80-ties and 90-ties – my era
Please forgive me I will not be entirely chronological here. I am just trying to paint a picture of things changing.
In my view, the music of the past was more melodic and probably more rebellious. We (by this I mean music of my generation) could be edgy and push boundaries creatively. I am sure that our parents didn’t think so, but for me, that was the way.
Just consider the subject of sex in the music of that time. Or maybe not as much the music and lyrics as the videos. The video clip boom and the creation of MTV were groundbreaking, and we all of a sudden had an ample image stimulation that supported the song and its message. The experience became full, more intense and included more of our senses. For example, Frankie Goes to Hollywood “Relax, don’t do it” – it was such a great song with a strong sexual undercurrent, but if you didn’t give it a second thought, it was almost innocent. Almost!
Of course, there was Madonna with the “Erotica” album. Ok, that one was not subtle or left much to the imagination. In my opinion, however, Madonna single-handedly repositioned female artist forever. If not for her daring ways and unapologetic demeanour, women still would be secondary in the music industry. She placed feminity on the pedestal of art in a loud, controversial and bold way. You can think what you want about individual songs and albums produced by Madonna, but you can not deny her impact on pop music.
Or the Salt’n’Pepper girls with the iconic “Let’s talk about sex” – these songs changed the tabu subjects into mainstream topics of conversation.
Ok, it was not the revolution of sixties or seventies, but in the video sense, it was for sure a revolution.
There was a different gear.
I think in time the songs changed gear; the messages became more profound, we had less of sex, silly fan and more existential, serious topics to deal with.
Do you remember George Michael and “Freedom” – what a great song and what a cool video. Rise of the supermodels, no artist in a single video frame. Game changer! The message of the song was enormous; the visual aspect of the video was both entertaining and symbolic. What more could you ask for?
Of course, I can not omit the great Michael Jackson. His songs were huge in production, videos and messages. Always!
The two that stand out for me are “Black or White” and “Remember the time” – each for a different reason. The first because the message was so strong. Ok, it was a bit controversial coming from a guy who was bleaching his skin, but overall very positive. The video was so powerful visually, and the changing faces were impressive. We have never seen anything like this before.
“Remember the time” was a production in every sense of that word. It was almost like a mini-movie. When I saw it for the first time, I was mesmerised. It was so beautiful, the staging was so elaborate, and the message was so warm. I love that song and that video.
Of course, there was this whole new wave of music and videos coming at the same time. Just look at “Smells like teen spirit” from Nirvana. Not only an epic music piece but also a shift in video making. I have to admit, until today, I am not sure what he is saying in places, but it doesn’t stop me from singing along and shaking my head up and down. This song was huge, and the “messy” video that came with it was just as cool as the whole band. And please, don’t get me wrong. I do not admire the life choices made by some of the band members, but I do appreciate their creativity and the new music style they created.
The other one in a similar category was Pearl Jam. I absolutely loved that group. It might have something to do with my slight crush on the lead singer, but in general, I have to say, their songs were a background to a period in my life. Especially “Jeremy“. What a powerful song! Based on the true story of a teenager who killed himself in front of his classmates. For somebody growing up, the message of turmoil and disappointment was right at home. I connected with that song on a level that is not comparable to any other. Till today I have cold shivers going down my spine when I hear it.
Many more artist and songs created during these years were great and made an impact on people. I think based on my choices above; you can gather that my musical taste is rather commercial and possibly not the most sophisticated. It never really worried me. Music is not a big part of my life, it is there in the background, but it is not the necessity for my existence. And I am good with that.
Where am I going with this
Now, I am pretty sure that the younger generation will tell me otherwise, but I don’t see much novelty in today’s music. A lot of the songs that I hear right now sound very much like something I heard years ago. The styles are repeated, and the excellent pieces of the past are going through the n’th cover version. Wouldn’t you agree?
The other day I heard on the radio an announcement of a group that suppose to be so “new” in their sound and song composition… they sound precisely like early Portishead from years ago. It may be revolutionary to you youngsters, but history proves otherwise.
I sound like my parents.
So here we go, I sound like my parents. I never thought I would get here, especially not about music but here you have it. That fills me with dread… I am genuinely getting old if this is the way I think, sound and express myself.
I know I could maybe work on this, change my perspective, dive into the new music and be “in with the crowd” (that is probably an old saying as well), be “down with the kids”, ohh you know what I mean.
But the thing is, I don’t want to. I don’t particularly appreciate seeing people who pretend to be younger than their actual age. I think it looks sad and I pity them. I don’t want anyone to pity me, or find me pathetic or funny. I rather stay real in my old believes and my old music.