PJMedia published a list of songs that turned 20 this year…
…and I can proudly announce that I’ve never heard of any but one, that being the Britney Spears thing (and even for that one, I sort of remember the video — Brit in a schoolgirl uniform! — but not the song).
The rest? Wouldn’t recognize the songs (or their performers) if I tripped over them in the street. To paraphrase the late great John Barrymore: my memory is filled with beauty, wonder and loveliness — and you expect me to clutter it up with this shit?
Somehow, my favorite piece didn’t make the list.
Four Seasons – Vivaldi
Neither did Scheherazade.
I recognize one (Mambo No. 5) only because there was a Disney version of it that my daughter liked to listen to on the way to pre-school.
This falls into the same category of quickly scanning the covers of the magazines at the grocery checkout and saying to myself “is it wrong that I feel a sense of pride in not knowing who any of these people are?”
it’s a badge of honor. wear it proudly
I am convinced our listening choices are formed in our teen years. I love Santana, Yes, ELP, the Moodies. I have lately come to think Led Zep are bards in the same mold. But I have gotten smarter…and actually listened to the lyrics.
But yeah, don’t think anyone from the ’80’s and on is worth a listen.
I’m proud to say that, while I recognized five of the performers (by name, I wouldn’t know them if they walked into my office right now), I don’t have any memory at all of any of the songs. I think the performers’ names are familiar because they’re plastered everywhere and I don’t care enough to actively avoid them. I’m sure they’ll fade with time, like that other boy band my daughter listened to for a while.
I clicked the link anyway. I recognized a few of them. meh. mostly corporate contrived rubbish to feed to the masses Catchy bubble gum music.
I’ll stick to my classic rock, classic country and podcasts
Noted yesterday on social media that it was the 50th anniversary of the Beatle’s Rooftop Concert.
I am old, my familiar songs are from the 50’s through the mid 70’s and in the good old days we had the Saturday night Hit Parade where the top songs were counted down and of course Ed Sullivan, we did not all agree about our choices but there was a shared cultural awareness. There was also talent and creativity with actual music across a neat spectrum of pop, Mo-Town, even the Country & Western. I am not a musician, I don’t know how to make music but I do know that with the crap I have heard in the past 20 years of whiny songs sung by all sorts of mixing and something else I would just as soon listen to a vacuum cleaner. I recognized a couple of the names and none of the songs from 20 years ago.
“I am old”
Only your shoes get old. When that happens, get a new pair. Bonus is that an extra shoe-box is always handy for storage.
I chuckled at the reference to a vacuum cleaner. I whole-heartedly concur.
I remember all of that crap. I was forced, against my will to listen to it. Over and over. Piped in music on the company stereo.
I was in highschool at the time, working manufacturing during summers and the odd weekend when possible. It was before any sort of really useful personal music players ( walkmans were too cumbersome for the job).
Macey Grey gives me PTSD. It’s like they recorded a duck trying to sing human words.
I’m pleased to say that not only have I not heard of these songs, I’ve never heard of most of the performers.