Musically, I’m Stuck in the 70s

I’m writing this while listening to an audio broadcast of a classic Bruce Springsteen concert recorded live on February 5, 1975 from the Main Point in Bryn Mawr, PA. The venue, which no longer exists, was only about a mile from where I now live. It is now an empty storefront, but prior to that was the location of Showcase Comics.

I’ve written previously that multi-tasking is difficult for me, but I can make an exception for The Boss. And while listening to classics such as Incident on 57th Street and Wings for Wheels (to be known later as Thunder Road – my favorite song of all time, by any artist), it struck me that my musical tastes have not progressed beyond the 1970s.

This fact is reinforced every time I bring up my YouTube playlist. Here’s a random sampling of some of the songs I have on that playlist:

Neil Diamond – Sweet Caroline
John Denver – Tastes Good to Be Back Home Again
Stevie Nicks – Landslide
Eagles – Peaceful Easy Feeling
Bobby Sherman – Seattle (that’s right, Bobby Sherman!)
The Archies – Sugar, Sugar
The Cars – My Best Friend’s Girl
Rick Nelson – Garden Party
Anne Murray – Could I Have This Dance
Pure Prairie League – Amie
Cat Stevens – The Wind

And that’s not even including songs from Bruce, or Harry Chapin, James Taylor, Carole King, or Boz Scaggs, or countless other favorites. The songs on my iTunes playlist are of a similar nature.

While it’s clearly a sign that I have not kept up with the world of music, at least I was fortunate enough to have grown up in the decade that had the greatest music of all time 🙂

I am also fortunate that all three of my sons enjoy music. While they appreciate the music from my era, they were also very much in tune with the current music scene while they were growing up. As a result, I learned to appreciate some of the music from their generation, and so my playlist is not just songs from “back in the day”; there are some relatively newer songs on there:

The Killers – All These Things That I’ve Done
Colbie Caillat – Bubbly
Ingrid Michaelson – Be OK
Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros – Home
American Authors – Best Day of My Life

And it was really hard to not include Anna Kendrick on this list, so I have two of her songs on my playlist.

If you would like to see the whole playlist, here is the link.

I’m not sure what it says about me that I’m still stuck in the 1970s musically. I think it’s just that the 70s were a time when I had more time to listen to music, and a chance to get to know some of the artists and their songs back then. As a result, I started to assemble  a group of favorite artists and bands back then, and now, through the magic of YouTube I am able to enjoy that music again. And listening to such music certainly brings back many happy memories.

So I guess I’ll just continue to add to my YouTube playlist, with most of the songs coming from the late 60s, the 70s, and the early 80s. But I have been slowly adding some more contemporary songs, as noted above.

By the way, I take my playlist seriously, and give lots of thought to whether or not a song is worthy of being on the list. The latest one I am thinking about adding is Fireworks by Katy Perry. Normally I would not have been aware of who Katy is or what she sings, but after having seen her perform during the Super Bowl, and then having watched The Interview where the song is prominently featured, I’ll admit it’s kind of a catchy tune. (I also realize I’m about 5 years behind the times on this one).

So while the 70’s may have held a patent on the greatest music of all times, perhaps that patent is about to expire, thus opening up a world of possibilities for me.

*By the way, as a follow-up to yesterday’s blog about things that still confuse me, my wife was quick to point out that I left out my inability to discern one type of flower from another. Using my simple way of classifying things, I classify flowers into two categories, roses, and everything else. For the everything else category, I’ve made no attempt to learn the difference between one flower vs. another. And to be completely honest, even within the roses category, I have yet to learn the difference between a rose and a carnation.