Posted on 12/02/2021 7:26:02 AM PST by dmam2011
As I’ve grown older, I’ll often hear people my age say things like “they just don’t make good music like they used to.”
Why does this happen?
Luckily, my background as a psychologist has given me some insights into this puzzle.
We know that musical tastes begin to crystallize as early as age 13 or 14. By the time we’re in our early 20s, these tastes get locked into place pretty firmly.
In fact, studies have found that by the time we turn 33, most of us have stopped listening to new music. Meanwhile, popular songs released when you’re in your early teens are likely to remain quite popular among your age group for the rest of your life.
(Excerpt) Read more at clarksvillian.com ...
Good summary.
“
Because “new music” sucks.
I recall an interview with Don Henley from over 20 years ago when asked about rap/hip hop music. He said something to the effect of is a performer really a “musician” when they cannot read or write music, cannot play an instrument, don’t sing and “barrow” (or “sample”) music from a real musician’s published song as the basis for their song/music.
So, yeah, “new music” sucks.
And don’t forget about Autotune.
I actively seek new music. granted its still in genres I listen to, metal, punk, country, folk and bluegrass. but I am not limited, I’ll try different stuff out of classification. If its good its good. Unfortunately, theres a lot out there thats not, even from my era. Some stuff I liked and listened to in high school didnt age well.
Can’t spell “crap” without “rap”.
Cool - I'm interested! Please post links.
Maybe I enjoy music that has pleasant rhythmic tones and lyrics instead of discordant notes and absolutely filthy lyrics, often demeaning to women and police. A lot of “modern” songs reduce women to disgusting roles centered solely around their anatomy. Older music often actually told a story instead of simply dehumanizing its subjects.
Rap rhymes with crap for a reason. So much new music isn’t music at all.
I think that I’m much more open minded. But the VAST MAJORITY of 21st Century “popular” music is crap. The audio equivalent of overprocessed soy.
About one piece of modern music every few years is listenable IMO; one every five years will wind up in my playlist.
So, let me explain: Older music has a melody, and pleasant sounds. The lyrics were understandable and usually pleasant. Modern music is largely "bitching to bass". It has no melody, and mostly spews hate and anger. It sounds harsh.
Any other questions?
OK, I HAVE to ask.
1. Are you still needed?
2. Are you still feeded?
Because there isn’t any.
Agree 100%. As a Gen-Xer with grown "kids" I can tell you my kids asked me to play my 80's songs again or turn them up a lot of times --- way more than I asked my parents to turn up their music. Songs from the late 70's to mid 90's are known by many more generations than any other era of music before or since. That tells you everything you need to know about which era had the best music.
It is a manufactured product.
And I'll leave it at that.
Exactly. It's no coincidence that our musical tastes crystallize in our very emotional teen years.
Bach, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin - these are the Himalayan peaks of Music. but it’s really downhill from there, and after the foothills of Ravel and Gershwin it turns into an vast plain of mediocrity. There have been a few bright spots/plateaus (John Williams), but almost everything after the 1930’s is dreck.
It’s trash. A lot of ours was too, but we were too drunk or high to notice.
Yet here I am. I can't stand most of what passes for pop music today. I find much of it unlistenable.
Growing up, I used to listen to Casey Kasem's Top 40 and I pretty much liked all of it. Whether it was the soul music of Marvin Gaye, the rock and roll of the Rolling Stones, the new wave sounds of The Police and even the easy listening stuff like Carpenters, Jim Croce, Neil Diamond and Al Stewart.
Now I try to listen to Top 40 and it all sounds like the same over-synthesized beats with the amplified auto-tune vocals driving a hammer through your skull. Obviously the young folks like it though.
I wonder if that is how The Beatles sounded to my parents. Back when they became popular, the older folks criticized them for having out-of-tune guitars and poor musicianship (seriously!).
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