The following is an indisputable truth.
Every member of every generation since the invention of the phonograph says:
Every member of every generation since the invention of the phonograph says:
"The music of my youth will always be the best. My parents just didn't understand what was happening/hip/groovy/awesome/dope/lit [insert future adjective for 'cool'] and what kids these days are listening to isn't even music! Any song that came out when I was 13 is better than the best song that came out when you were 13!"
Nothing ages quite like nostalgia. Especially memories from a defining and influential
period in a young life: adolescence.
As preteens and teens mature physically, they also attain cognitive maturity and begin to form distinct tastes with a newly found ability to reason and think critically.
This is one reason why advertisers relentlessly target ages 12-18 for every disposable good: beauty products, snack foods, brand name clothing, technological gadgets and entertainment (music, video games, television shows, movies). And being refillable commodities, these trends can change monthly.
Aided by the awkward half-steps of puberty and the perils of peer pressure, moments of pop culture clarity tend to stay with us like security blankets long after a good’s volatile shelf life. (Did anyone else remember all the lyrics to “Mamba #5” as it fell off the charts besides the kids who played it numerous times at every party?)
Christmas may become less magical and wondrous with each passing adult year, but we still hold the joy of an excited child close. Similarly, the music from middle school or junior high years sticks with us. That sensory experience can unlock carefree, youthful feelings anytime a song from 'back in the day' plays much the same way we’ll never forget the smell in the room during a first kiss or the color of the sky while scoring the first touchdown of the season. As much as we couldn’t wait to grow up then, we now wish we could turn back to the clock to simpler times.
Proof is in the YouTube comments with adults pining for their childhood days. Go check out the music video for any hit song from your younger years; I bet the top up-voted remark mentions “missing music like this today”.
As we look back fondly, we may share some embarrassment for embracing genres/lyrics/themes that do not hold up in today’s pop climate, but the power of nostalgia will usually overpower any shame.
Just remember, tens of millions also enjoyed “We Built This City” as more than a guilty pleasure or an ironic like, too!
But, objective ears in 2018 with no prior exposure to Starship (or Backstreet Boys or The Monkeys or T-Pain or Whitesnake or Billy Ray Cyrus or Dion or…) won’t have a deep seeded positive association and may dismiss these artists as paramount to anyone’s life. Think again…
Any 3 minutes of perceived-throwaway, bubblegum pop to one age bracket surely holds a monumental impact on another generation’s emotions to this day!
So on behalf of my generation, you’re welcome for the Spice Girls’ fame. Also, we don’t apologize for making Nelly a big deal (but we do offer condolences for Ja Rule’s success).
As preteens and teens mature physically, they also attain cognitive maturity and begin to form distinct tastes with a newly found ability to reason and think critically.
This is one reason why advertisers relentlessly target ages 12-18 for every disposable good: beauty products, snack foods, brand name clothing, technological gadgets and entertainment (music, video games, television shows, movies). And being refillable commodities, these trends can change monthly.
Aided by the awkward half-steps of puberty and the perils of peer pressure, moments of pop culture clarity tend to stay with us like security blankets long after a good’s volatile shelf life. (Did anyone else remember all the lyrics to “Mamba #5” as it fell off the charts besides the kids who played it numerous times at every party?)
Christmas may become less magical and wondrous with each passing adult year, but we still hold the joy of an excited child close. Similarly, the music from middle school or junior high years sticks with us. That sensory experience can unlock carefree, youthful feelings anytime a song from 'back in the day' plays much the same way we’ll never forget the smell in the room during a first kiss or the color of the sky while scoring the first touchdown of the season. As much as we couldn’t wait to grow up then, we now wish we could turn back to the clock to simpler times.
Proof is in the YouTube comments with adults pining for their childhood days. Go check out the music video for any hit song from your younger years; I bet the top up-voted remark mentions “missing music like this today”.
As we look back fondly, we may share some embarrassment for embracing genres/lyrics/themes that do not hold up in today’s pop climate, but the power of nostalgia will usually overpower any shame.
Just remember, tens of millions also enjoyed “We Built This City” as more than a guilty pleasure or an ironic like, too!
But, objective ears in 2018 with no prior exposure to Starship (or Backstreet Boys or The Monkeys or T-Pain or Whitesnake or Billy Ray Cyrus or Dion or…) won’t have a deep seeded positive association and may dismiss these artists as paramount to anyone’s life. Think again…
Any 3 minutes of perceived-throwaway, bubblegum pop to one age bracket surely holds a monumental impact on another generation’s emotions to this day!
So on behalf of my generation, you’re welcome for the Spice Girls’ fame. Also, we don’t apologize for making Nelly a big deal (but we do offer condolences for Ja Rule’s success).
