OT - Birthday puzzle

[QuikSand]

As many of you know, I'm not all that much for birthdays. But I am fond of puzzles (as you also may know). Here's a marriage of the two concepts.


My birthday happens to appear in the lyrics of a well-known song. The exact month and day are part of the lyrics, and from the song's context, it's also clear that the song refers to the exact day on which I was born. Alas, the song isn't about me, as you might have guessed.

Nearly anyone familiar with popular music will know this song - it is very critically acclaimed, and was a modest hit in its time. It has probably gained in stature over the years, and I'm sure still gets some airplay on appropriately-formatted radio stations.

On what date was I born?

[MJ4H]

August 6th in the year 75309?

[TredWel]

It would help if we knew the general vicinity of your age.

First thing that comes to mind: April 4, 1968

[QuikSand]

Well, that wasn't much fun. April 4, 1968 it is.

Carry on, then. Nothing to see here.

[MJ4H]

I liked my answer better :(

[Maple Leafs]

Here's a marriage of the two concepts.I'd be more comfortable with a civil union...

(What song references April 4, 1968?)

[TredWel]

U2, Pride.

[fantastic flying froggies]

I think it goes something like :

"...April 4th, a shot rings out in the Memphis Sky..."

(i think there's some words missing but I just can't remember which...)

[Butter]

February 3rd?

[fantastic flying froggies]

It could have been another U2 song, New Year's Day

[Groundhog]

First song that popped in to my head was that "Oh What a night" song. Though it aint exact in it's dates... I don't believe it gets any more specific than 'Late December back in 63'.

[JeeberD]

I was thinking American Pie, but that doesn't actually give a date, does it? Doesn't really matter, since I would have been wrong anyways...

[Wolfpack]

Early morning, April 4th
A shot rings out in the Memphis sky
Free at last, they took your life
They could not take your pride

Completely worthless side note...exactly 15 years to the day later, NC State won their second national title over Houston in Albuquerque. Probably one of the few people in the country for whom April 4th is a good day to remember rather than a bad one. :)

[Buccaneer]

QS, why the h--- did you give after only 8 minutes?

[QuikSand]

QS, why the h--- did you give after only 8 minutes?

Ummmm... because he got he right answer?

I suppose there might have been some mystery in me staying silent all day, and seeing if some consensus developed. But that seems like torture just for torture's sake. When I elect to torture you all, it is usually for better reasons than that.

[Butter]

When I elect to torture you all, it is usually for better reasons than that.

Churchill.

[Buccaneer]

Ummmm... because he got he right answer?

I suppose there might have been some mystery in me staying silent all day, and seeing if some consensus developed. But that seems like torture just for torture's sake. When I elect to torture you all, it is usually for better reasons than that.
Sorry, somehow I didn't see his second line with the correct answer.

[QuikSand]

Churchill.

Maybe not on the hit parade, but a fair example.

[tucker342]

So the answer is not 2/3???

[Dutch]

I'm guessing February 3rd

[Draft Dodger]

so was 1968 the year as well? or was this just about the month and day.

I ask because I'm intrigued by the dichotomy that would exist for parents on a day such as this. On one hand, they are wrapped up in what is one of the great moments of their lives (the birth of their child), while at the same time hearing of tragic news such as the King assassination. I don't know why that strikes me as so interesting, but it does.

[mckerney]

2nd of May?

[JeeberD]

so was 1968 the year as well? or was this just about the month and day.

I ask because I'm intrigued by the dichotomy that would exist for parents on a day such as this. On one hand, they are wrapped up in what is one of the great moments of their lives (the birth of their child), while at the same time hearing of tragic news such as the King assassination. I don't know why that strikes me as so interesting, but it does.

No kidding. Gotta feel for the kids born on Sept 11, 2001...

[Draft Dodger]

No kidding. Gotta feel for the kids born on Sept 11, 2001...

but I'm looking at this from the parents' viewpoint, not the kids...

[JeeberD]

Well, either way. It's the same sort of thing that you were talking about...

[SackAttack]

but I'm looking at this from the parents' viewpoint, not the kids...

I don't see the distinction here. In neither case were the children in question aware enough of their surroundings to care on the particular day. Why would the one day be any less traumatic to have as a birthday than the other? Ask a child who was born on December 7th, 1941 if he feels any particular stress over it - by the time s/he'd have been old enough for it to matter, World War II would have come and gone.

You can tell a child about an event all you want, but it won't hold the same psychological and emotional impact for the child as it would have had the child actually experienced the event. My grandmother has frequently told me about the day JFK was shot, but that's still something I only grasp in the abstract.

