A Brief History of Music (And the Weird People Who Swore It Was the Best Era). Every generation thinks the one before it had terrible music… right up until they’re old enough to complain that today’s music is terrible.
Before 1900
“Play It Again, Town Fiddler!”
Popular Sounds: Folk songs, hymns, sea shanties, classical music, whatever one guy with a fiddle happened to know.
Typical Listener:
“My entertainment budget is one potato and a barn dance.”
The hottest new release wasn’t an album. It was Carl learning a third song on the banjo.
1900–1925
Ragtime & Early Jazz
Typical Listener:
Owns exactly one nice suit and believes dancing faster than walking is a personality trait.
Says things like:
“Now THIS has rhythm!”
1925–1945
The Big Band Explosion
Typical Listener:
Can somehow dance for four hours straight without requiring knee surgery.
Still introduces their spouse by saying,
“We met at a dance hall.”
1945–1955
Crooners Take Over
Typical Listener:
Hair permanently combed.
Believes romance is impossible without singing directly into a vintage microphone.
1955–1965
Rock ‘n’ Roll Arrives
Typical Listener:
Parents are convinced civilization has officially ended because someone moved their hips.
Grandparents:
“This isn’t music!”
Kids:
“Exactly.”
1965–1975
The Hippie Era
Typical Listener:
Owns six guitars.
Knows seventeen chords…
…uses three.
Still believes that buying organic vegetables somehow counts as political activism.
1970–1985
Classic Rock Rules Earth
Typical Listener:
Owns twelve concert T-shirts that no longer fit.
Insists every guitar solo needs to be at least eleven minutes long.
Can identify a band from one snare hit.
1975–1985
Disco Fever
Typical Listener:
Believes every room secretly wants to become a dance floor.
Has never willingly worn matte clothing.
1975–1990
Heavy Metal
Typical Listener:
Looks terrifying.
Would probably help you move a couch without even asking.
Owns more black T-shirts than actual emotions.
1980–1990
Synth Pop & MTV
Typical Listener:
Hair contains more hairspray than actual hair.
Believes shoulder pads are aerodynamic.
Can still sing every one-hit wonder perfectly.
1985–1995
Hair Metal
Typical Listener:
Spends longer styling hair than writing songs.
Every guitar solo somehow ends in a split.
1988–1998
Grunge
Typical Listener:
Accidentally became fashionable by refusing to care.
Owns exactly one flannel…
…for every day of the week.
1990–2005
Alternative Rock
Typical Listener:
Claims to dislike mainstream music…
…while buying millions of albums.
Favorite phrase:
“You’ve probably never heard of them.”
1990–Today
Hip-Hop Goes Mainstream
Typical Listener:
Knows every lyric except the ones appropriate for family gatherings.
Can identify producers the way wine experts identify grapes.
1995–2010
Boy Bands & Manufactured Pop
Typical Listener:
Has voted for a favorite band member more times than local elections.
Believes synchronized dancing is a sign of authenticity.
2000–2015
Pop Princess Era
Typical Listener:
Owns at least three playlists labeled:
- Confidence
- Crying
- Revenge
Sometimes all used on the same commute.
2005–2015
Emo
Typical Listener:
“It’s not a phase.”
(It was.)
2010–Today
EDM Festival Culture
Typical Listener:
Travels 2,000 miles to stand in a field listening to someone press buttons…
…and somehow has the time of their life.
2010–Today
Country Pop
Typical Listener:
Has never actually worked on a farm.
Owns cowboy boots anyway.
2015–Today
Streaming Playlist Era
Typical Listener:
Doesn’t know who sings anything.
Asks,
“What’s that song from TikTok?”
2020–Today
Algorithm Music
Typical Listener:
Hasn’t discovered a band.
A recommendation engine has discovered one for them.
Their favorite artist this week didn’t exist last month.
Today Everybody Lives in Their Own Musical Universe
The classic rock fan says modern music is garbage. The Gen Z listener thinks every song before 2005 sounds the same. Metal fans still think they’re misunderstood. Country fans are arguing about whether it’s “real country.” Jazz fans are quietly judging everyone. And somewhere, a guy is still telling people vinyl sounds warmer while carefully placing a $47 record onto a turntable that costs more than his first car.
The Moral of the Story
No matter what decade you grew up in, your generation is absolutely convinced it witnessed the last great era of music.
Statistically speaking…
…everybody can’t be right.
Which is exactly why arguing about music has been one of humanity’s favorite hobbies for the last hundred years. 🎸🎷🎤🎹