Remember When Music Was for Adults?

[Searching1981]

Well, it is a boring Sunday Afternoon and I decided to start a discussion on Music because Music is dear to me.

The Topic? Remember when Music was for Adults?

I can relate to pretty much all recorded music before around the time of 2005. I can relate to the Swing of the Roaring Twenties and the Musical Show Tunes of the time; I can relate to the incoming Holy Blues and Jazz; of course, I can relate Rock of the Sixties, Seventies, Eighties and Nineties; of course, I can relate to the Rap and Hip Hop Revolution of the Eighties and Nineties just as I can Soul, Funk and R&B which birthed it. Everything international from Afro-Cuban, to Jamaican Reggae, Latin Jazz and Rock is all beautiful.

What is the common theme of all this music? It was all meant to be consumed by adults. The dark themes, the brooding philosophy, the joyous complexity of it's thought all of it had something for an adult to listen to, understand and appreciate.

Now, music is written for children Nietzsche wrote, "without music life would not make much sense." It sure seems that way. Now that music, all music, only appeals to a twelve year old well life sure seems stupid.

There is hope out there. Here is the hope:

1) Jazz is coming back and that is signalling a time when Blues and Rock come back.
2) If you live in a Blue State or Louisiana, Texas, Georgia, Florida there is a vibrant music scene where Jazz, Blues, Rock, Rap and Hip Hop are being produced.

Cheers!

Update: Share adult driven music if you know it. This is also the thread to share that. By adult I mean something someone could gratefully consume it past 25 to old Age.

 

[Nietzsche]

I'm curious as to what sort of mental gymnastics you must perform in order to believe sexual orientation has anything to do with the quality of music.

 

[Nietzsche]

?

No mental gymnastics just honest truth. It's very simple when you are straight, you really don't understand gays and their music and their modern control of music and you resent it as a straight musician. Just like there is homophobia there is also heterophobia and all gays have it.

...what?

Not all straight people are homophobic, not all gay people are heterophobic. Undoubtedly some exist. But seriously? You just want to paint a whole group of people like that because...what, you think they're the root of some problem you perceive with society?

 

[Skwim]

Well, it is a boring Sunday Afternoon and I decided to start a discussion on Music because Music is dear to me.

The Topic? Remember when Music was for Adults?

Music strictly for adults pretty much disappeared when Frank Sinatra came on the scene in the 40s.

.

 

[SomeRandom]

The hell does being gay or straight have to do with music?
I'm straight and I love Queen, grew up dancing to YMCA and listened to I Will Survive many times. All supposedly "gay music."
Hell the gay community has famously adopted practically half of all Disney music to ever exist. So are you saying that as a straight person I can't like Disney soundtracks? Bugger that.
Are you saying that Liberachi or Elton John or Boy George or Abba or Queen can't connect with straight people? That makes no sense!
Music doesn't care about orientation. If it speaks to a person then it speaks to them. Often regardless of the creator's intent.
I don't get the connection to sexual orientation at all. I thought everyone loved Queen and laughed with the Village People.

"Gay music." The hell does that even mean anyway?

 

[Polymath257]

Well, it is a boring Sunday Afternoon and I decided to start a discussion on Music because Music is dear to me.

The Topic? Remember when Music was for Adults?

I can relate to pretty much all recorded music before around the time of 2005. I can relate to the Swing of the Roaring Twenties and the Musical Show Tunes of the time; I can relate to the incoming Holy Blues and Jazz; of course, I can relate Rock of the Sixties, Seventies, Eighties and Nineties; of course, I can relate to the Rap and Hip Hop Revolution of the Eighties and Nineties just as I can Soul, Funk and R&B which birthed it. Everything international from Afro-Cuban, to Jamaican Reggae, Latin Jazz and Rock is all beautiful.

What is the common theme of all this music? It was all meant to be consumed by adults. The dark themes, the brooding philosophy, the joyous complexity of it's thought all of it had something for an adult to listen to, understand and appreciate.

Now, music is written for children (mainstream Pop) are for gay young adults--there is literally a popular band called Power Bottom. Nietzsche wrote, "without music life would not make much sense." It sure seems that way. Now that music, all music, only appeals to a twelve year old well life sure seems stupid.

