The Same Old Song & Dance: The Boomerang Trajectory of Pop Music

During one my many Mom Runs of late (driving to & from school, gymnastics, birthday parties, etc.), it occurred to me that I'm surprised I have become THE MOM who is singing along to the lyrics of THE YOUTH's pop songs.

Embarrassing to realize this. I have been ever more aware lately that it's time to step side stage, and allow the kids to rightfully own their place as tzars of pop culture. I remembered, painfully, how strange it felt to hear my friend's mom singing along in the car with us as we crooned out "Tell Her About It" by Billy Joel in the early 80's, or that time when my lovely mom was really into the song "I Just Called to Say I Love You," and it seemed odd that she was singing the same songs we were.

Put aside your horror at my song choices for a moment if you can, because this was before I had the ability to consume more music than what was on local music stations. I had a few records but my music sources were the radio, and the Air Supply cassettes I pretended to enjoy as my neighborhood best friend listened, transfixed, when I went over to play.

What this is really about is the dominion young people have over the pop culture of their time, and how it basically feels like adults cannot encroach on it. Indeed, as a young person, it seems sad, comical, even shameful to see an adult edge in on what is supposed to be all yours.

By no means is this logical, I just remember the way it felt.

So I thought about this more, and realized why some of those songs are catchy -- beyond the reason that they *are* catchy, they sound a lot like songs imprinted in my memory from my youth: both childhood and early adulthood.

Examples:
Current: Lady Gaga, Gwen Stefani
Sounds Like: Madonna

Current: Coldplay, Sea Wolf
Sounds Like: U2

Current: "A Team" by Ed Sheeran
Sounds Like: Duncan Sheik (voice, if not song style)

Current: "Lights" by Ellie Goulding or "I'm Not Your Toy" by La Roux (c. 2009)
Sounds Like: Yaz

Current: "Locked out of Heaven" by Bruno Mars
Sounds Like: The 80's yelps of Steve Perry of Journey / the beats and sound of Sting of The Police

I've always noticed echoes in music, which helped me along greatly when I lived in LA and was charged with publicizing a new recording artist: it was helpful to be able to cite influences and sounds over the phone when trying to book private events to debut my client before I'd been able to send anyone a CD.

All this reminds me of the wisdom of another refrain we hear echoing in many aspects of our own adult lives: nothing is new. Everything is influenced, most likely sourced knowingly or not, from some other place -- another artist so familiar their imprint seamlessly weaves its way into our lives again and allows us to feel the comfort we so often look for.

Especially waiting in an idling minivan.