Music is crucial in our existence, we all have our own soundtracks and each song has its own meaning. I’m not saying I’m the most original person or that I’m unique as they come, but my music taste isn’t exactly considered mainstream in 2018. Everyone who knows me knows I’m an old soul, my soundtrack dating all the way back to the mid-1950s to now, but mostly the 1960s-1980s. I grew up listening to old music from my dad who got into it when he was a teenager, and something just stuck with me from all the songs I heard from old movies and TV shows we’d watch or our car rides together. He taught me to own whatever I did and embrace who I am, and before today only friends new of my love for the past, but now here it is: the positives and negatives of being an old soul.
Con: You never get aux in the car with friends.
My car playlist is truly an experience. It can go from Ariana Grande to the Beatles to disco, REAL quick. Usually, it’s not exactly what the kids listen to these days. No one listens to my music, nor wants to, so the only car rides that get to hear my music are the ones where I fly solo. Tip: if you’re driving and one of your friends is getting on your nerves, put on your oldies playlist and argue that the driver picks the music.
Pro: It’s adds a unique quality to your personality.
Saying that you’re into old music is a great fun fact for any ice breaker you’ll ever have to do, you always have to be prepared for those. Boom. Ice breaker done. Whether it’s cool or not it’s still something unique, or if someone relates to it, you just made yourself a new friend.
Con: You missed the opportunity to see your favorite bands live.
Unless your favorite band is the Rolling Stones, who haven’t left the stage in over 50 years with Mick Jagger still bopping around in extremely tight clothing, you probably haven’t had the opportunity to see your favorite band live in concert. In my case, it is impossible to see my favorite bands in concert because half of them are either dead or old enough to be my grandfather. It’s truly sad watching videos of old performances in the 60s, the energy of the crazy teenage girls in the crowd, and knowing you’ll never get to be that crazed.
Pro: You’re a step ahead of the “vintage” trends.
Nowadays, there isn’t much creativity in culture so everyone takes things from definitive decades, flare pants from the 70s, big hair and scrunchies from the 80s, lots and lots of denim from the 90s. With music, record players and old vinyls are a “thing” now, so you’re one step ahead with already having a record player to actually listen to old records. Ahead of the crowd, nice work.
Con: No new music to look forward to.
As I mentioned earlier, if you’re in my shoes and your favorite bands peaked in the early to mid-1960s, half of the members are either dead or retired from music, so there haven’t been new additions to their music in 40+ years. At least there is a lot of music to choose from so we are not at a terrible loss.
Pro: You have something that’s truly yours.
I’m not criticizing anyone with a current music taste, every song has a different meaning to everyone, but going back and listening to older music gives a different perspective on life because it isn’t the perspective of our generation. I feel that having this music taste gives me a defining quality that I’m proud of because I know it is something I’m true to that not a lot of people have. It’s easy to turn on the radio and relate to whichever hit is on at that moment, but to be able to reach into the past and identify with that music is something very few people of my generation get to experience, and I’m forever grateful that I could’ve experienced that.