How "old" is 80s music?

In the UK, I suspect that it's simply because the generation that listened to BBC Radio 1 in the 80s now listens to BBC Radio 2 . The station basically took a view to move from playing "classic" oldies (Como, Sinatra etc) to playing nostalgia for the 80s generation. It staggers me to think that the albums I listened to as a kid are now as old as Wartime tunes were in the 80s. Boy, am I aging fast.

 

I've seen several people make this type of analogy, ie---that if someone in the 60s listened to music as old as we listen to now, it would be back in the wax cylinder era or whatever, but that is apples and oranges..........a kid in 2018 can push a button and instantly access more 55 year old music than any of us could back when we were young kids. Once you had parents that had grown up on rock and soul music having kids of their own, the generation gap was going to be much less significant than back when Mom and Dad of the original Beatle fans had to deal with the 'new' music. Kids today are much more knowledgeable about the music of the past than perhaps 70s kids were.

Plus, mass media has been endless promoting classic rock and the personalities of Elvis/Beatles/Stones/Zeppelin/Floyd since then. I don't think there was anyone pushing early Scott Joplin at the time of Monterey Pop.

 

Well, since I was born in 1987, I'm going to say the 80s in general are not "old" lol.

That being said, is some 80s music dated? Yes.

But so are some of the songs from the 50s, 60s, 70s, 90s, and 2000s.

And while I may not listen to a lot of 80s music, I definitely listen to more 80s music than current "mainstream" "music".

 

80's music is a whole generation removed, definitely oldies music. It's like listening to Glen Miller or Benny Goodman in the 70's

 

Well 1990 was only 10 years ago, so...

 

I feel like 80's pop/commercial music has been more timeless than 70's and even 90's. Example: Bars and cover bands will play Don't Stop Believin', Bon Jovi, GNR, Your Love by the Outfield and get a good reaction. I don't see that with 70's or a lot of 90's pop music. a lot of 90's music was mopey or dated rap. 70's was too lightweight or the hard rock was not commercial enough to cross over for other generations to love it.

Just my take.

 

1990 was almost 30 years ago.

 

Which means it's time for mentally hip-hop smoothed out on the R&B tip with a pop appeal to it to make a comeback!

 

Impossible

 

Is this a trick question..

 

Well, I hate to break it to ya.....

 

like all decades the eighties had some great stuff and some terrible stuff.
i was born in '68 so in the eighties i was choking down as much music as i could afford. i was listening to music from the forties all the way to that present.
i think some pop stuff from the eighties has aged poorly (to my ears at least, i wasn't big on some of the plinky plonky drum machines and some of the cheesy synth sounds) that doesn't mean i hate it. i think the smiths, the cure, early new order, war era u2, some of the hair metal, nick cave and bands like those have aged fairly well. i still think omd, architecture and morality stands up pretty well. rio era duran duran stands up pretty well. echo and the bunnyman. some of the seventies artists that incorporated 80's sounds didn't fair too well to my ears, i think their back catalogs sounded better. talking heads still stands up well. i am amazed folks still like culture club, i never did like their particular shtick, but to each their own. dire straits still sound great to my ears up to brothers in arms. elvis costello, joe jackson ..... lots of good artists
a pretty solid time for music, but not a lot of ground breaking, song wise

 

If the 80s only produced The Replacements, then the 80s were great. Fortunately there was a lot more to enjoy.

 

Another 80's music thought...a lot of current pop music relies on 80's synths. Example: listen to any Chainsmokers song- sounds straight out of the 80's. Taylor Swift's blockbuster 1989 album was knee deep in 80's sounds. The 80's are alive and well.

Being an 80's kid I am totally fine with it.

 

When I first heard this song in a bar I asked my friend if they were playing Bobby Brown. The New Jack Swing revival is already upon us.

 

It makes me feel old when I heard 80's music on the radio referered to oldies.

