Is your favorite music not what you discovered/listened to as a teen?

So as you know, most people's musical scope extends as far as what they discovered and listened to heavily as teens (not necessarily the music that was of their era but in most cases it is). Some people have a few outliers but the bulk of their music is what they liked as a teen. Is there anyone in which the bulk of their music interests and listening isn't what they listened to heavily as teens?

 

Well...in my teens I listened to: heavy metal, disco, hardcore, punk and new wave...
So in general I guess I still listen to those things. I never got jazz and at this point probably never will...nor do I like rap or the current state of R&B though I have gained a real appreciation for 60's/70's R&B.

 

Much of my preferred listening these days are indeed the same kinds of songs I listened to when I was young. (What a sad phrase that is...) I still like them and songs in the same genre. However, I have discovered lots of music that is just as dear to me, though not in a nostalgic way. For instance, I was never into singer-songwriters that much when I was growing up, but they are now my staple. I also "found" reggae a few years later. I hope I´ll keep adding to kinds of music that I like.

 

I agree with Jarleboy. Most of what I listen to that is created in this century--Sam Roberts Band, Aimee Mann, Ryan Adams, etc.--aren't too far removed from what I listened to 40 years ago. There is a reason for that: http://www.slate.com/articles/healt...and_neuroscience_for_song_preference_and.html

And I just realized the OP asked for input from those that HAVE changed--sorry.

JcS

 

I was listening to Beethoven and his ilk when I was 15, am listening to a plurality of the same now. Mind you, Tears For Tears and Broken Bells weren't around when I was a pubescent and I listen to them a lot now.

 

I discovered some but not most of my favorite music as a teen. Mostly classical through impressionist era Classical, Italian opera, country and bluegrass, early Beatles and Stones.

In general pop and rock music got a whole lot better after I got out of my teens.

 

I don't think that's at all true for a forum like this. Most people who actively love music continue to evolve and expand their horizons. It's perfectly okay to continue to celebrate the music of one's youth, but I don't really even consider folks who exclusively listen to music they liked in High School as being actual, active music fans.

I used to work with a guy who had a cassette of Styx Grand Illuson WELDED into his tape player. That's all he would play, over and over and over again, because it had been his favorite album when he was in High School and a jock and a chick magnet and now he was just a guy who cleaned pools for a living. I'm not judging because I was cleaning the pool right along side of him, but I wouldn't say his interest in that album had a whole lot to do with music appreciation. More like an audio version of his High School yearbook.

 

I started on Aerosmith etc, then went through a major expansion into classical around age 30 as I got into high end audio. My collection today is about 1/3 rock, pop, soul, jazz, dance, etc and about 2/3 classical. Today I'll just as likely pick up a Beatles mono reissue as I will a Decca SXL reissue. I try out anything in nice shape at the thrifts.

 

My favorite music now is not what I listened to as a teen.

As a teen some favorites were Eagle, Fleetwood Mac (1975+), Boston, Deep Purple, and (believe it or not) Barry Manilow and Air Supply.

The artists I listen to most new are Fairport Convention, Richard Thompson, Neil Young, Townes Van Zandt, Fleetwood Mac (pre 1975) , Jason Isbell, Sturgill Simpson as well as other Folk and alt-Country / Americana artists.

I still like the rock classics but don't listen to them all that much by comparison.

 

hell no. I listened to some terrible music when I was a teen. def leppard and hair metal crap, not to mention top 40 stuff.

 

Will be interesting to see if the answers differ between those of us that were teens in the '70's (I hit 13 in '71), and those that were teens in the '90's. The article I linked to says the soundtrack to your youth is special in your brain (for most of us, obviously not a universal truth). I say that because those that were teens in the '90's had the option to listen to "classic rock" radio instead of the dance pop that was dominating the mid-90's. I go to church with a 15 year old that has discovered classic rock, and I am sharing my vinyl collection with her now. She has two dozen albums I have lent to her. She loves the Faces, The Clash, Talking Heads, Beatles and Fleetwood Mac (RUMOURS and the self-titled are the two she has). She doesn't care for the top 40 these days at all.

