Musical Nostalgia

Every now and then I revert back to the tastes of days past and listen to music of the 1990s. I specify 1990s because I have also been known to listen to music from the 1890s or even 1790s but the subject of this entry will be the music that was being created as I was coming of age. The mid to late 90s was when I began making that great pilgrimage into adolescence. This is the time when most people experience the greatest number of changes in the shortest amount of time. The physical, emotional, and intellectual changes are abundant as each day has its successes and disasters. The perception is that the whole world is watching your every step and the slightest mistake will be witnessed by thousands. Tomorrow seems so far away in the eyes of a teen and each day is truly lived like it will be the last. Some of us even come close to that on a few occasions. I think that the music one listened to during this time always holds a special place.

The music that I listened to during adolescence was my choice. It sounds simple but its quite profound because prior to that I was just listening to music in my environment. I was listening to what my parents listened to. I come from a highly trained musical family, which I'm sure will be the subject of future blogs, so we listened to anything from Bach to the the music of Singing in the Rain to 70s bands like Chicago and KC and the Sunshine Band back to the music of The Wizard of Oz and Mozart. Some of it I still like today, some of it I have long since rejected, but the point is that I was not choosing to listen to this music. It was around me and it was all I knew. The music that you discover on your own takes on a significant meaning.

When I flipped on my first little clock radio I chose to listen to bands like Matchbox Twenty, Creed, Alanis Morissette, Third Eye Blind, Barenaked Ladies, REM, and Stroke 9 among others. I chose to listen to songs like "She's So High" by Tal Bachman, "Linger" by The Cranberries, "Leaving Town" by Dexter Freebish, "Teenage Dirtbag" by Wheatus, and breakthrough revolutions to me like "Name" by The Goo Goo Dolls and "Long December" by Counting Crows. I could go on and on. One summer I mowed lawns and everytime I got paid I asked my mom or dad to take me to Hastings and I would buy another album. That was back when people actually bought CDs. It is difficult to debate what is good and what is not when it comes to music because it's all a matter of taste and opinion. That being said, the hit songs of today just don't measure up according to my tastes. It makes me think we are at a new low point regarding what kind of music is popular.

That's okay though because the music is still out there somewhere. Whether the artists are struggling to survive or have long since faded into obscurity the music is still there. Since that time my musical tastes have broadened but I ocassionally get nostalgic when I hear a song from that era. I appreciate the music of the 90s that was with me in that metaphorical roller coaster called adolescence. A time when things seemed so complicated but were actually so free.