The Year I Turned 18

A tag from domestic rat.

The year I turned 18 marked many milestones.

I didn't have to sneak into Zouk anymore :: getting royally drunk on brandy and swearing off it forever :: dumped my first boyfriend :: I got my PADI Open water, Advanced and Rescue certification :: turning from Leo to Lion :: received my first supplementary credit card :: Getting my 2B :: Khumbu trek :: getting back the A'Levels' results which thankfully made 1½ years of junior college life worth the while.

While I was fairly up-to-date with the going-ons in the pop scene, I wasn't too much into mainstream bubblegum pop. The 1990s were what I deemed to be an era when pop music reached new lows.

I HATED the bayside boys remix of Macarena by Los Del Rio and the bon-bon shaking Ricky Martin with a passion.

It was difficult trying to sieve out non-romantic, clever or witty lyrics written to a good piece of music. I kept delving into the lyrics to find a more meaningful point. I kept coming up with nothing but angst and powerpuff dreams.

And, this was when I really really liked Depeche Mode and found all sorts of excuses to use their music in school skits, skating and dance routines, whatever.

Needless to say, many of these songs on the site didn't make it to my discman or MD player.

Here are those that made it:

Caught A Lite Sneeze - Tori Amos
Love the maverick, edgy image. And some of the deconstructed dresses. I prefer her stuff from the 1990s as compared to now.

Heartspeak Dollarsign - Everclear
I first listened to them because I just liked the name of the band, and their angsty stories through the years. It's amazing how this band (and especially Art Alexakis) has survived time and hung around till now with an all-new line-up.

Jealousy - Natalie Merchant
She was the lead singer of 10 000 Maniacs. Need I say more?

Name - Goo Goo Dolls
Always liked their stuff. Their music hasn't changed in 10 years.

I Will Remember You - Sarah McLachlan
I needed a song to skate to. As whiny it is, it had the perfect beat for my routine. I could live with skating to a real singer-songwriter. And dammit...her pieces are difficult to play on the piano. She has a fondness for either 5 sharps or 5 flats. Sometimes 6. Simply put, if I'm playing her pieces for the first time, I can't just sight-read and wing it.

Wonderwall - Oasis
I love that preppy boy look. Floppy hair is n-i-c-e. Heh. But I don't quite like them now. Their last Singapore concert sucked boring-iest.

Tonight Tonight - Smashing Pumpkins
I never thought it to be a love song. I love that resolute urgency it represented. On 5 May 2006, Singapore bloggers gave a new meaning to the interpretation of this song.

The Rules

1. Go to www.popculturemadness.com

2. Select the year you turned 18

3. Get all nostalgic over the songs of the year

4. Write about it

5. Pass this tag onto 5 others

And this tag goes out to:

cavalock: What do people in advertising listen to back then??!!!

DK : I see all those lyrics you posted and I'm curious to know the songs that call out to you in your 18th year.

jun: Anything else that you might be waltzing to? :)

kismet: There were no hot Korean songs then. So what were you listening to at that time?

shutterbug: What kind of music played in your head as you shoot those beautiful portraits?