I'd imagine it's the same for April 4th, 1968 and September 11th, 2001. Birthday or no, those are events that I shouldn't think would cause any particular emotional distress for the child above and beyond an abstract sadness.

But for the parents? Oh, absolutely.

[Solecismic]

My son was born a few hours after Bush ordered the first strike in the Iraqi war. His entire life, all he has known is war. Perhaps that's why he screams likes a banshee whenever he gets changed - he thinks we're going to put a military uniform on him.

My hope is that peace will soon reign, so that some of us can get some sleep around here.

That was just a surreal few days there. Going off to the hospital, not knowing what kind of reprisal there would be.

[MIJB#19]

What puzzles me is why you had to start this puzzle on my birthday, QS.

[Butter]

February 3rd?

I'm guessing February 3rd.

Copycat bastard! ;)

[fantastic flying froggies]

That would have been March 2nd in French, as 2/3 is just that per french format...

[MJ4H]

What was wrong with my answer?

[QuikSand]

What puzzles me is why you had to start this puzzle on my birthday, QS.

Because, candidly, you honking your own birthday horn was what made my mind initially wander to my general loathing of the whole birthday concept... and then eventually to the idea for this mini-puzzle (which I think I offered too much supporting information for).

[Butter]

You know what you SHOULD'VE done. You'll love this.

Just asked the general populace when your birthday was, then had people guess, and steer them in the right direction saying either "Hot" or "Cold"... or maybe Price is Right style: "Higher" or "Lower".

That seems your style right there, QS. Take it under advisement.

[QuikSand]

so was 1968 the year as well? or was this just about the month and day.

I ask because I'm intrigued by the dichotomy that would exist for parents on a day such as this. On one hand, they are wrapped up in what is one of the great moments of their lives (the birth of their child), while at the same time hearing of tragic news such as the King assassination. I don't know why that strikes me as so interesting, but it does.

Yes, it was 1968. Really the same day, I was born just a short while after the news broke.

I have talked to my mother about this, of course, and she wrapped up her thinking on that day as "how can we bring a child into this kind of a world?" I think my parents (and may others in the late 1960s) had something of a sense of disillusionment anyway... and having such a dispiriting incident happen literally while she was in the act of giving birth must have been troubling.

[QuikSand]

You know what you SHOULD'VE done. You'll love this.

Just asked the general populace when your birthday was, then had people guess, and steer them in the right direction saying either "Hot" or "Cold"... or maybe Price is Right style: "Higher" or "Lower".

That seems your style right there, QS. Take it under advisement.

BRILLIANT!

[QuikSand]

What was wrong with my answer?

If you're waiting for someone to point out that you "got your number on the wall" or something like that, consider it done.

[MJ4H]

I just thought I was right is all.

[VPI97]

No kidding. Gotta feel for the kids born on Sept 11, 2001...My son's first day waking up at home was on 9/11 (he was born 9/8)...surreal to say the least. One minute I wake up to my wife and new son next to me...the next, I turn on the TV to see the WTC tragedy.

[Buccaneer]

Yes, it was 1968. Really the same day, I was born just a short while after the news broke.

I have talked to my mother about this, of course, and she wrapped up her thinking on that day as "how can we bring a child into this kind of a world?" I think my parents (and may others in the late 1960s) had something of a sense of disillusionment anyway... and having such a dispiriting incident happen literally while she was in the act of giving birth must have been troubling.
What could have been worse (depending on your perspective) is that you could have been named Starshine or Sunny Joy or Windstar like some of my friends were. Michael was a good choice.

[MIJB#19]

Because, candidly, you honking your own birthday horn was what made my mind initially wander to my general loathing of the whole birthday concept... and then eventually to the idea for this mini-puzzle (which I think I offered too much supporting information for).I hope you realize your "coming out" means "happy birthday quiksand" threads will pop up 44 days from now like "ping jeeberd" threads did one month ago...

[MIJB#19]

Wow!
Nobody remembered this and QS got away without a "happy birthday QS!" thread started last Sunday.

[Chief Rum]

What's really funny is I never saw this thread back when it happened, and I was able to figure it out noting the date today and thinking back to songs that mention April. U2's Pride was the first song that came to me, and I realized 1968 was probably about the right year as well.

What's odd, though, is that Quik doesn't say his birthday is "today" in his original post (and, indeed, it was not, because this was posted in late February), but I was thinking that way. If I didn't make that error in reading his post, I wouldn't have come up with the answer without scrolling down.

Is it okay that one makes a mistake, but that mistake leads him to the correct response? :)

CR