What is the first song you remember having listened to in your life?

When and where did you come across it and how old were you?

I remember vividly Juliane Werding's Am Tag als Conny Kramer starb which was the German version of The Band's The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down. I heard it on the school yard of my primary school in Moers (near Duisburg) in 1972 when I was in third or fourth grade (8 or 9 years old) and was touched by the sad lyrics and her austere voice. The song is about a guy named Conny Kramer who dies of a drug overdose. At the time I did not understand the cause of his death. Apparently the 16 year old Juliane Werding sang about the first drug victim in Essen who was a friend of hers.

Actually there was a similar thread in the past: What was your first favourite song? but it is not exactly the same question and I'd like more details about the timing.

50 Ways to Leave Your Lover, even though I must've been six or so.

"She Loves You", The Beatles. Late 1965, so I'd have been three years old. My parents had the 7-inch, and my dad taught me how to shake my head like a mop-top.

Closely followed by The Fortunes "You've Got Your Troubles" - and then in early 1966, i.e. around my 4th birthday, Herb Alpert "Spanish Flea", The Overlanders "Michelle", Nancy Sinatra "These Boots Are Made For Walking", Horst Jankowski "A Walk In The Black Forest", and something or other by the Swingle Singers.

March 1966, just after my 4th birthday: Dave Dee Dozy Beaky Mick & Titch "Hold Tight", Simon & Garfunkel "Homeward Bound", Manfred Mann "Pretty Flamingo", The Who "Substitute".

Do You Know The Way To San Jose, dunno how old I was but I was in the back seat of mum and dad's car on the way to Tesco.

I remember being three and listening to "Last Dance" with my aunt, who's only a few months older than me, on her mother's record player.

"Born To Be Wild" as recorded on this album:

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/219/504263765_608747fbdd.jpg

Listened to it around 1983 or 4. I was around 3.

I was 5 or 6 (so, 93/94) and my parents had gone out for the day putting my brother in charge. So naturally our living room was turned into a wrestling ring, we ate a load of shit and went through my parents records. I remember staring so hard at the Magical Mystery Tour EP, and vividly remember then listening to Strawberry Fields while my brother's friend had me in a headlock. Good times.

Wow, this is tough. Maybe Elvis Costello - Oliver's Army? Mozart's Sanctus in C Minor? King Crimson - 21st Century Schizoid Man? Pink Floyd - Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun (Ummagumma live)? All very, very early, even before The Cure and XTC entered my life. Schizoid Man probably shaped my ears or something.

Actually, Gary Puckett And The Union Gap - Young Girl has I think ALWAYS been in my head. That one.

three? you have amazingly good memories. somehow i also remember the archies sugar, sugar very well but i am not sure if i heard that song when it came out. that would have been 1969 when i was 6.

Gut reaction to this question is Sweet Child O' Mine, though that can't be right.

"The Thrill Is Gone" by BB King

I'm 4 and I walk into the living room and my dad is sitting on the couch with a beer listening to a CD and I say "Daddy what's this called" and he says "the blues" and basically it's over for me from that point forward.

i have no idea what the first one was, but i do remember my first song that i clearly knew was a "pop" record, something that was current and you could buy in a store, was Crocodile Rock. i was about 6 and my older sister bought it.

The first song I have conscious memories of actually liking was "In the Mood" by Glenn Miller. I would ask my grandmother to put the record on so I could hear it over and over.

The first modern pop song I actually remember liking was "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" by Pat Benetar. It was used in the television ad for a local radio station around the time of its 1980 (?) release, and they played it a lot during the afternoon cartoons hour.

Balloons by Brian Cant.

('Round balloons and sausage balloons and balloons in a wiggly line' <comedy trumpet>)

Certainly wasn't older than five, possibly as young as three.

Definitely Raffi. My parents have a picture of me sitting in our living room when I was 4 or 5, wearing a set of cans far too big for me, listening to 'Singable Songs for the Very Young'.