There is hope out there. Here is the hope:

1) Jazz is coming back and that is signalling a time when Blues and Rock come back.
2) If you live in a Blue State or Louisiana, Texas, Georgia, Florida there is a vibrant music scene where Jazz, Blues, Rock, Rap and Hip Hop are being produced.
3) If you are straight, just know Conservatives and Internet Geeks want you gay but the real world of music outside the internet is perfectly, perfectly Straight.

Cheers!

As I recall, rock was directed towards the young. Do you recall the phrase 'Don't trust anyone over 30?'

 

[Searching1981]

Music strictly for adults pretty much disappeared when Frank Sinatra came on the scene in the 40s.

.

That's a good point...but Rock, R&B, Soul, Jazz, Funk unlike modern versions of it was not for kids. Look at the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Eagles, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Bobby Blue Bland, Bill Withers, Santana...if you read their lyrics this was not kids music.

Sure, kids looking up to their parents and older siblings could get into it (and we do hear about those musicians who parents had collections of vinyl filled with music) but now what music is there out there for Adults.

OK, let me rewrite the question: what music out there is for adults?

 

[Searching1981]

...what?

Not all straight people are homophobic, not all gay people are heterophobic. Undoubtedly some exist. But seriously? You just want to paint a whole group of people like that because...what, you think they're the root of some problem you perceive with society?

Fine, I edited the question to remove the gay dynamic because people like you will never get it. So, it's changed. Just know Gay people aren't straight people with a different sexual preference, if it was that simple I wouldn't care.

 

[Polymath257]

That's a good point...but Rock, R&B, Soul, Jazz, Funk unlike modern versions of it was not for kids. Look at the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Eagles, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Bobby Blue Bland, Bill Withers, Santana...if you read their lyrics this was not kids music.

Sure, kids looking up to their parents and older siblings could get into it (and we do hear about those musicians who parents had collections of vinyl filled with music) but now what music is there out there for Adults.

OK, let me rewrite the question: what music out there is for adults?

Um, Beatles, Rolling Stones, Eagles *were* for the kids. Often the music was a protest against the adults.

 

[Searching1981]

As I recall, rock was directed towards the young. Do you recall the phrase 'Don't trust anyone over 30?'

Good, point...but people in their thirties felt that way and it was written by people in their thirties at times or nearing it. What does Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds mean? Look it up? What does Wild Horses Mean, coming from a Father. What does Eric Clapton's Tears from Heaven mean? All this is Rock, Blues and it was consumed by adults. What does Pink Floyd mean?

What is the modern equivalent if it exists?

 

[Searching1981]

Um, Beatles, Rolling Stones, Eagles *were* for the kids. Often the music was a protest against the adults.

Wait before I go further, may I ask your age and what music you listen to. This is getting too theoretical for me.

 

[Desert Snake]

Magical mystery tour

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

This is one of the dumbest troll threads I've seen in awhile on here.

 

[Polymath257]

Good, point...but people in their thirties felt that way and it was written by people in their thirties at times or nearing it. What does Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds mean? Look it up? What does Wild Horses Mean, coming from a Father. What does Eric Clapton's Tears from Heaven mean? All this is Rock, Blues and it was consumed by adults. What does Pink Floyd mean?

No, it was consumed by teenagers. When the groups you are talking about got started, they were typically late teens or very early 20's. They said to distrust those over 30 because at the time they were a decade away from that age. And their listeners were even younger. Remember that kids aged 18 were going off to war to die. This was music for those people who were not yet adults but faced adult problems and felt attacked by the adults around them.

What is the modern equivalent if it exists?

Now *that* is a good question. Music has clearly declined since the 70's, but it isn't because it is now directed to the young more than before (if that is even true). It is that we no longer have the depth to really criticize what we see around us.

 

[Searching1981]

This is one of the dumbest troll threads I've seen in awhile on here.

Why is it a troll thread and don't you think it's funny no one ever goes to Music but all my stalkers run to my thread here which I'm writing to hope to connect with other musicians and music lovers?

 

[Polymath257]

Wait before I go further, may I ask your age and what music you listen to. This is getting too theoretical for me.

