er, 19. It was their riposte to Alice Cooper's 18. Speaking of which...

Hold your horses, John, we'll get to next week soon enough.

OK, still before we get to the obvious choices, here's the few leftovers I managed to scrape from my hard-drive before the exercise became too futile...

Zolar X - Jet Star 19

Piano Magic - Me At 19

Eagles of Death Metal - I Got A Feeling (Just Nineteen)

(Which is almost as bad as Muddy Waters - although they have far less excuse.)

Smog - Nineteen

Finally then, the obvious ones, starting with Charity Chic, who presumed he was on for a hat-trick this week...

The Rolling Stones - 19th Nervous Breakdown

And then, there was this, which Lynchie thought HAD to be this week's winner...

Steely Dan - Hey, Nineteen

(I also had a version of that by The Atlanta Rhythm Section.)

Both were fine tunes, although the one I considered most obvious was this one, as nodded to by Alyson, Martin and Lynchie...

Paul Hardcastle - Nineteen

To be honest, all three of those were in contention this week... along with the above-mentioned belter by The Courteeners... but it's Martin who takes the prize this week for recalling one of my favourite minor hits from the post-Britpop era, although lyrically it owes a debt to 70s singer songwriters such as Rupert Holmes... and a splash of Scott Walker to boot.



Next week we become adults at last... or do we? Your 18 suggestions are welcomed... and yes, I will allow the 18th Century to get a look in, as I'm hoping there are far fewer songs with dates in from that century than this one... and not many 18th century remixes or live recordings either.