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Thinking back to when you were in middle school through graduating from school, I was wondering, what songs, albums, forms of music, etc were you drawn to? I am not talking college years or post school ... yet.
If you can, or wish to, why? Also, again if you want to, where was this? You can just be general, ie west coast USA, a state, an area of a state, country, the area of the country, etc.
Did you use cassettes, albums and single 45's, radio, satellite radio, again if you want to go that far with your answer.
What was it about this music that appealed, or maybe still appeals, to you?
What were your favorite songs and/ or albums?
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This question was edited to reflect more of the answers that were received since first posted. The answers led the question into a much better direction. If you already answered based on the original question, feel free to add an another reply if you want to add more. Feel free to reply others' replies,
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Elusive Butterfly by Bob Lind
1 2 3 by Len Barry
Easier Said Than Done by the Essex
Incense and Peppermints by the Strawberry Alarm Clock
I Am Woman by Helen Reddy (of course!)
I loved the sound of these songs.
I didn't have to buy the top 4. One of my brothers bought the top three. I played them constantly.
Incense and Peppermints was a gift from my friend for my 13th birthday, with a Linus ceramic figure sporting our school colors and holding a triangle school banner. I still have this, It is to my left in a hutch.
I purchased I am Woman.
I love listening to the 60's on Sirius and I decided to ask about your favorite singles.
There wee all 45's. They were played on a record player. Therefore, they had character when they were played! LOL
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I think I listened to too much music to narrow down to 5 songs. But off the top of my head (I’m sure I’d pick a different 5 on a different day), I’d say
Pat Benatar-Invincible
Moody Blues – Gemini Dream
Stevie Nicks - Seven Wonders
Fleetweed Mac – The Chain
10,000 Maniacs – Headstrong
I listened to everything on a cassette, so I would have listen to the whole album (rather than a single on a 45) – either on a Walkman or a boom box (not a really big one 
).
Characterize people by their actions and you will never be fooled by their words.
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I definitely remember 'Incense & Peppermint' & 'I Am Woman' (and MANY others) but I don't remember buying 45's myself, just my friends did & I remember going to their homes to listen (I rarely stayed at mine). I loved the ballads, like Scarborough Fair, but there were SO MANY catchy tunes, bluesy folk rock and R&B - some were just real earworms stuck in my head. I remember one of my friends had 2 singles (45's) that had crazy-catchy rhythm & lyrics - "The Unicorn" (Irish Rovers) and "They're Coming To Take Me Away, Ha-Haa!" (Napoleon XIV).
All the music I listened to had lyrics.
One of my best friends only bought albums. My 1st two albums were Days of Future Passed (1967 Moody Blues - Nights in White Satin) and in 1968, Switched on Bach (Wendy Carlos). I didn't receive money for chores I did at home - so asking my Folks for money, to buy 45's of all the great 60's music I liked... out of the question. Guess I found other things to spend my money on when I started Babysitting.
Radio was my salvation at home.
It was a big deal in the 60's when transistors replaced tubes. I remember getting a really great sounding (solid-state) radio from my Father (with an alarm clock & snooze) in the 60's. It might've been for a couple of reasons; one, I'm sure I had been asking for a little transistor radio (which needed batteries $$) and 2nd, he didn't want to yell at me to get ready for school. Plus, I started asking for records my friends had - this was cheaper, in the long run. It was at that time (maybe before) he explained the differences between AM & FM to me, which meant I'd only be dialing in & listening to FM stations for their better sound quality. My Dad worked for Ford & they had bought Philco, so I wasn't sure if my radio was a Philco or GE, but I immediately recognized this one made by GE, when I found this photo:
I'm really starting to feel OLD!!!
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My first 45 came from a barn sale. I think I paid 5 cents for it:
Teddy Bear - Elvis Presley
Others (that I can remember):
Nothin' from Nothin' - Billy Preston
Frankenstein - Edgar Winter Group
Cats in the Cradle - Harry Chapin
Bad Bad Leroy Brown - Jim Croce
Most of my school years were spent with a transistor radio in my back pocket.
My allowance went to buying 9V batteries and the occasional 45 or LP. And candy.
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@SharonC -
Meant to tell you that I 💖 the songs you listed, except I don't recall ever hearing "Headstrong" by 10,000 Maniacs! Cool tune, also.
