Learn Popular Music

Starting in March, if you listen to one song a day, you can teach yourself popular music in nine months. This is slightly adapted from what I used to teach back in Reno in 2009/10 (and since I've not posted in a while, was a quick and easy way to make a post). Or you can take a look and see how many you know out of 275.

Or you can disregard this list. It's your life.

MARCH (31)

1902 – The Entertainer, Scott Joplin

1906 – Grand Old Rag, Billy Murray

1908 – Take Me Out to the Ball Game, Edward Meeker

1909 – Swing Low Sweet Chariot, Fisk Jubilee Singers

1910 – Auld Lang Syne, Frank C. Stanley

1910 – Cloud Chief, Vess Ossman

1911 – Alexander’s Ragtime Band, Irving Berlin

1911 – Some of These Days, Sophie Tucker

1912 – Memphis Blues, W.C. Handy

1913 – When Irish Eyes Are Smiling, Chauncey Olcott

1916 – I Ain’t Got Nobody, Marion Harris

1917 – Livery Stable Blues, Original Dixieland Jass Band

1922 – Sallie Gooden, Eck Robertson

1924 – Rhapsody in Blue, George Gershwin

1925 – St. Louis Blues, Bessie Smith

1925 – Can I Sleep in Your Barn Tonight Mister, Charlie Poole

1925 – Black Bottom Stomp, Jelly Roll Morton

1926 – Sail Away Lady, Uncle Bunt Stephens

1926 – Bye Bye Blackbird, Gene Austin

1927 – Stardust, Hoagy Carmichael

1927 – Blue Skies, Ben Selvin

1927 – Jesus Make Up My Dying Bed, Blind Willie Johnson

1928 – Statesboro Blues, Blind Willie McTell

1928 – Keep on the Sunny Side, Carter Family

1928 – The Butcher’s Boy, Buell Kazee

1928 – Frankie, Mississippi John Hurt

1928 – Big Rock Candy Mountain, Harry McClintock

1928 – West End Blues, Louis Armstrong

1929 – Pinetop Boogie-Woogie, Pinetop Perkins

1929 – Ain’t Misbehavin’, Fats Waller

1929 – Saut Crapaud, Columbus Fruge

APRIL (30)

1930 – The House Carpenter, Clarence Ashley

1930 – I Got Rhythm, Sam Lanin

1930 – Puttin’ on the Ritz, Harry Richman

1931 – Mule Skinner Blues, Jimmie Rodgers

1931 – Minnie the Moocher, Cab Calloway

1931 – Mood Indigo, Duke Ellington

1931 – Tiger Rag, Mills Brothers

1933 – It’s Only a Paper Moon, Paul Whiteman

1933 – Tea for Two, Art Tatum

1933 – Heartaches, Ted Weems

1934 – Anything Goes, Cole Porter

1934 – Stompin’ at the Savoy, Chick Webb

1935 – The Stuff is Here, Cleo Brown

1935 – Tumbling Tumbleweeds, Gene Autrey

1936 – Goodnight Irene, Lead Belly

1936 – Wabash Cannonball, Roy Acuff

1936 – Ol’ Man River, Paul Robeson

1936 – I Can’t Get Started, Bunny Berigan

1936 – The Way You Look Tonight, Fred Astaire

1937 – Minor Swing, Django Reinhardt

1937 – Hellhound on My Trail, Robert Johnson

1937 – One O’Clock Jump, Count Basie

1938 – Sing, Sing, Sing, Benny Goodman

1938 – Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen, Guy Lombardo

1939 – Cotton Eye Joe, Elmo Newcomer

1939 – Body and Soul, Coleman Hawkins

1939 – In The Mood, Glenn Miller

1939 – Over the Rainbow, Judy Garland

1939 – If I Didn’t Care, Ink Spots

1939 – We’ll Meet Again, Vera Lynn

MAY (31)

