Music Activity

Music Activity

Father: William Castro Year of Birth: 1960Years of Age Ranging from 16-19: 1976-1979

In the year 1976, my father was sixteen years old.
The Top Ten Singles of 1976 1. Disco Lady – Johnnie Taylor 2. Don’t Go Breaking My Heart – Elton John and Kiki Dee 3. Play That Funky Music – Wild Cherry 4. Tonight’s The Night – Rod Stewart 5. Kiss And Say Goodbye – The Manhattans 6. Silly Love Songs – Paul McCartney and Wings 7. A Fifth of Beethoven – Walter Murphy 8. Love Machine (Part One) – The Miracles 9. 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover – Paul Simon 10. December 1963 (Oh What A Night) - The Four SeasonsIn the year 1977, he was seventeen years old.
The Top Ten Singles of 1977
1. You Light Up My Life – Debbie Boone 2. I Just Want To Be Your Everything – Andy Gibb
3. Evergreen – Barbra Streisand 4. Undercover Angel – Alan O’day 5. I Like Dreaming – Kenny Nolan 6. Dancing Queen – Abba 7. Torn Between Two Lovers – Mary MacGregor 8. Higher And Higher – Rita Coolidge
9. Best Of My Love – The Emotions 10. Southern Nights – Glen Campbell
In the year 1978, he became turned eighteen. The Top Ten Singles of 1978
Night Fever – BeeGees
Shadow Dancing – Andy Gibb
Staying Alive – BeeGees
Kiss You All Over – Exile
Three Times A Lady – Commodores
Boogie Oogie Oogie – A Taste of Honey
Baby Come Back – Player
Emotion – Samantha Sang
You’re The One That I Want – John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John
Grease – Frankie Valli
In the year 1979, he was nineteen.
The Top Ten Singles of 1979
My Sharona – The Knack
Le Freak – Chic
Do Ya Think I’m Sexy – Rod Stewart
Bad Girls – Donna Summer
YMCA – Village People
Reunited – Peaches and Herb
Ring My Bell – Anita Ward
I Will Survive – Gloria Gaynor
Too Much Heaven – BeeGees
Hot Stuff – Donna Summer
Response: I enjoyed this assignment very much. It gave me incite to who my father is as a person and not just as who he is to me. When my dad heard the song Disco Lady by Jhonnie Taylor, he said it reminds him of being free and having no worries at the age of sixteen. He remembers that the song came out while he was in the ninth grade and the year Guam was hit by Supertyphoon Pamela. This song triggered memories of receiving his promotion certificate by mail because schools had been shut down due to the typhoon. He enjoys the beat and the soul of the music.

When I played the song You Light Up My Life he instantly told me that a young girl dedicated this song to him in the tenth grade. He says she wanted to be his girlfriend but his obligation to sports and his friends left her out. At that moment in life he cared more about his performance in community sports rather than being with a girl.

My dad was in the eleventh grade when he first heard the song Night Fever. At first he thought John Travolta sang it. Then he remembered that it was the Bee Gees. He says the Bee Gees were really popular at the time.


The song My Sharona sparked an emotion. He remembers being a senior in high school and not knowing what to do with his life. He recalls listening to this song on the way down to take his ASVAB for the army. He and a bunch of friends went down to the recruiting office spontaneously and only he ended up enlisting. He remembers being unsure of himself.

Surprisingly my dad’s favorite song his senior year was Torn Between Two Lovers. He always sang it jokingly because at one point he was dating two girls at one time. Although he laughs about it now, he feels karma is coming back to him through his three daughters.





Mother: Susan M. AtoigueYear of Birth: 1967Years of Age Ranging from 16-19: 1983-1986
In the year 1983, my mother was sixteen years old.
Top Ten Singles of 19831. Billie Jean – Michael Jackson
2. Every Breath You Take – The Police3. Back On The Chain Gang/ My City was Gone - Pretenders4. Looking For The Perfect Beat – Afrika Bambaataa & The Soul Sonic Force5. Little Red Corvette – Prince6. Electric Avenue – Eddie Grant7. Beat It – Michael Jackson8. White Lines (Don’t Do It) – Grandmaster Flash & Mellie Mel9. It’s Like That/ Sucker M.C’s – Run-D.M.C.
10. Burning Down The House – Talking Heads
In the year 1984, my mother was seventeen years old. Top Ten Singles of 1984
1. When Doves Cry - Prince
2. What's Love Got To Do With It - Tina Turner
3. Jump - Van Halen
4. Karma Chameleon - Culture Club
5. Like A Virgin -Madonna
6. Hello - Lionel Richie
7. Owner Of A Lonely Heart -Yes
8. Against All Odds (Take A Look At Me Now) - Phil Collins
9. Footloose - Kenny Loggins
10. Ghostbusters - Ray Parker, Jr.In the year 1985, my mother was eighteen years old. Top Ten Singles of 19851. Careless Whisper - Wham!
2. Say You, Say Me - Lionel Richie
3. Separate Lives - Phil Collins & Marilyn Martin
4. I Want To Know What Love Is - Foreigner
5. Money For Nothing - Dire Straits
6. We Are The World - USA for Africa
7. Broken Wings - Mr. Mister
8. Everybody Wants To Rule The World - Tears for Fears
9. The Power Of Love - Huey Lewis & The News
10. We Built This City - Starship
In the year 1986, my mother was nineteen years old.Top Ten Singles of 1986
1. Faith - George Michael
2. Alone - Heart
3. I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me) - Whitney Houston
4. C'est la Vie - Robbie Nevil
5. Shake You Down - Gregory Abbott
6. La Bamba - Los Lobos
7. Livin' On A Prayer - Bon Jovi
8. Here I Go Again - Whitesnake
9. Heaven Is A Place On Earth - Belinda Carlisle
10. (I've Had) The Time Of My Life - Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes

Response:
When my mom heard the song Billy Jean she instantly stated that the song reminded her of when she stayed in Italy. She recalls strolling with her boyfriend in his car with her best friend in the backseat. She remembers hanging out on the Italian beach San Cibina with her friends from the military school where she graduated from. “Your dad loves Michael Jackson”, she laughs. When she heard the song from Prince, she remembers watching him on television from Italy. “He was wearing a silk white outfit” she adds in.
She tells me about her junior year in high school. She was a cheerleader and after each game, the entire class would go to the beach. Although, she hated leaving Guam, she loved her stay in Italy and ended up really attached to her new friends and surroundings. She loved to wear lace ankle socks and pumps. When she heard the song Careless Whisper, it brought her back to her senior prom, where she was crowned prom queen. She loves to sing this song to when she karaokes. She tells me of her prom night, where once again her class went to the beach after hitting the clubs. They built a bonfire and drank beer and hung out until the sun rose. She says that she still remembers the words to all the songs she loved when she was younger. “I had to write down the words, it is not like today where you can just type the name of the song and print out the lyrics. I recorded the songs on a tape then listened, paused, and wrote down what I heard.”

My moms favorite song her senior year was “I can’t fight this feeling” by George Michael. She loved his voice and most of his songs.