Lines That Make Songs Sound Dated.

I'm Jumpin' Jack Flash, it's a gas gas gas
Nobody says "It's a gas" anymore.

 

Now I know how Joan of Arc felt
As the flames rose to her Roman nose
And her Walkman started to melt

 

"Our Pa's each own one of the World Trade Centers,
for a kiss and a smile I'd give mine all to you."

Darlington County - Bruce Springsteen

 

I'm thinking the expression "our goose is cooked" is just a tiny bit dated, no?

 

any song with the lyric "yesterday"

 

I guess he's thinking about the language.... I was thinking more about the situation.

 

That's why this one and "Woodstock" in particular never cross my mind as dated. They're alive to me. I don't hear them as fixed in time back in 1969 any more than The Star Spangled Banner swells my heart with fond memories of 1814. What matters to me is the experience I've had with them. Anthems transcend time.

That said, I'm enjoying this.

"Telephone Line" references a phone ringing forever. Nope. Not anymore.

"Skateaway" is my favorite Dire Straits song, but I don't remember the last time I saw someone skating in traffic. Does this still happen? I think of it as a very very dated phenomenon, at least as Knopfler describes it....

 

While that obviously stamps a date on the lyrics, I feel like "topical song about an event," like this or "Ohio," is a different kind of "dated" from "situation in a song that would never happen today," like all the examples about telephones.

"No Reply" is a great example -- lines that don't stick out with once-trendy language or historical references and yet they describe something once commonplace that doesn't really exist anymore.

 

Any song that says "To trip is just to fall." I'll pick "The Rover" by Zep. For some reason that slogan always annoyed me. Like you were in on some kind of secret in the late 60's and early 70's by knowing what tripping was. Unless I'm missing the point of the saying, which is entirely possible.

 

Please Mr. Postman. Um, just snapchat that or instagram it to me.

 

I'm thinking of videos here.

The Frankie Goes to Hollywood one with Reagan and Russia's leader (forget name) wrestling.

Genesis video with Reagan setting off the bomb accidentally when he calls the nurse.

Not videos...

867-5309. Nobody memorizes phone numbers anymore.

Back in the USSR

Any song about calling the DJ to desperately request a song. Now you can just go on youtube and hear it, download it off iTunes, etc.

The beginning of Pink Floyd's Mother with the phone ringing and nobody answering.

PS I Love You - Doubt too many love letters are being written by hand these days.

 

All of the telephone songs mentioned so far are modern compared to The Kinks' "Party Line."

 

How about Beachwood 4-5789. Old fashioned phone number style.

 

Yeah. Nearly every rap song is 80% pop culture references to seem relevant, which instantly makes the songs dated. I'm not much a fan of rap - I prefer melody - but I do like some, and what I like isn't pop culture references, it's real lyrics about real things. Admittedly there's barely any of that on the public radar and I know of precious little myself.

 

Alfred E. Neuman does!

 

Yeah, "**** the Police" isn't relevant at all today.

 

I was thinking about the datedness of the word "groovy" which made me think of "Here come 'old Flat Top / he come groovin' up slowly."

There actually aren't too many Beatles lines that show their age....other than, y'know "All You Need Is Love" ...but that's one that is.

 

Songs that are dated because of the lyrics »
Songs that date themselves. »

Both of those are just from the last 2 years

 

Sebastian and Zal formed the Spoonful
Michelle, John, and Denny gettin' very tuneful
McGuinn and McGuire just a-catchin' fire
In L.A., you know where that's at
And everybody's gettin' fat except Mama Cass - Creeque Alley (Mama's and Papa's)