I may be warping her psyche...

JcS

 

Favorite artists . . .

At 10 years old(1971):
Johnny Cash
Johnny Horton
Dolly Parton
Charley Pride
Merle Haggard
Glen Campbell

At 16 years old(1977):
Lynyrd Skynyrd
Outlaws
REO Speedwagon
Bad Company
Warren Zevon
Foreigner

At 54 years old(2015):
Amanda Shires
Jason Isbell
Justin Townes Earle
Rod Picott
Warren Zevon
American Aquarium
John Hiatt

Summary: My current musical tastes appear to be a pretty good average of my 10 year old and 16 year old tastes: Singer-songwriter music with equal amounts of rock and country . . .

 

I can't label any one type/genre of music as my "favorite", but yes, my tastes have changed (in some areas) from when I was a teen ager. Growing up I listened (mostly) to Top 40 with some classic rock sprinkled in. I also "discovered" the blues via working backwards from some of the rock I listened too. I'd say on the whole, my RnB palette is a lot wider these days and I've developed an appreciation for a lot of funk (as my current avatar indicates) that was nowhere near my radar when I was a teen. I have friends to thank for opening my ears up to some great music overall.

Edit: For the record, I was a teen in the 80s.

P.S. I should also add that while I didn't think it would ever go away (or at least shrink drastically) when I was a teenager, I also have to thank the numerous small and indie record shops that existed, particularly in NYC, some of the best musical exploration/experiences I've ever had. Nothing beat a Saturday hitting the circuit of record stores in the Village and just diving in. Communing with like minded folks helped a lot as well. I have great memories from that time and it definitely shaped my appreciation for a lot of different artists and types of music.

 

I did my most adventurous listening at about 14; a little jazz-rock fusion, a little punk....

Now I'm digging a little deeper into the Top 40 AM stuff I loved when I was a pre-school & grammar schooler. I'm goin' backwards!

 

Russian classical will always rule.

 

Was a teen through most of the 70s.

I had virtually no interest in music that pre-dated (or wasn't part of) the rock era. Now it's probably about 2/3 of what I listen to. Blues, country, gospel, jazz, the Great American Songbook...bring it on!

I still listen to a lot of Dylan, though.

 

Punk. Teenager in the 70s so I thought bands like Led Zeppelin were slow and boring. I can still listen but it's not something I'd put on to sit back and enjoy.

 

Even though they are no longer my favorites and I don't listen to them much, the soundtrack of my youth is indeed special to me. Any number of songs can bring me right back to 1977. However I would still, now, rather listen to Fairport Convention than Boston. In 1977 I would have had no idea who Fairport Convention where. My small town in mid America did hear such groups. At least not as far as I can recall.

 

Wow, is that like being held back in school? I got it done with in about 5 years .

Just kidding, and actually my experience is much the same as yours. I like some of the music I listened to as a kid very much and wouldn't trade in concert experiences and such from the time for anything, and I still have the records but rarely listen to any of that now.

 

I listened to a lot of music in my teens, some of it made the cut to modern day and some has not.

When I was 14ish I was way into the Doors, Led Zeppelin and Hendrix. I don't dislike those bands now but I'm not all that interested in hearing those albums for the millionth time. I got heaving into the Grateful Dead in my teens and they still make my playlist on a regular basis.

 

So, you somehow skipped 2 of your teen years, eh? Wish I could have done that — I'm sure my parents would have liked it, too!

Actually, you're a teenager for 7 years (your 13th birthday until your 20th). That's 70% of a 10-year period — so, yes, I was in my teens through most of the 70s.

 

I've been accused of being a teenager for the last 25 years. But ot be fair I don't drive nearly as fast as I did back then.

 

You & me both!

 

On this site many folks don't listen to anything after their youth, as 'When did Music Die for you' etc, threads that are a staple here. Many folks here have zero interest in expanding their musical horizons.

 

nope