The Top 40 Countdown

 I was messing around with my Ipod, downloading some music and that got me to thinking of the advancements in technology, where music's concerned.  I don't know how it all works but it's really something... you can "drag" a song from one place, like my Ipad, to my MP3 player.  Amazing!

It hasn't always been that easy.  I remember, as a young girl, going to music stores  or the record section at a department store, with my hard-earned allowance in hand, ready to purchase the latest hit.  That "45" or "single" would be played over and over on our record player, to the point of our being sick of it within the week...then we'd move onto another favorite song.

We seldom purchased "albums"... first, because they were pricey and you had to play through some crummy songs before you got to the one you liked.  

It's funny how, when you think back to a memory and that spawns another one.  In this silly memory, I'm waiting with my sister, for the popular radio station, WSAI, to play the Top 40 - a countdown of the most popular music of our day.  It took place on Saturday mornings... We were supposed to be cleaning our  room, but in between the dusting and the straightening, we had another task to tend to.  We'd take turns, writing down the names of the songs, as they were played.   By the time our room was done, we'd have a list of the top records in the listening area.  (The term "losers" wasn't used back then but I'm pretty sure it would have applied in this instance.)  What were we even going to do with that silly list?  

Someone eventually got the idea to print the list, sell advertising space and distribute the countdown sheets through music stores and restaurants...to boost record sales and sell whatever they were advertising.  Shoot!   We missed an opportunity!  Instead of doing chores, we should've been hawking advertising and printing out our own lists! Who knows where we'd be today?  

Really, we were glad someone came up with the concept and we were sure to pick up the "Top 40" sheet at Imfeld's Music Store or at The Country Kitchen when we were uptown.   But cleaning our room sure wasn't as much fun as it used to be!