It was scenario common to modern celebrations: Gene plugged the iPodTouch into external speakers to provide background music for our mini-reunion. I wasn’t paying a lot of attention when he asked what “year” we were interested in hearing: 1974? 1975? I do remember thinking “Wow, he’s put his music into playlists by year!” but I was in deep conversation about, well, things we did in the ’70s.
What I did not realize was that the iPodTouch was streaming music from a new iPhone application from Bing: Top 100s by Year (iTunes link, v 2.2.3). The app is made by Nutsie and was released in March.
Pick a year (1947-2009) and the top 100 songs from that year will play in random order (shuffle). With a tap of the icon in the upper right, you can see the full list of songs from that year.The developers insist that the list is curated — that it is “more” than the Billboard list:
These are lists of songs that have stood the test of time to become the greatest songs for any given year, from 1950 to 2007. The songs in these lists were chosen and ranked based on their initial and lasting popularity, and on their impact on the overall scope of musical history. Enjoy these greatest songs. And, if you disagree (no one agrees on all of these), then go to our forum and let us know.
Right now, the Top 100s by Year by Bing is free, so it’s not surprising that there are periodic advertisements for Bing’s iPhone app (iTunes link). The advertised price of $1.99 is very reasonable should Bing decide to end its role as an advertising vehicle. But I wish it knew that I have the Bing search app; it keeps asking me to download it.
Oh – how did I figure out that this wasn’t an iTunes playlist?
As the resident techie in our cadre of five, I was tasked with shutting everything off when it was time for bed. I looked at the iPod and said, “This is a Bing app?!?”
I really need to spend a little more time in the iTunes/iPhone ecosystem!