20-odd years later, not much has changed!

I couldn't answer this with any certainty at all. Contenders include "Puff the Magic Dragon" - childhood death-terror central, for me - "Yesterday", or Simon and Garfunkel, but I don't know, music's always been there. Remember Freddie Mercury in hotpants on Top of the Pops early on, but can't think what song. Also The Sweet doing "Love is Like Oxygen" is a strong early memory. Oh and Buddy Holly's "Every Day".

Actually, after finding it came out in 92, I think this might be the first thing I ever remember hearing, and I only remember because the video freaked me the fuck out:

Balloons by Brian Cant.

Yeah, I think this is the first song I remember as well, age two or three. Also from the same time, some Derek Griffiths thing where he waves his arms about.

Wow, this is tough. Maybe Elvis Costello - Oliver's Army? Mozart's Sanctus in C Minor? King Crimson - 21st Century Schizoid Man? Pink Floyd - Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun (Ummagumma live)? All very, very early, even before The Cure and XTC entered my life. Schizoid Man probably shaped my ears or something.

Actually, Gary Puckett And The Union Gap - Young Girl has I think ALWAYS been in my head. That one.

― Stop relegating Hull you miserable gits! (country matters), Sunday, March 29, 2009 12:27 PM (2 hours ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

Louis, that explains so much. ;^)

as for me, who can remember at my age? probably some popular Greek tune on the radio circa '70/'71. maybe by Dalaras? "Natane to 21" possibly?

I remember liking "Puff the Magic Dragon" a lot. The first one that I clearly remember listening to as a record was Elton John "Daniel" from the first greatest hits record, the cover of which seemed very strange and interesting. This was 1975 probably so I was 6.

The first song I clearly remember (besides some children's songs sung in kindergarten) is "Coconut Woman" by Harry Belafonte. My dad had Belafonte's greatest hits on cassette, and I really liked all the tunes on it when I was 5 or something. Unlike with some other childhood favourites, I still love that particular song and Harry Belafonte in general 25 years later.

Actually, after finding it came out in 92, I think this might be the first thing I ever remember hearing, and I only remember because the video freaked me the fuck out:

Wasn't there some controversy about the video for "Stay"? That it promoted Satanism, or something equally ludicrous? I was 13 when the video came out, and I thought it was among the greatest things ever.

Though I'm not quite sure how it could be promoting Satanism, since the "good" side clearly wins in it.

The Lion Sleeps Tonight or Chanson D'Amour, both early radio memories.

probably Kid Charlemagne.. my dad was a huge fan.

That would be either one of the tracks off these 78s my folks had of the Almanac Singers doing WWII-era antiwar songs. or Bix Biederbeck singing "Barnacle Bill the Sailor" off the RCA Victor Encyclopedia of Jazz 12 x 10" set.

I'll older than you-all, and my parents were old lefties.

The first contemporary pop record I remember was The Beatles, "I Wanna Hold Your Hand", which was (obv) massive @ the time. First record I owned was Lovin' Spoonful's Greatest Hits Vol 2. First record I bought was The Beatles "Something New"...

I still own all those, including the 78s, and the EP set (got dbls on that).

Of course the first time I smoked pot my friend played me King Crimson - 21st Century Schizoid Man AND Pink Floyd, but I think it was Atom Heart Mother...

My first memory IS a song, combined with a daydream. The first thing I remember happening is visualizing a cow drinking from a trough while the chorus of "Born to be Wild" looped in my head, over and over and over again. And then telling my mom about what I had seen and heard and her being really confused.

Whoa Roxy your first musical memory is also "Born to be Wild"! Albeit, recorded by really creepy bears...

<3

to be fair, one of them is an ape.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/410AMRRB1ML._SL500_AA280_.jpg

Wasn't there some controversy about the video for "Stay"? That it promoted Satanism, or something equally ludicrous? I was 13 when the video came out, and I thought it was among the greatest things ever.

