Rosy Retrospection Syndrome
I realized something quite profound on the flight back from Montreal a few days ago. I’ve never listened to what would be considered current, popular music.
When I was a young boy my parents had an old, Hi-Fi stereo almost the size of a station wagon filled with rock-n-roll records from the 1950’s, Elvis, Fats Domino, and The Coasters.
Starting at around thirteen (1984) I began listening to rap music, which was so underground at the time it wasn’t even being played on the radio, in Ohio anyway. My B-boy phase lasted until the end of my junior year of high school (1988).
At the end of the 1980’s my musical tastes took an eclectic turn thanks to Columbia House’s mail order CD club, I discovered Bob Marley’s music, Haydn, The Doors and a few other bands that were already at least a decade old.
In the 1990’s Swing music made a brief resurgence for a few strange years, this led me down the Jazz genre rabbit hole that consumed much of the next fifteen years of my listening life – Sinatra, Harry Connick Jr., Glenn Miller, Stacey Kent, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, I could go on and on.
Now, at fifty two years of age I feel like a time traveler. I’m in the unique position of discovering a lot of the music of my own generation, GenX, for the very first time. Tonight my wife and I are seeing Duran Duran. I don’t remember much about the band really. I was somewhere between 1950’s Rock-n-Roll and Rap when Duran Duran was popular. I had a girlfriend in the early 90’s who was obsessed with them so I’ve heard The Reflex, Hungry Like a Wolf, and Rio (probably thousands of times) but that’s about the extent of it.
What I’m learning in my GenX musical journey is my generation had some REALLY great music. I’m sorry I missed it the first time around but happy that I’ve found it before it’s too late.
Like a lot of people, I’ve always had this wistful affection for the past. There’s even a term coined for it, “Rosy Retrospection”. The Romans called it, "Memoria praeteritorum bonorum", which means "What came before is recalled to be good". But now I’m realizing this affliction has caused me to miss out on quite a bit of amazing culture from the here and now.
"Nostalgia is a powerful drug. Under its influence, ordinary songs take on dimensions and powers, like emotional superheroes." - Kate Christensen
There’s this great film called, Midnight In Paris, that illustrates Rosy Retrospection better than any I’ve ever seen. As you probably would have guessed it’s one of my favorite movies, partially because of the literature-heavy content of the plot and, well, the Rosy Retrospection aspect.
Anyway, for the next few years I’m going to try my best to recover from Rosy Retrospection Syndrome and set out on a musical journey to not only explore music of my own generation but current songs/artists as well. Angela Carter said, "Nostalgia, is the vice of the aged. We watch so many old movies our memories come in monochrome." I've decide when I'm old and gray watching reruns on TV, or whatever mixed reality device we have strapped to us, I don't want my memories to come in monochrome.
What are some of your favorite musicians/songs of the last 30 years?
Thanks for reading! All for now. Trust your instincts, invest in you, live boldly, and take chances.
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how are you dear friend @ericvancewalton good day
With my wife we talked about the music of the time that we liked and we always came to the same conclusion, that the music of before was much better than the current one.
We love listening to music and traveling back in time to our memories, the good thing is that all the music is on the web, you just have to search for it and enjoy it
You have good taste in music, I appreciate you sharing this experience.
have a beautiful day
I'm good my friend, I hope you are too! I think it's human nature to think things of the past were better, I just wish I wouldn't have done it when I was so young. Have a great day!
I think those who have been able to listen to 80s and 90s musics are lucky. I remember that pop music made surge in 90s, I still listen to some of them.
Listening to the older songs spark a lot of memories.
It's never too late for a good thing! Discovering a type of music, at this age, has its advantages. I love music and I believe that every genre of music has its mood and its time. There are days when I only listen to Louis Armstrong or Norah Jones and the longing for other years catches me. I also usually listen to Bob Marley and UB40 and the time becomes slow and smooth, as if I'm carrying a beer in my hand and walking on the beach. But there are days when I wake up electric, full of energy, without limits and I listen to pure Latin music, from salsa, merengue, bachata. And you know what? I dance. I dance a lot and I sing. Then I feel that music heals me, it makes my soul lighter. At home, I usually do everything with music: I cook, write, clean, revise exams. hahaha. Anyway, they used to say that "Music composes the decomposed spirits and relieves the works that are born of the spirit". A nice Thursday, last day of August. Hugs
One of my favorite Louis Armstrong songs - What A Wonderful World
One of my favorites!
I listen to different music when I'm in different moods too. I used to love to listen to smooth jazz while driving with the car windows down during the first few warm days of spring. I love Latin music! There's nothing better than that to brighten your mood. We have music on in the background here at home almost always. Thank you my friend! I wish you a wonderful rest of the day.
