A fun little exercise has been making its way around the Internet this year in which music fans are asked to pick one song or an album for every year rthey are alive. Before I had heard of this fun little time-waster, I had already begun compiling a list of the 100 songs that are most important to my (almost) 50 years on Earth.
But I had to make it harder on myself. For starters, it's a year-by-year reflection of my taste, personality and inspiration based on songs that were important to me at the time. Obviously the first nine years is handled all in retrospect, but I had to go with songs that I obsessed over and not tunes that today are cool.
These are songs and records that are dear to my heart.
My  ground rules. One song per artist, although leeway was given to artists with solo works and group recordings; two songs per year of release (an A side and a B side); and, when in doubt, I opted for the song or album track that had the better story attached to it. It also had to make some sort of collective sense.
Up through 1968, with the exception of one tune, the appeal is purely retrospective. The years 1969-1981 are those of an obsessive record collector; '82-'99 are years of contemporary discovery, of living in the moment musically; the 21st century has been far more broad in terms of music digested professionally, but more selective in terms of music that adheres to the soul.
I hope to dole these out in digestible fashion, five years per weekday until I hit my 50th birthday on Oct. 21.

1958
“Rave On” - Buddy Holly
From the first time I heard and saw Buddy Holly, I loved everything about the guy — the look, the way he played the guitar, the voice, the hiccup in the vocals and the intensity.

“Twilight Time” - Platters
The brilliant opening lines of “Heavenly shades of night are falling, it's twilight time/Out of the mist your voice is calling, 'tis twilight time/” delivered by Tony Williams' booming tenor barely tells half the story. The tune is stocked with words found in novels, not songs: “Deepening shadows gather splendor”; “here in the afterglow of day”; “the spark of love that fills me with dreams untold” - it's an astounding song. The melody lodged itself in my brain at about the age of 15 and stayed there for about six or seven years, regardless of whether it was competing with Joni Mitchell or the Ramones. John Fahey, the eccentric and brilliant guitarist, was equally enthralled and he recorded and played the tune in concerts; Leo Kottke plays it as well in tribute to his mentor.

1959
“Naima” - John Coltrane
It was Christmas 1974 and I received this newly released album titled “Alternate Takes” by John Coltrane. I had become a fan by checking out his albums at the library, but this was the first one I ever actually owned. There's not a lot different between this take and the one originally issued, but this version has a bit more of a sympathetic heart toward the end; the simple yet pronounced bass playing of Paul Chambers made me want to play the bass better and learn jazz. To this day, it’s one of my favorite melodies.

“So What” - Miles Davis
Again, Paul Chambers on bass. From “Kind of Blue,” the most significant jazz recording of my lifetime. Like all the compositions on the album, “So What” was created on the spot. This is not improvising, this is creating a new language. Miles, the coolest guy ever, leading a band with Coltrane, Cannonball Adderley and pianist Bill Evans. Proof that music can be astoundingly complex and popular.

1960
“Cathy's Clown” - the Everly Brothers
Back in the early 1970s, my parents offered to take us to an amusement park and while I was torn between Knotts' Berry Farm and Magic Mountain, it boiled down to the musical attractions: Trini Lopez at Magic Mountain, the Everlys at Knotts. A few days after catching Trini run through “If I Had a Hammer” and “La Bamba,” I read in the paper that the Everlys had a fight onstage and broke up. At the time I was relieved that I got to see a full show; over time I kicked myself for missing a piece of history.

“Walk, Don't Run” - the Ventures
The greatest surf single of all-time? Quite possibly. More bizarrely, when my older daughter was about 1 and nothing would console her, putting her into a swing and playing “Walk, Don't Run” would do the trick. Any parent will tell you, that's magical music.

1961
“Little Sister” - Elvis Presley
Backed with “(Marie's the Name of) His Latest Flame,” this may well be the most atypical 45 of the King's career. Always loved both tunes for their lyrics, use of guitar and the snarl in Elvis' voice.

“At Last” - Etta James
My younger daughter  was in college and playing this tune in her dorm room. A kid told her “that the music sounded so old that if it were TV it would be in black and white.” She defended its greatness; I beam with pride.

1962
“He's a Rebel” - The Crystals
Gene Pitney's brilliant story song surrounded by a nuanced string-free Phil Spector arrangement, Darlene Love takes lead on a shining moment in girl group history. I used a picture of the 45 as my first column logo in a newspaper (Foster’s Daily Democrat in Dover, N.H., for the record).

“Green Onions” - Booker T. & the MG's
The greatest rock instrumental ever. Ever.

TOMORROW: 1963-1967