Teenagers and old music

Just for fun, I thought I'd post this. For the last two and a half years, every week I have played a song to my tutor group (each one released before they were born) and asked each of them to give it a mark out of ten, from which I calculate the average score and place the song in its rank order. The pupils were in Year 8 when we started and are now about to start Year 11. The results have interested me as they have become harsher with their marking as they have got older and have been particularly unreceptive to rock music, favouring upbeat pop music. Results are skewed by the fact that they are probably influenced somewhat by the videos. Also, it's not a fair comparison as I sometimes play the best-known song by a singer/group and sometimes play a lesser-known track - I have to throw in popular hits some weeks to keep their interest! Incidentally, the track at number one was the very first song I played.

The idea was to introduce the pupils to genres and artistes they had never heard before and hopefully spark an interest in the music.

MUSIC FRIDAY – Top 100

1 A-Ha Take on Me 8.88

2 Tracy Chapman Fast Car 8.72

3 Queen Don’t Stop me Now 8.67

4 KC and the Sunshine Band Give It Up 8.32

5 Marvin Gaye and Tammy Terrell Ain’t No Mountain High Enough 8.31

6 Sam Cooke A Change is Gonna Come 8.21

7 George Michael Careless Whisper 8.09

8 Earth, Wind and Fire September 8.08

9 Chuck Berry Johnny B Goode 7.91

10 Michael Jackson Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough 7.90

11 Cyndi Lauper Girls Just Wanna Have Fun 7.88

12 ELO Mr Blue Sky 7.80

13 Minnie Riperton Loving You 7.64

14 Nat King Cole When I Fall in Love With You 7.52

15 Tears for Fears Everybody Wants to Rule the World 7.48

16 The B52s Loveshack 7.27

17 Stevie Wonder Superstition 7.17

18 Simple Minds Don’t You Forget about Me 7.16

19 Debussy Clair de Lune 7.11

20 Audrey Hepburn Moon River 7.07

21 Johnny Cash Hurt 7.00

22 Erasure A Little Respect 6.99

23 Gene Kelly Good Morning 6.97
James Brown It's a Man's World 6.97
25 Boney M Sunny 6.96

26 The Beatles Hello Goodbye 6.85
Rainbow Since You’ve Been Gone 6.85
The Shirelles Will you Still Love me Tomorrow? 6.85

29 The Gypsy Kings Bamboleo 6.84

30 James Sit Down 6.83

31 Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons I Love you Baby 6.81

32 Deacon Blue Real Gone Kid 6.78

33 The Monkees Daydream Believer 6.73

34 Jackie Wilson Reet Petite 6.65

35 Eva Cassidy Fields of Gold 6.45

36 Aretha Franklin Say a Little Prayer 6.40

37 Elvis Presley The Girl of my Best Friend 6.35

38 The La’s There She Goes 6.33

39 Louis Armstrong We Have All the Time in the World 6.32

40 Tom Jones Delilah 6.29

41 Pink Floyd Another Brick in the Wall 6.25

42 Buggles Video Killed the Radio Star 6.20

43 Demis Roussos Forever and Ever 6.10

44 Yvonne Ellman If I Can’t have You 6.09

45 Oasis Cast No Shadow 6.06

46 Jimi Hendrix All Along the Watchtower 5.96

47 The Verve Bittersweet Symphony 5.94

48 The Smiths There is a Light that Never Goes Out 5.88

49 The Cure Friday, I’m in Love 5.82

50 Blondie Dreaming 5.77
Dolly Parton Jolene 5.77

52 The Jackson Sisters I Believe 5.72

53 Edith Piaf Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien 5.58
54 Don McLean Vincent 5.46

55 Abba Bang-a-Boomerang 5.42

56 David Bowie Space Oddity 5.37

57 Musical Youth Pass the Dutchie 5.33
Cast Walkaway 5.33

59 The Pogues Irish Rover 5.31
60 R.E.M. Losing my Religion 5.30

61 Bronski Beat Smalltown Boy 5.25
62 Stevie Nicks Landslide (Live version) 5.23
63 Madness Embarrassment 5.21
64 P.M. Dawn Set Adrift on Memory Bliss 5.10
65 Blur Parklife 5.07
66 Smokey Robinson Tears of a Clown 4.96
Bobby Vinton Blue Velvet 4.96
68 The Bay City Rollers Bye Bye Baby 4.91
69 The Cocteau Twins Carolyn’s Fingers 4.91
70 John Lennon Nobody told Me 4.88
71 Dinah Washington Mad about the Boy 4.85
72 The Rolling Stones Gimme Shelter 4.82
73 The Mamas and the Papas California Dreamin’ 4.73
74 Kate Bush A Woman’s Work 4.68
75 Morrissey Every Day is Like Sunday 4.62
76 Nina Simone Mr Bojangles 4.58
77 Herman’s Hermits Something Tells Me 4.55
78 The Osmonds Love me for a Reason 4.55
79 Suzanne Vega The Queen and the Soldier 4.52
80 Bobby Womack Across 110th Street 4.46
81 Underworld Born Slippy 4.41
82 Motorhead Ace of Spades 4.38
83 Bananarama Cruel Summer 4.36
84 The Three Degrees When Will I See you Again 4.32
85 Puccini O Mio Babbino Caro 4.31
86 Kyu Sakamoto Sukiyaki 4.30
87 Cilla Black Anyone who had a Heart 4.20
88 The Jam Going Underground 4.17
89 Madonna Cherish 4.10
90 Tasmin Archer Sleeping Satellite 3.71
91 Henry Mancini Lujon 3.67
92 Vanessa Paradis Joe Le Taxi 3.55
93 Billy Idol Eyes Without a Face 3.12
94 U2 New Year’s Day 3.00
Haircut 100 Fantastic Day 3.00
96 Bjork Big Time Sensuality 2.85
The Sugarcubes Birthday 2.85

98 Lemon Jelly Nice Weather for Ducks 2.84

99 The Sex Pistols Anarchy in the UK 2.62

100 The Doors Light my Fire 2.55