Have you ever paused to wonder what happened to half the bands you used to listen to back in the 80’s? Remember when your mom told you to turn down that noise? If the Internet was up and running full swing back then, she probably would have been online searching for a trash can to toss your old cassette tapes in. Somehow, those bands you used to listen to nonstop got lost in the throws of life. You grew up, got a job, a family, and responsibilities. The endless hours spent following your favorite bands on MTV were replaced by reality shows, your own teenager’s obsession with some band, and the bills piling up on the kitchen table. And to pour salt in what remains of this open wound, you were flipping through the stations on the radio the other night in the car, and they were playing Iron Maiden and Van Halen on the oldies station.
The New Generation Can Not Relate
When you are young, you think the music will live forever. By the time you are old, you are longing for the days when the music you knew was all the rage. Just as the generation before you cannot truly explain to you what it was like to grow up and hear the music being made in the sixties, you find it is equally difficult to put the music of your generation in context for your kids. From their perspective, your music really does belong on the oldies station, because they have no direct connection with it. The music from your day does not even speak their language. They can pop your CD’s into the player, but they likely will not understand the music they are hearing in quite the way that you do. These are songs that saw you through times of love, sorrow, and the most awkward moments of your life growing up. When you hear these songs, you can recall your first car, your first concert, and the freedom the music brought with a message that spoke to your generation.
Lasting Memories Revisited
Just because your kids can not relate to the music of your teen years, does not mean that the music has died. Some music is truly timeless. Every time you hear that certain song, it brings you back to a place when you felt more alive and learned that we’re only immortal for a limited time as Dreamline by Rush. The music you grew up with may truly be more valuable to you now than it ever was then. The musicians you once knew have disbanded over the years. Many of them are either no longer making music or they have passed away. Some have lost their singing voices and others are too overcome with conditions like arthritis to be able to play the guitar like they once could. And, even they listen to the music that identified their moment in the spotlight, reminded of the era they helped to shape and define. Even if your generation is getting a little over the hill, there is nothing wrong with recapturing the moment by taking the time to once again embrace the music you grew up with.