Oh gosh, make it tough on me why don't you? Counting Crows for sure, Bon Jovi, Taylor Swift (mostly the RED album, Folklore, Evermore, and Midnights), U2, Gin Blossoms, White Stripes, Black Keys, Black Crows, Volbeat, Van Morrison, INXS, Roxette, Van Halen, Boston, Heart, Leon Bridges, Nathaniel Ratliff and the Night Sweats, Anderson East, Jason Isbell, Zack Bryan, maybe even Phish if you want some jam band fun, I mean I could go on and on really.
Lol, I had a feeling that you'd be a good source for suggestions! Thank you for these...I have my work cut out for me. : )
I've got plenty more when you finish up with those!
Awesome!
Hola amigo, la verdad es que a pesar de pertenecer a una nueva generación, comparto sus ideales en que la música de antes era mucho mejor que la de ahora, y desde niño las escucho con mis padres, sus letras son increíbles y no tienen comparación con los temas de ahora. Saludos 👍
Parece que esto es más común de lo que jamás imaginé. Es bueno saber que la gente de las generaciones más jóvenes escucha música de las generaciones mayores. Agradezco tu comentario.
Nostalgia most times been a powerful drug can really have great harmful effect to the body as time goes on
You've got some pretty great taste in music, Eric :) And always seem to have had it. I guess I've got the glasses, too, as I tend towards older music, but isn't it all the more wonderful when you do get to discover that this generation has got amazing music, too? Whichever gen we're talking about. It's the best of two worlds, I feel.
Right now, I've got this stuck in my head. I love these guys.
As of contemporaries, all these three dudes are extraordinary, in my book:
As is Ren, if you don't know him.
Thanks. : ) I tell you, when you get over the Rosy Retro bias it feels like the world opens up. Who knows, maybe I've delayed turning into a crotchety old man by a decade or more.
All three songs you posted links for are amazing but Ren stands out for me. I'm learning acoustic guitar atm and his guitar playing skills are out of this world. Thanks for sharing these!
I don't think you could ever be that :)
Time will tell, each year that goes by the world seems more "peopley". Lol.
Nope, I will see the big 70 next year April and I am still stuck with the rock bands of the 60s. Uriah Heep, Jethro Tull, T-Rex, Ten Years After, Black Sabbath and such like.
Those are some good bands! Have you ever listened to Metallica?
Yes, I have and in those years everything was still original. I like all kinds of music, but I favor the music of the 60s.
Hello, @ericvancewalton
Yes, I too think the music of the late sixties through the early nineties was great. I've always been a fan of the music. I remember saving part of my school allowance to buy vinyl records, and in the early eighties, my parents bought me the iconic blue Sony Walkman.
I was always a romantic, and being initiated in the study of piano and electronic organ, I also listened to classical music.
I don't doubt that yesterday's music is very good. I remember my father listening to music from his forties and fifties, the music of his childhood and adolescence. In this sense, I think there is a pattern. For example, my children hum and know a lot of music from our era, because when I took them to school I played it on the car player.
I turned fifty-eight this year, so we are both somewhat contemporary: Generation Xers.
Well, hurry up and get reacquainted with the music, one of the best of all times.
By the way, now I also listen to Christian music of the messianic line: very beautiful praises.
Greetings.
I remember that early Walkman. It seemed like magic, it was so small. We also carried around huge boom boxes that would drain 12 D cell batteries in just a few hours. Cheers to a fellow GenXr!
It is a fact that today's music and songs do not have the same fun that was in the songs of earlier times, but most of them are old-time songs. Those who like to listen, these ears have a purpose and listening also gives peace. Nothing is happening in the songs of today, nor are the voices of today's people so beautiful that the heart of a person listens to them. Go inside, the people of earlier times, especially the legend of Pakistan, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, his voice is still very popular.
The allure of the past is very strong!
Yeah i agree with you
Sharing on twitter.
https://twitter.com/djbravo121741/status/1697428595252359464
Wow, what a gem! I haven't watched the movie "Midnight in Paris". Thanks for dropping the trailer; on my 'must watch' list now. Let's see, some of my favorite bands/musicians: Roxette, Abba, Boney M, Barbra Streisand, Cher, Enya, Alice Cooper, Eurythmics, Scorpions ... just to name a few.
Thanks! Oh, you're in for a treat if you haven't seen it. I know most of the artists you mentioned! My wife and I rediscovered rollerskating from 2012-2019 and the rink we skated at played a lot of the music of that era. Enya is amazing (and timeless)! I have at least two of her albums on my phone.
https://twitter.com/LovingGirlHive/status/1697563100067877270
Waka waka is one of my favorite song.
Shakira?
yes.
https://twitter.com/lee19389/status/1697589123534536746
#hive #posh
Music can indeed evoke memories of our past. I also have favorite singers in my past such as Whitney Houston, Chicago and Celine Dion. I still like their songs and music to this day. Have a nice day, Eric.
That is some great music! Thank you Eliana!
What a great story of your journey through music since you were a child, it was very interesting to read it and know the artists and bands you have reached, I feel that in a way the music we like depends on many things, maybe because of your parents and then for specific moments where you hear an unknown song and start looking and looking, you discover a new genre that you did not know and you are passionate about it.