My youngest son has decided that any song from before 2000 is officially “old people music.” This is a rational conclusion for someone his age. When I was his age, the Beach Boys were indeed old people music in my mind. But, much to my youngest son’s credit, he has also determined that not all old people music has been created equal.
From time to time, we tune in the classic rock station while tootling around town. This particular station plays hit songs from the seventies, eighties, and nineties (ie. old people music). What my son and I have deduced while analyzing these “hit” songs from a fresh, unbiased position is that popular music has always consisted of two categories: 1.) quality music compositions that consist of either talented musical performances and/or fresh musical elements. 2.) meme songs.
Examples of the first category include stuff like Bohemian Rhapsody, Free Bird, and Purple Haze. Even the Summer of ‘69 by Bryan Adams has real lyrical merit. My son and I had a bit of a debate over Kenny Loggin’s classic, Danger Zone. While it is not a piece of musical brilliance, it did indeed capture the era well. The tiebreaker in my son’s mind was distinguishing between meme songs and the songs that inspire meme songs in spades. Danger Zone has been the inspiration for a gaggle of memes lately. That fact alone secures its place in the musical annuls as an important composition.
Then you’ve got the second category: meme songs. It’s funny. I never really thought about this until recently, but these joke songs have existed for as far back as I’ve bothered to investigate (the seventies). We live during the era of the instant-classic meme song such as It’s Raining Tacos by Parry Grip and of course What Does the Fox Say by Ylvis. But it turns out that these songs existed during my childhood as well. They are easy to identify on the radio. My son’s favorite is Cars by Gary Numan:
Here in my car
I feel safest of all
I can lock all my doors
It's the only way to live in cars
I have no clue what Numan was trying to express with this song, but it’s hilarious to improv with your children.
My oldest son has become obsessed with “Rick-Rolling” people by using a meme of Rick Astley cut directly from his, Never Gonna Give you Up.
We're no strangers to love
You know the rules and so do I (do I)
A full commitment's what I'm thinking of
You wouldn't get this from any other guyI just wanna tell you how I'm feeling
Gotta make you understandNever gonna give you up
Never gonna let you down
Never gonna run around and desert you
Never gonna make you cry
Never gonna say goodbye
Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you
While I have to admit that Astley intended this as a serious song, I mean…come on. It’s pretty damn hilarious. At least Tina Turner had some soul in her lyrics.
Just a few days ago, we were sitting around the dinner table trying to coerce each other into eating the last of a big harvest of fresh peaches. I had already eaten probably four whole peaches worth. After an ill-advised road trip at the age of eighteen during which I ate an entire bag of cherries while driving overnight from Kalispell, MT to Seattle, WA I’ve learned my limit for stone fruit. Four peaches is it. While trying to convince either of my sons to commit a bowel atrocity, the Wife brought up the song Peaches by The Presidents of the United States of America, another great meme song from 1995.
Movin' to the country
Gonna eat a lot of peaches
Movin' to the country
Gonna eat me a lot of peaches
Movin' to the country
Gonna eat a lot of peaches
Movin' to the country
I'm gonna eat a lot of peachesPeaches come from a can
They were put there by a man
In a factory downtown
If I had my little way
I'd eat peaches every day
Pure Shakespeare I tells ya. Pure Shakespeare. You see, it’s always been this way. Some songs just drop at the right time and strike the public the right way for a brief flare of viral popularity. From Pac-Man Fever to Whole Foods Parking Lot or the glorious lark known as Safety Dance by Men Without Hats. If any of you can tell me what the heck is going on here, I’d love to hear it.
I’m not saying you shouldn’t listen to a-Ha or Wham! Just not in the same session as Billie Jean or Sabotage.
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