Originally published November 10, 2019
First off, I’d like to say, “Get off my lawn!”
“Kids these days!”
“The crap these kids listen to! It’s not music. It’s just noise.”
Now that I’ve spouted off and sounded like a cliche’, let’s talk about this. It happens generation after generation. Why do we do it? Why does the older generation seem to always frown upon the younger generation’s music, or at the very least not connect to it. We shy away from new things, and as we get older we cling to the familiar, often proclaiming it to be far superior.
We seem to develop our core musical taste in our early teens. During that same period we are developing our identities in so many ways. We find our peer group, our “tribe”. We are on a mission to find out who and what we identify with. If you were so inclined, this is when you became a goth.
During our teens and 20’s, even early 30’s the world is new to us. We are experiencing our first taste of freedom, as well as so many other memorable firsts. First love. First car. First road trip. First time living away from our parents. All of these firsts have a soundtrack.
Think of one of those nights, long ago, when you are your friends were riding in a car, out at night. Maybe you were driving. Maybe it was one of your friends. The windows were down, the music was up loud and everyone in the car LOVED the song that was playing. You all sang along. It was electric. No longer a child, you were free! You and this group of like-minded souls driving into the night. Everything was ahead of you and you weren’t even sure yet what the limits would be. That was an intoxicating feeling. It’s no wonder that song you were singing along with and all the other songs from that time period left a mark on you.
As time went on, there was more music. The new band you discovered and shared with your best friend. Maybe the song you and your first spouse listened to repeatedly, almost on a loop on that road trip out west.
I suppose it’s not too hard to imagine that we consider that collective soundtrack to be exceptional. The Best Music Ever.
Add to that the fact that people tend to be less and less open to new things over time. Studies show this. Brain development surely has a lot to do with this. It seems to be common human nature to stick with the familiar as we get older, the tried and true. Maybe we learn some lessons from trial and error. People learn the “error” part of that sucks. It can range from disappointing to uncomfortable to distasterous, and therefore people start deciding to stick with the known. In general, they get spooked by new things. This would explain the reaction of parents in 1964 to the Beatles.
Elvis’s shaking hips and the Beatles mop top hair all seem so tame by today’s standards. Being afraid of all that looks silly now in hind sight. In light of that, maybe we’ve learned to quit being so easily alarmed regarding the music that our kids listen to. We survived. They most likely will too.
Still, if you are over 40, do you listen to it? Over 40, over 50… do you search out new artists? I challenge you.
We live in a particularly great time for curious music lovers. Go on Spotify. Check out some music that is not “your” music. Find out what a college student might be listening to now. Maybe branch out into genres that you are unfamiliar with. If you don’t like your first taste, keep an open mind and continue exploring. Good music is still being made. Trust me. It did NOT STOP when you turned 30. Most likely you stopped. You got busy with life. Responsibilities. More important things. But may I submit to you that new music is important.
If you are under 30, learn from the mistakes of your parents and don’t let your musical curiosity grind to a halt.
To be excited by new things is to be forever young. You can’t stop the aging process, but we are always trying to slow it down with diet, exercise, etc. Here is one more way. Stay active and avoid musical paralysis.
Keep listening to emerging artists. You may find your new favorite song.