My four year old son ROCKS, literally. Every morning when I take him to daycare he requests one of two songs to be played, “Welcome to the Jungle” or “Knockin’ on Kevin’s Door” (He likes Kevin better than Heaven, who am I to correct him?) Two weeks ago we are driving somewhere and “Back in Black” comes on the radio. From the back seat I hear, “hey dad, what is this?” I tell him it is“AC/DC’s ‘Back in Black’”. He doesn't say anything else, but then I peek in the rearview mirror and he’s back there bobbing his head and rocking out.I absolutely love this, I love it for the fact that he’s so cool and gets so animated and into to the songs, but I really love it, because I love the music. I mean, Guns ‘n’ Roses, AC/DC, these are bands that I have loved all my life.This leads me on a whole chain of thoughts, but specifically, that my kid loves music that I love and first became popular 20 years ago.
But then, I can’t get out of my own way, and I start to think, wait, why is my CD player and iPod filled with nothing but music that I consider ‘older’? So, I make a list of my favorite albums, my favorites from 20, 15, 10 and 5 years ago.
- 20 years ago, 1991, is the easiest choice on the list. My favorite album, by my favorite group of all time came out in 1991. Pearl Jam’s ‘Ten’ is everything I love about music and it is still an album I listen to all the time.
- Fifteen years ago, 1996, I can’t really pin down an absolute favorite from that year, but there was a TON of good stuff. Rage Against the Machine’s ‘Evil Empire’, Dave Matthews Band’s ‘Crash’ , Tool’s ‘Aenima’, Jay-Z’s ‘Reasonable Doubt’, 2Pac’s ‘All Eyez on Me’, these are albums I really, really loved.
- Ten years ago in 2001, Jay-Z’s ‘Blueprint’ is my favorite rap album of all time, and easily my favorite album of the year. (Should also be noted it was released on 9/11/01) At this point I’m rattling off these albums off the top of my head, coming quicker than a hiccup.
- Then I get to 2006, five years ago. Nothing. I can’t think of a single album from that year. I head to Google, come upon, http://www.besteveralbums.com/yearstats.php?y=2006. Great site by the way, but of the top 20 albums in 2006, I owned one, ‘Stadium Arcadium’ by Red Hot Chili Peppers. I liked the album, didn’t love it. What the hell is going on here, I don’t have a favorite album from five years ago?
Then I think very hard about what I was listening to five years ago. Not surprisingly, it was Pearl Jam, Aerosmith, Counting Crows, Jay-Z, Eminem, Foo Fighters, Metallica (Black and album and before obviously), basically all bands or artists that came out in the 80’s and 90’s. Then I think about all the new bands I’ve started to love in the last five years, I come up with a very short list, one band, Kings of Leon. I didn’t start liking them until their FOURTH album. How did this happen, how did I become so uncool? Have I literally lost touch with contemporary music? But, another thought creeps into my head, am I uncool, or does new music suck? I have to tell you, I honestly don’t know the answer, but I have a tendency to believe new music might suck. I watched the Grammys this year, and I was just perplexed that the show ended with something called the Arcade Fire performing two songs, that both sounded horrible too me. It seems this band is somewhat popular with the kids, and for the life of me I can’t figure out how. So to tie this way too long of an explanation together, I’m somewhat concerned that I might be raising my little rocker on songs that by the time he hits his formative teenage years, will be more than 35 years old. The more I think this should bother me, the less it actually does, because I honestly think that it might be the last time music was actually good. So, do I keep rocking to 80’s hair metal and 90’s grunge, or do I go out and befriend a bunch of hipster kids who can turn me onto the latest garbage being churned out by bands who seem like they are trying way too hard to act cool, but really aren’t. Either way, I’m pretty sure I just officially became old.
Once again we're going to disagree on music. I don't think you listen to enough new music to discount everything that's being produced today. You're definitely just old. :)
ReplyDeleteYou dare to mock Arcade Fire? Blasphemy! And though the old stuff you're listening too is indeed good, if not great, I agree with the above person, you've just gotta listen to more new music. And I'm not talking the stuff on the radio or, for the most part, the Grammys. To me, it seems a lot of good contemporary music is something that really needs to be listened to. The current artists I listen to tend to create music that is a bit more complex and perhaps not as accessible with one listen. A lot of it is more album oriented, it tells a story and isn't concerned with creating hooks that will play on the radio.
ReplyDeleteAnd now that I've come off like a pretentious music nerd, let it be known, I also like Lady Gaga. :)
Yep...you're old.
ReplyDeleteI don't think it's that odd that we still gravitate towards those bands and those songs that we grew up with. If you turn on the radio, those songs are still being played. That has to say something, right? I like to think about the music that is popular today, and try to figure out which bands or songs will still be played 10 or 20 years from now. It's hard to say.
On a personal side note...I agree with AP's comment. Arcade Fire is an amazing band!