1940 – You Are My Sunshine, Jimmie Davis

1940 – Beat Me Daddy Eight to the Bar, Will Bradley

1940 – Frenesi, Artie Shaw

1941 – Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy, Andrews Sisters

1941 – God Bless the Child, Billie Holiday

1941 – Which Side Are You On, Almanac Singers

1942 – White Christmas, Bing Crosby

1942 – White Cliffs of Dover, Jimmy Dorsey

1943 – Brazil, Xavier Cugat

1943 – Stormy Weather, Lena Horne

1943 – Der Fuehrer’s Face – Spike Jones

1944 – This Land is Your Land, Woody Guthrie

1944 – Straighten Up and Fly Right, Nat King Cole Trio

1945 – Groovin’ High, Dizzy Gillespie

1945 – Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive, Johnny Mercer

1945 – Blue Moon of Kentucky, Bill Monroe

1945 – Sentimental Journey, Les Brown and Doris Day

1946 – Amazing Grace, Dixie Hummingbirds

1947 – Every Day I Have the Blues, Memphis Slim

1948 – How Far I Am From Canaan, Ward Singers feat. Marion Williams

1948 – Move On Up a Little Higher, Mahalia Jackson

1948 – Round About Midnight, Thelonious Monk

1948 – I Can’t Be Satisfied, Muddy Waters

1948 – Boogie Chillen, John Lee Hooker

1948 – Lover, Les Paul

1948 – Guitar Boogie, Arthur Smith

1948 – Buttons and Bows, Dinah Shore

1949 – Just Friends, Charlie Parker

1949 – Mardi Gras in New Orleans, Professor Longhair

1949 – I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry, Hank Williams

1949 – Saturday Night Fish Fry, Louis Jordan

JUNE (30)

1950 – Foggy Mountain Breakdown, Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs

1952 – Don’t Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes, Perry Como

1954 – Sh-Boom, The Crew Cuts

1954 – Mr. Sandman, Chordettes

1954 – Rock Around the Clock, Bill Haley

1954 – That’s All Right, Elvis Presley

1955 – Tutti Frutti, Little Richard

1955 – Bo Diddley, Bo Diddley

1955 – Maybellene, Chuck Berry

1955 – Great Pretender, Platters

1955 – What Is This Thing Called Love, Frank Sinatra

1956 – I Get a Kick Out of You, Ella Fitzgerald

1956 – Blueberry Hill, Fats Domino

1956 – I Walk the Line, Johnny Cash

1956 – Smokestack Lightning, Howlin’ Wolf

1956 – In the Still of the Night, Five Satins

1957 – Great Balls of Fire, Jerry Lee Lewis

1957 – That’ll Be the Day, Buddy Holly

1957 – Wake Up Little Susie, Everly Brothers

1957 – Walkin’ After Midnight, Patsy Cline

1957 – Blue Train, John Coltrane

1958 – Moanin’, Art Blakey

1958 – Lonesome Town, Ricky Nelson

1958 – Tom Dooley, Kingston Trio

1959 – Mack the Knife, Bobby Darin

1959 – Big Iron, Marty Robbins

1959 – Afro Blue, Mongo Santamaria

1959 – Take Five, Dave Brubeck

1959 – Lonely Woman, Ornette Coleman

1959 – What’d I Say, Ray Charles

JULY (31)

1960 – The Twist, Chubby Checker

1961 – Mama Said, Shirelles

1962 – Green Onions, Booker T and the MGs

1962 – Up on the Roof, Drifters

1962 – Autumn to May, Peter Paul and Mary

1963 – The Girl from Ipanema, Stan Getz and Joao Gilberto

1963 – Be My Baby, Ronettes

1963 – Louie Louie, Kingsmen

1964 – Mississippi Goddam, Nina Simone

1964 – My Girl, Temptations

1965 – A Change is Gonna Come, Sam Cooke

1965 – Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag, James Brown

1965 – Going to a Go-Go, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles

1965 – I Ain’t Marching Anymore, Phil Ochs

1965 – Like a Rolling Stone, Bob Dylan

1965 – My Generation, Who

1966 – Good Vibrations, Beach Boys

1966 – Monday, Monday, The Mamas and the Papas

1967 – Hey Joe, Jimi Hendrix Experience

1967 – Black Angel’s Death Song, Velvet Underground

1967 – Respect, Aretha Franklin

1967 – Light My Fire, Doors

1968 – Walk on Gilded Splinters, Dr. John

1968 – Everyday People, Sly and the Family Stone

1968 – Troubadour, Tim Buckley

1968 – Dock of the Bay, Otis Redding

1969 – Whole Lotta Love, Led Zeppelin

1969 – Neon Meate Dream of a Octafish, Captain Beefheart

1969 – Christine’s Tune, Flying Burrito Brothers

1969 – Pharaoh’s Dance, Miles Davis

1969 – Come Together, Beatles

AUGUST (31)

1970 – Carry On, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young

1970 – Friend of the Devil, Grateful Dead

1970 – California, Joni Mitchell

1970 – Fire and Rain, James Taylor

1971 – Changes, David Bowie

1971 – Proud Mary, Ike and Tina Turner

1971 – What’s Going On, Marvin Gaye

1971 – Me and Bobby McGee, Janis Joplin

1971 – Paranoid, Black Sabbath

1971 – Layla, Derek and the Dominos

1971 – Hot ’Lanta, Allman Brothers

1972 – Superstition, Stevie Wonder

1972 – Superfly, Curtis Mayfield

1972 – Tumbling Dice, Rolling Stones

1973 – Penetration, Stooges

1973 – Turn the Page, Bob Seger

1975 – Blue Eyes Cryin’ in the Rain, Willie Nelson

1975 – Birdland, Patti Smith

1975 – Born to Run, Bruce Springsteen

1976 – Hotel California, Eagles

1976 – Corn Fish Dub, Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry

1976 – Blitzkrieg Bop, Ramones

1977 – Anarchy in the UK, Sex Pistols

1977 – I Feel Love, Donna Summer

1977 – Birdland, Weather Report

1977 – Europe Endless, Kraftwerk

1978 – One Nation Under a Groove, Funkadelic

1978 – 1/1, Brian Eno

1979 – Rapper’s Delight, Sugarhill Gang

1979 – Life During Wartime, Talking Heads

1979 – London Calling, Clash

SEPTEMBER (30)

