One of the most exhausted questions I’m asked is why I enjoy listening to music written before 2005. If, God forbid, it’s a catchy tune from the '60s, I would commit social suicide by dancing to it at a party. Let's be honest, the best part of new music is that it adds to variety; so when did it become the only music worthy of being played? I mean, we could also avoid the loathed overplaying of popular songs if we were more accepting of earlier pop culture.
To me, this speaks to our generation’s possessiveness. Rather than admit that the lyrics written by popular artists are recent versions of themes spanning the entire history of music, we stick by ‘”the sounds of our generation” because that of our fathers no longer applies. No offense, ladies and gents, but just like my arguments, we’re not all that original. If anything, we are the remix generation. We don’t try for new. We try to do up what already was into a nice and shiny 21st-century illusion. Yes, technology has brought new ways of producing noise, and the world presents new challenges, but that doesn’t mean we can’t still relate to or appreciate what people began saying when Billboard was just getting started.
I like that new types of music have surfaced, such as electronic dance music, or gained wider audiences, like rap. But all those people writing now were influenced by previous songwriters that we no longer give the time of day. And you do not need to take it as an offense if I say I am not interested in these newer versions. I don’t mind listening to new stuff, but it seems when I introduce older songs to others, I am not met with the same patience. Instead, I hear, “Why on earth would you listen to that? It’s so boring.” How do you know that without taking the time to listen? I can personally say that I am not a fan of EDM; I have many friends who are and, as a result, I hear it regularly. Quite frankly, I’d be better off at Woodstock, which coincidentally is probably not too far off from an EDM festival.
Sorry to pick on him a bit because he gets plenty of attention, but I don’t particularly like Justin Bieber’s music. No, not even his new album, and yes, I did listen to it. Every artist sends out his or her message with an album, and it’s not that I don’t agree, but I’ve heard it before by many artists, and I don’t think there is much to celebrate in the way of individuality. There are quite a few popular artists that I do like, but I acknowledge that they have their roots in earlier music that one can appreciate.
I wonder how many millennials know we just celebrated Frank Sinatra’s “would be” 100th birthday. He was probably the first true-blue pop artist, but while everyone may know Michael Buble’s “Haven’t Met You Yet,” they gloss over the covers he has done of each member of the Rat Pack on that same CD. Guess where the idea for his sound came? We’d all know Adam Levine’s iconic voice anywhere, and being a fan of both I can say he has the characteristic swag that was called "swagger" by the RatPack. His song “Moves Like Jagger” references another artist. How about Taylor Swift? She actually references Tim McGraw in one of her songs; and there are probably a zillion songs about New York out there, but still the idea of visiting the Big Apple remains the same.
Truthfully I’m not sure how many millennials can tell a cover from an original song. For example, I hear “Time of My Life” at the end of many parties, but the vamped-up version we know is fairly similar to the version made famous in “Dirty Dancing.” I hear bits and pieces of '80s and '90s throwbacks in a fair amount of popular club music. Are we aware that the music for “Anaconda” came from an earlier song that is quite literally about the exact same thing: women’s butts? Or that “The Cup Song” is actually a cover of a song written in 1928 that was reworked in 1937, way before Kendrick sang it. Very few people pause to listen to the original, though they “just love” the cover.
I will say it again. I enjoy current popular music. I’m not saying that we need to go back to how music was once written, but we should still be able to enjoy older gems without being condemned by our peers. I know I wouldn’t love Meghan Trainor nearly as much if there wasn’t already a place in my heart for Aretha Franklin. And though my dad would say it’s not as good as the original, Prince Royce’s cover of “Stand by Me” is my favorite. Did anyone else feel sad when Ben E. King died?
Just think, one day you’ll be asking your kids not to roll their eyes at a Bieber song.