You might be interested in this video, since "The Chain" had such great harmony.
@OregonJim -
I heard Elvis songs (including that one) in his films - quite a while after he recorded them.
The rest of your tunes - they are great ones from the 70's!
Just wanted to mention that if anyone would like to learn to play some of the music you enjoyed in your Jr. High School (Middle School) & High School years, there are some great tutorials & scrolling sheet music videos in the "Rock and pop" genre section.
BLAST FROM THE PAST - '60s For Strings! Thread
Digg'n Into The 70's for Rock'n Strings Thread
Fiddling With 80's Music! Thread
Please feel free to add sheet music & info to these threads.
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Middle school was when I started listening almost exclusively to classical and jazz. I had just moved back to the US from Dubai, and the biggest culture shock I encountered was chronological. Back then Dubai tended to get American movies and music only 5-10 years later, so I missed the first half of the 1990s and hadn't heard of most of the bands other kids at school were listening to. That was one of the reasons I started listening to classical and jazz (both of which I discovered on radio that first year back in the US): they weren't ever going to be out of date.
The only album I bought in middle school or high school that wasn't either classical or jazz was Weezer's "Blue Album," so those are the only songs from the entire decade of the 90s that I listened to at all, and even then it wasn't in my CD player very often. "Say It Aint' So" was probably the song on that album that I listened to most, or at least the one I remember best.
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The reason I still prefer the 60's is because, for the most part, you can actually hear music, hear words lyrics. I do not recall singers sliding around on a note, sounding like they are looking for it when sliding a finger in a violin/viola/cello fingerboard. I cannot stand that. I like to hear the note, not the performing trying to "locate" it.
The lyrics, in most cases, were sexist, but that was the time. I do cringe when I hear the lyrics, 😂. Why did Lesley Gore not grow a backbone. Why did Lou Christie think it was okay for him to have a good time and the girl would wait for him!? The songs sounded nice though and do show how times have changed. The music was great.
Helen Reddy got it! I Am Woman!
Central NY, USA
Please note, the topic question in the first post was edited to reflect answers, Feel free to add more replies and respond to others.
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ELCBK said
@SharonC -Meant to tell you that I 💖 the songs you listed, except I don't recall ever hearing "Headstrong" by 10,000 Maniacs! Cool tune, also.
You might be interested in this video, since "The Chain" had such great harmony.
@ELCBK This is a good video--a great way to demonstrate what is going on with harmonies.
I hear harmonies better than I did before I took up the violin. All the duet playing I've done with my teacher has helped me hear it. Initially, I only played the violin 1 part. But then, I started playing the violin 2 parts after I had learn the violin 1 parts. I would always hear the tune differently once I was playing the violin 2.
Now, I can better hear the "layering" in tunes
Characterize people by their actions and you will never be fooled by their words.
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I think I picked the songs I did in my 1st response above based on the 1st albums I thought of that I played often:
Pat Benatar – Best Shots
Moody Blues - Long Distance Voyager
Fleetwood Mac – Rumours
Stevie Nicks – The Wild Heart (although, Seven Wonders was on a Fleetwood Mac album, Tango in the Night)
10,000 Maniacs – Blind Mans Zoo (album came out after I graduated high school, so I guess I messed this one up--always like Natalie Merchant & 10,000 Maniacs through formal school years, though).
There are many others - Aerosmith, Queen, Journey, R.E.M., Heart. . .
Characterize people by their actions and you will never be fooled by their words.
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@SharonC -
Yes, sooo many!
I have to admit that this forum has helped me realize how important harmony has been in all my listening choices over the years.
...probably the biggest reason why I don't care for a lot of Hip Hop & Rap.
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@AndrewH -
That's very interesting about the 'Weezer'!
I don't recall ever hearing anything by 'Weezer'.
I became increasingly disenchanted with radio station advertising/talk & the 'gangsta rap' music, so quit listening to American & British pop chart music in the 90's - started sampling more 'World' music.
Amazing how YT can still track me no-matter what I do to prevent it - I did one inquiry, now I keep seeing 'Weezer' EVERYWHERE! 😶
You may like this cello version (I do) of the song you mentioned.
Say It Ain't So (Break of Reality)
...actually, I'm sure the song popped up for me because I was looking for strings playing Soundgarden's "Black Hole Sun". Break of Reality does a great cello version.
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