1980 – Redemption Song, Bob Marley

1980 – Comfortably Numb, Pink Floyd

1980 – Back in Black, AC/DC

1981 – Secret Journey, Police

1982 – Beyond Belief, Elvis Costello

1982 – The Message, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five

1982 – Avalon, Roxy Music

1982 – Billie Jean, Michael Jackson

1984 – When Doves Cry, Prince

1984 – Time After Time, Cyndi Lauper

1984 – Radio Ga Ga, Queen

1984 – Rock You Like a Hurricane, Scorpions

1984 – Turn on the News, Husker Du

1984 – Unsatisfied, Replacements

1985 – Everybody Wants to Rule the World, Tears for Fears

1985 – The Sweetest Taboo, Sade

1986 – Livin’ on a Prayer, Bon Jovi

1986 – Battery, Metallica

1986 – Walk This Way, Run DMC ft. Aerosmith

1987 – I Ain’t No Joke, Eric B. and Rakim

1987 – Sweet Child O Mine, Guns n Roses

1987 – I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For, U2

1987 – The One I Love, R.E.M.

1988 – Teenage Riot, Sonic Youth

1988 – Bring the Noise, Public Enemy

1988 – Fuck Tha Police, N.W.A.

1989 – High Plains Drifter, Beastie Boys

1989 – Like a Prayer, Madonna

1989 – Monkey Gone to Heaven, Pixies

1989 – I Wanna Be Adored, Stone Roses

OCTOBER (31)

1991 – Only Shallow, My Bloody Valentine

1991 – Smells Like Teen Spirit, Nirvana

1991 – Verses from the Abstract, A Tribe Called Quest

1991 – Daydreaming, Massive Attack

1992 – I Will Always Love You, Whitney Houston

1992 – Actium, Aphex Twin

1992 – No Rain, Blind Melon

1994 – Mysterons, Portishead

1994 – Piggy, Nine Inch Nails

1994 – Violet, Hole

1994 – Buddy Holly, Weezer

1994 – Last Goodbye, Jeff Buckley

1994 – Waterfalls, TLC

1994 – N.Y. State of Mind, Nas

1995 – Wonderwall, Oasis

1995 – All I Really Want, Alanis Morissette

1995 – Just a Girl, No Doubt

1995 – Gangsta’s Paradise, Coolio

1996 – What I Got, Sublime

1996 – California Love, 2Pac

1996 – Midnight in a Perfect World, DJ Shadow

1997 – Bittersweet Symphony, Verve

1997 – Paranoid Android, Radiohead

1997 – Hunter, Bjork

1998 – Doo Wop, Lauryn Hill

1999 – Sweet Lovin’ Man, Magnetic Fields

1999 – Sandstorm, Darude

1999 – Run On, Moby

1999 – One More Time, Britney Spears

1999 – Fast As You Can, Fiona Apple

1999 – Smooth, Carlos Santana

NOVEMBER (30)

2000 – Stan, Eminem ft. Dido

2000 – Big Exit, PJ Harvey

2000 – Tanto Tempo, Bebel Gilberto

2000 – Killing Floor Blues, R.L. Burnside

2000 – B.O.B., Outkast

2001 – Last Nite, Strokes

2001 – Too Long – Daft Punk

2001 – Me Gustas Tu, Manu Chao

2002 – Has It Come to This?, Streets

2002 – None of Us Are Free, Solomon Burke

2002 – Guess I’m Doing Fine, Beck

2003 – Ringing My Phone (Straight Outta Istanbul), Jason Moran

2003 – Come Away With Me, Norah Jones

2003 – Seven Nation Army, White Stripes

2004 – American Idiot, Green Day

2004 – Jesus Walks, Kanye West

2004 – Confessions Part II, Usher

2005 – Chicago, Sufjan Stevens

2006 – Knights of Cydonia, Muse

2006 – Dani California, Red Hot Chili Peppers

2006 – Crazy, Gnarls Barkley

2006 – Fidelity, Regina Spektor

2006 – John Saw That Number, Neko Case

2006 – Summersong, Decemberists

2007 – No Cars Go, Arcade Fire

2007 – Paper Planes, M.I.A.

2008 – Disturbia, Rihanna

2008 – Single Ladies, Beyonce

2008 – Viva La Vida, Coldplay

2008 – Poker Face, Lady Gaga