― Tuomas, Sunday, March 29, 2009 8:32 AM (11 hours ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

Though I'm not quite sure how it could be promoting Satanism, since the "good" side clearly wins in it.

― Tuomas, Sunday, March 29, 2009 8:33 AM (11 hours ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

From Wikipedia: "The award-winning Sophie Muller directed the promo video for the single, the concept of which was inspired by the film Cat Women of the Moon. The video featured Detroit and Fahey fighting over a comatose man (played by Dave Evans, former boyfriend of Fahey's Bananarama bandmate Keren Woodward. [1]), and was banned in Germany due to its perceived portrayal of witchcraft and the occult. This controversy did the song no harm and it climbed to the Top 20 in the German charts."

That's weird, because it's clear that Siobhan Fahey is playing "death" which is traditionally not associated with Satan, but with the afterlife in general. Also, if death was that hot, I doubt I'd put up much of a fight.

Earliest pop song I remember identifying as it came on the radio was the Association's "Windy". Which I thought was "Wendy", the name of my babysitter. Wasn't until seeing scroll by on an infomercial that I realized I'd been humming the wrong name for decades.

Probably something off the Sesame Street Fever or Peter, Paul & Mommy LPs, which were on constant rotation during my earliest days:

I was 4 or 5 and getting ready to play a game of Sorry on the living room floor with my dad and older brother. Dad asked what music we should listen to. I said I wanted to hear "that Runaway song." XTC's English Settlement is still one of my favorite albums.

i think yellow submarine when visiting my nanna's house. young americans (the song and the album cover) is a pretty vivid and early as well.

omg, the original 45 is on utoob!!!

That's weird, because it's clear that Siobhan Fahey is playing "death" which is traditionally not associated with Satan, but with the afterlife in general.

If you listen to the lyrics in the verse Fahey sings, I think she sounds like something more evil than mere Death.

i think my first memory of a song has to be from these types of disney specials, which i just now learned were from the mid '80s and called D-TV...

my parents would tape these for me, i think i remember the stevie wonder part best in this one (the valentines day special - DTV Romancin' lol). although the halloween special was another favorite, and i vividly remember the euryhthmics' "sweet dreams" portion on that one

How can you guys remember this stuff? About myself, I'm not too sure but it may well have been "Rock the Boat" by Hues Corporation.

Between that video and the puppets on Spitting Image - enough nightmares to always remember them from a young age. Maybe just television in general.

I'm not sure if it's my earliest memory or not - I've no idea when it's from, but it feels early - but I have a very strong memory of looking at the clock that was on my uncle's mantlepiece, and listening to Little Eva and Big Dee Irwin's "Swinging on a Star".

spanish flea by herb alpert. still have the single

"What's Love Got to Do With It" on a neighbor's radio, 1984 I'm assuming.

Stevie Wonder 'Happy Birthday' I think, either that or 'Yellow Submarine'.

na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na BAT MAN

can't narrow it down to just one, but the top three contenders: Paul Simon - Graceland (esp. title track and "Homeless"), XTC - "Senses Working Overtime", Laurie Anderson - Big Science (esp. "Born Never Asked" and "O Superman")

my parents were weird, Laurie Anderson scared/confused the shit out of me

I Gufi "Il cimitero è meraviglioso" ("The graveyard is wonderful") b/w by the even better "Si può morire" ("You can die" - follows a list of different ways to die. Lyrics sample: "You can die drinking at the pub/ you can die getting across Congo").

This was my favourite 45 when I was 5 or 6 - I still have it somewhere.
Blame my parents, though.

I remember throwing a tantrum in Woolworths when I was four: mom wanted to leave, i wanted to stay and hear "Joy" (Apollo 100) playing over the p.a. Actually I've got quite a few specific memories of specific songs which all date back to when I was four; hearing "Joy" isn't necessarily the first, just the most anecdote-worthy.