I think we can all safely agree that the music that came out from the time that you were 13 to 20 years old was the greatest music of all time. Everything that came before it was old and outdated and everything after was just garbage. I know I feel this way about the music that came out in the late ‘90s and early 2000s and I’m sure that whatever time frame you lived those formative years in has a special place in your heart for that music as well.
For me, that music was punk rock and its offshoots. Bands like pennywise and perhaps most importantly U2 was the soundtrack of that time frame for me. If you are familiar with both of those bands you may be thinking to yourself that’s two very different sides of what could be considered punk rock music. And to this, I would say that you are very correct in your musical assessment of what the instrumentals sound like. However, you couldn’t be more wrong when it comes to the lyrical comparison of the wordsmiths who crafted the anthems of my childhood. Songs about standing up for what you believe in, questioning authority, and the unwavering dedication to remaining a unique individual and not assimilating into the crowd and the eventual grind of adulthood.
I loved these songs when I was a teenager but I wasn’t quite sure why, they were often loud, fast, and aggressive. I sang the lyrics but I don’t think I ever gave them much thought as to what their meaning was, I just knew I liked them and they sounded really good when they were played at full volume.
A lot of things have changed in my life over the past 20ish years but those favorite songs of my formative years are still up there at the top of my playlists and they sound even better cranked up now that I’ve come to realize the message of the lyrics I had been singing all those years. I’m proud of myself that I still live the message in those songs I love. I stand up for what I believe in, I question authority and politely dissent when necessary, and one thing is for damn sure I haven’t grown up and changed into the adult I never wanted to become. Sure I wear a shirt and tie for work, well I used to when I wasn’t working from home. But guess what? That tie is a bowtie because I’ll play along with your rules but I surely am not going to dress up like everyone else to fit in with the crowd. Think about the last minute of killing in the name of by rage against the machine if you’re wondering where the inspiration for the bowtie came from
Those songs you loved as a kid, I’m sure you’re still listening to them as well maybe you even crank them up as well. Do you still live the lyrics, or have you forgotten the message that you used to scream at the top of your lungs? We’re you a punk rocker or a hippie that went to all of the shows and swore you would never sell out to the adult crowd and assimilate into the norm? If the answer is yes or at least most of the time I’m very proud of you for staying true to the message. If not I might suggest googling the lyrics to that song that means so much to you and reevaluate your life choices.
Like a lot of things I write about the theme isn’t always the message I’m trying to get across. I fully understand that music and lyrics are not the overbearing character witness of our lives but they helped form our social and ethical DNA. Do you still embrace those things that you once believed in or are you living a life that the 20-year-old version of yourself would be disappointed in?
Subjects to change 