I am 54 and mostly listen to classical music (which was written for adults); Beethoven, Mozart, Rachmaninoff, Schubert, etc. But I also enjoy the Stones, the Doors, Jimi Hendrix, etc (the songs of youth).

 

[SomeRandom]

That's a good point...but Rock, R&B, Soul, Jazz, Funk unlike modern versions of it was not for kids. Look at the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Eagles, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Bobby Blue Bland, Bill Withers, Santana...if you read their lyrics this was not kids music.

Sure, kids looking up to their parents and older siblings could get into it (and we do hear about those musicians who parents had collections of vinyl filled with music) but now what music is there out there for Adults.

OK, let me rewrite the question: what music out there is for adults?

Hahahahaha not kids music? The Beatles were the 60s equivalent of a boy band (talented musicians all the same.) Christ I wasn't born for at least 3 decades after their music and even I know of Beatlemania.
Rolling Stones, Eagles etc were and are famously derided for being a bad influence on kids. Geez man all the music you listed are famously part of various youth rebellion groups throughout history. Or "counterculture movements" if you will.
If you want music written strictly for adults may I suggest Classical music and Opera. Lmao! Music has been about the kids since before we were all born.

 

[Searching1981]

No, it was consumed by teenagers. When the groups you are talking about got started, they were typically late teens or very early 20's. They said to distrust those over 30 because at the time they were a decade away from that age. And their listeners were even younger. Remember that kids aged 18 were going off to war to die. This was music for those people who were not yet adults but faced adult problems and felt attacked by the adults around them.



Now *that* is a good question. Music has clearly declined since the 70's, but it isn't because it is now directed to the young more than before (if that is even true). It is that we no longer have the depth to really criticize what we see around us.

OK, thank you, sir, this is good perspective. I especially love "They were kids going off to war facing adult problems."

OK, perfect, my contention as a hobbyist who knows musicians addressing the time there is no way to get it in a record company. Once Reagan identified a youth culture, music was certainly dead and so were the icons who would later be adults and their audience grow with them

At this point, anything not completely constructed by the music industry, such as Harry Styles or Miley Cyrus, has no chance of ever getting in. So long as it addresses the world in a meaningful way, it will never make it to a record label and that is the death knell of most musicians who could be the Dylan's of our time.

 

[Revoltingest]

Music strictly for adults pretty much disappeared when Frank Sinatra came on the scene in the 40s.

.

I never cared for Frank Sinatra until I was well into me 40s.
As he grew older, he became more interesting.....more adult, I'd say.

Adult music abounds in movies, Broadway, TV.
It might be a minority in some venues, but it exists.


Brain not working well.....head hurts....me own posts seem lower quality than usual.

 

[leibowde84]

Well, it is a boring Sunday Afternoon and I decided to start a discussion on Music because Music is dear to me.

The Topic? Remember when Music was for Adults?

I can relate to pretty much all recorded music before around the time of 2005. I can relate to the Swing of the Roaring Twenties and the Musical Show Tunes of the time; I can relate to the incoming Holy Blues and Jazz; of course, I can relate Rock of the Sixties, Seventies, Eighties and Nineties; of course, I can relate to the Rap and Hip Hop Revolution of the Eighties and Nineties just as I can Soul, Funk and R&B which birthed it. Everything international from Afro-Cuban, to Jamaican Reggae, Latin Jazz and Rock is all beautiful.

What is the common theme of all this music? It was all meant to be consumed by adults. The dark themes, the brooding philosophy, the joyous complexity of it's thought all of it had something for an adult to listen to, understand and appreciate.

Now, music is written for children Nietzsche wrote, "without music life would not make much sense." It sure seems that way. Now that music, all music, only appeals to a twelve year old well life sure seems stupid.

There is hope out there. Here is the hope:

1) Jazz is coming back and that is signalling a time when Blues and Rock come back.
2) If you live in a Blue State or Louisiana, Texas, Georgia, Florida there is a vibrant music scene where Jazz, Blues, Rock, Rap and Hip Hop are being produced.

Cheers!

You are dead wrong. There is plenty of music intended for adults. It just takes some effort. It's not like you are going to hear it on the radio. It's up to you to seek it out ... no one is going to spoon feed it to you.