I do not remember hearing any of those UK Number One hits in 1975, despite having been firmly plugged in to pop culture at the time. Canadian small-town radio stations still had their own playlists in those days, and tastes varied sharply even between Halifax and Cornwallis, let alone between Canada and Britain.

The unavoidable hit single of early spring 1975 -- at least in Saint John, New Brunswick, the location of the single radio station that reached Cornwallis -- was "Black Water" by the Doobie Brothers. It always seemed to be followed by the nightly broadcast of "The World Tomorrow" with Garner Ted Armstrong, my cue to finish cleaning my boots and rifle and hit the sack. Every disco played "Kung Fu Fighting" over and over again, and I still hate it to this day; oddly, I still quite like "Lady Marmalade", another disco staple of the time.

I understand Eliza's nostalgia, but I have to confess that I don't share it. Today's pop music is crap, to be sure, and now I am old and have arthritis and responsibilities, but my life is still sooo much better.