 

It is no doubt perceived ‘as old’ as the 1930’s /40’s / 50’s / 60’s / 70’s etc (pre & post), to those who lived through the decades.
That is to say ‘oh the 1980’s seem like only yesterday’.

For someone born in the last 20 years or so they must seem as relevant as the Jurassic age, and if not maybe they should

 

I was born in 1996, and I don't consider 80s music to be old, nor would I give it the oldies stamp. In fact, I think a lot of it sounds quite fresh and exciting. It's weird. I think a lot of top 40 music made after I was born sounds more 'dated' than anything from before then. I'm not sure why that is, and I kinda feel the same way about some movies and TV shows too.

 

It's only a few years old, you silly person.

Rap is a new disposable thing, and that Madonna person has almost filled up her 15 minutes of fame.

 

My mom was young in the 80s so I kind of grew up listening to it (mostly in Spanish though).

In this century, many artists have incorporated 80s pop elements to their music so I guess it doesn’t sound dated to some people. Personally, I think 80s top 40 hits have a very “80s” sound to them and I can easily recognize songs from this decade, it’s the easiest for me.

Also keep in mind that many memes songs are from the 80s! (Africa, Take On Me, Sweet Dreams Are Made Of This, etc) so I guess they make the “80s sound” familiar to many young people out there.

The 80s music isn’t too old yet.

 

I'm 29 and I honestly can't name a single thing in the current charts, yet I frequently blast lots of 70's, 80's and 90's tracks. Currently got Belinda Carlisle's "Runaway Horses" album on the turntable!

I think the problem is that everything has been done and nothing sounds original anymore. One common theme through all my music taste which is pretty varied, is that they all sound original. From ABBA to Bjork via The Cardigans, Deacon Blue, Evaescence and Fleetwood Mac (ok, I totally just realised that 3 of those are Scandinavian - co-incidence, I promise), I like anything that stands out and is distinct to a certain band. Total lack of originallity in popular music these days.

Don't get me wrong, there's lots of wonderfully unique artists about who are doing some interesting things, but you've got to really hunt them down.

 

Mathematically speaking, yea it is old. But so what? It is another chapter in the rock/pop/blues continuum and a decent one at that.

A lot of 80s pop hits, the ones with the heavy synths, sound as characteristic of that era as doo-woop sounds of its era. People laugh, but I think 80s Synth-Pop is sort of akin to the Space Age Pop of the 60s. Both were happy, kind of silly music styles that defied categorization and automatically invoke images and styles of their respective eras. I hears 80s stuff and I immediately think of big hair, pastel colors, stone wash, and a generally happy vibe.

I am glad I lived it. Youngsters, feel free to ask me about it.

 

Older then 70's music.

 

Born in 1970 and was a teen through the 80s.
Great time to be young.

Listened to 50s and 60s music all the time because that's what oldies stations played back then. Classic rock radio was super duper cool.

Technology has changed everything. Cable TV, MTV, the compact disc, amazon, mp3, ipods, smart phones. Gone are the days with 5 or 6 channels, some records and books. Nostalgia is now incorporated into daily lifestyles. An old girlfriend from years ago can now be a friend on facebook.

A few years ago Don't You Want Me by Human League came on in the office. The kids couldn't believe I remembered when it was new. I told them it felt like 3 months ago to me.

Good thing is plenty young people are willing to listen to older music and not dismiss it due to age.

Enjoy the 2020s! That is the full last decade of this century closer to the previous 80s then the next 80s.

 

Much of the popular music of the 80s sounds old to these ears. First of all, nobody except Ryan Adams (on his ill advised Rock n Roll album) has made music in that style in 20+ years. Second and IMO more critically, the attempt at state of the art production with digital technology paradoxically made it all sound kinda fake once I wasn't immersed in it, "fish in the water" style. It became the sonic equivalent of pre-Star Wars sci-fi movies or bad teenage pictures.

There's much more 90s music that seems like it could have been made yesterday. Remember, the first couple of Beck albums and OK Computer were made in the 90s.