The Day the Music Died (at least a little)

This crazy rant was a little too long. So I'm putting it behind a cut. I still want everyone's feedback, but you'll have to venture a little further before getting to the entry.

So fwar the music mentioned is by Black Eyed Peas, Gwen Stefani, and the Britney Clones.

I'm 30. I always imagined the time would come when I no longer completely understood new popular music trends. You might think that happened to me long ago with Eminem or Snoop Dog. Truth be told, I can listen to them both. Some of the lyrics, though crude, are quite clever. I also enjoy the way they utilize the realm of electronic music as well as simple sounds like clicking your tongue to create a backdrop. I've even survived the whiny white-boy 90's and the early 2000s, full of less-than-nice and not-extremely-talented half-naked 14-year-old girls. They may not have been the nicest of girls, but the were decent entertainers at least and a few were actually very talented. When they get into their later 20s, they may even put on some clothing and surprise you. Have you heard the music under the trailer for "Jarhead"? It might not be your cup of tea, but it draws you in. I may have to buy the MP3 because it caught my ear. ...and that's the most I've ever really expected from pop/popular music. A clever phrase here....a phenomenal vocal there....and, on the rare occasion, something that draws me in and creates a whole new landscape of sound.

I figured someday I would turn on the radio and think, "They just don't make music like they used to". Maybe the songs wouldn't speak to my experience as a mother and wife. Maybe there would be a swing back to the 80s in regard to electronic music or *shudder* disco. Maybe things would just seem too young for me. All of these things started to happen somewhere in my late 20s, but it never really bothered me. Here and there I would hear a catchy phrase or a singer with potential and that was enough to keep me listening to the radio top 10. What are people listening to? What is the newest thing sparking interest?

I had been in a conversation with a co-worker the month before about current music trends. He argues that there have been no true "new" music genres since the advent of rock-n-roll in the 50/60s. I remember thinking, "What could cause a person to disregard everything new and just halt their participation in the current musical landscape? What could make someone just shut their ears off?" ...and then the Black Eyed Peas (a band) were kind enough to answer that question for me with their amazing new hit, "My Humps". The exact line that got my attention for all the wrong reason was, "My lovely lady lumps". The vocals were weak, the words insipid, and the bump-and-grind generic beat was an insult to the listener's intelligence. Why not just cut to the chase and say, "Hey, you stupid, teenage, hormone-driven little idiots will listen to anything with a beat you can dance to. I tell you what. We will run a beat-in-a-can machine for 3 minutes and let the token chick moan out a few comments on her own anatomy. Sound good? Cool. Buy our album."

And this got me to thinking. Mwahahahahaha.

No huge experience like this is unique. I suspect this is a "rite of passage" in a way. The first time you get carded....the first time you don't. The moment you realize your car isn't just cool...it could kill someone if you're stupid...and I don't mean the first time you say that to your parents. I mean the first time you admit it to yourself. The list goes on. I suspect others have had the same moment I describe above when the music on the "new" music station just doesn't belong to you any more.

So....I'm asking you this:
When did the music (at least the new stuff) become something less than what you feel it used to be? When was the first time you noticed yourself pulling out tapes, (8-tracks...hahahhaha), records, or CDs of "the stuff you listened to when you were a teenager"? When did people stop "making music like they used to"? Do you remember the year...date....music you were listening to? Did you really stop listening to the "new" station entirely?

I doubt I'll ever completely shut my ears, but I find myself in need of a nice break. I have heard stupid lyrics before, goodness knows I have heard bad vocals, and who can really say they escaped the music-in-a-can dance party 90s? For some reason, this one moment in time has rattled me.

So, here is my entry for "The Music Died (at least a little)" thread of conversation:

Group/Artist: The Black Eyed Peas
Date: October 2005
Reason: Lyrics. Specifically, "My lovely lady lumps"