Can you see yourself at 50 willingly listening to a Soulja Boy song? I hope not.
They don’t make ’em like they used to – music, that is. I grew up sitting in the backseat of my mother’s Buick singing along to The O’Jays, The Delfonics, and Earth, Wind, and Fire – all which currently reside on my ipod.
I’ve always wondered if there was an exact formula to determine how much time must go by in order for something to be considered an ‘oldie’. I wondered what those oldies might be. Will I want to listen to 50 Cent or Spice Girls twenty years down the line? (The answer is only “In Da Club” and yes, any Spice Girls song.)
However, I can’t help but grimace when I hear the music that my 14 year old sister listens to – Justin Bieber, Big Time Rush, or…well, I can’t even think of a third act, which proves how forgettable they all are. Today’s musicians are more caught up with catchy beats and superficial lyrics. Everyone was in an uproar over Rebecca Black’s simple minded lyrics, but this trend has been going on for years.
The quality of songwriting has decreased tremendously and music lovers are the ones who suffer. Music artists should strive to be memorable and create songs that are not only catchy, but meaningful as well.
All hope is not lost, though. Artists like Aloe Blacc and Miguel seem to still know the value of selecting crafted songs.
We’re all entitled to listen to a song with uninspired lyrics for the sole purpose of enjoying the rhythm, but for musicians, this should never be the norm. Anyone can be a one hit wonder, but isn’t it worth more to be remembered 50 years later?
I completely agree! That is the reason why I listen to oldies. Music today is so meaningless and uninspiring, a lot of the time I find myself asking, “what was the point of that song?”
My god, I love Aloe Blacc!
I totally agree with you. So many new mainstream songs are just plain BAD. What happened to good music?
Great argument, Lisa.
You know, you don’t even have to go so far back to the 50s. I was considering ranting about the good old days of MTV when the network knew what those letters actually stood for back in the 80s and 90s. At least we could rate music better in those recent days and not everything forced its way to getting 15 min of fame.
I love your post; my thoughts exactly! Most of the music on my mp3 player is oldies and underground/indie music. I feel as if the classic songs of our generation and the next generation are being made by mostly independent artists and are not receiving the attention they deserve. Also, I think part of the reason this has happened is because some singers began writing their own music instead of having professional songwriters (like Diane Warren) write for them, which is cheaper. And Aloe Blacc is one of my faves now!
Use of humor in the opening really shows your voice.