What is YOUR decade?
Everyone has a decade, a period in which they come into their own, experience the exhilirating firsts of freedom in the form of young adulthood, and a period in which the music , for most, really shapes their memories and sometimes their destinies.
My decade was the eighties. As I wended my way through junior high in the seventies and high school in the very early eighties, the musical landscape came along and evolved with me, as well. While the late seventies ended with the death of disco and the suburbanisation of punk rock, the eighties were born with the sounds of bands like Madness, The Vapors, SoftCell, the B'52's, Blondie, Tears for Fears, R.E.M., The Plimsouls, The Clash, Sousxie and the Banshees, The Cars, The Pretenders... and many more playing in the background; and there I was in the background as well ,an impressionable wide eyed 16 year old high school sophomore, just waiting to break free and discover and explore. As the eighties gained momentum and surged forward , so did I; I graduated from Cardinal Spellman in 1982. I gained a circle of very cool and oh so wonderful friends, friends with whom I shared some of the best times of my life. Although I followed the styles of the day(remember skinny ties, straight-legged pants and lots of stripes??), looking back, I tended to develop and hold onto a fashion sense that helped to strengthen my self confidence and independence. I did all of the things that older teens and young adults tend to do, some not all that good for us, but fun nonetheless; I went to so many concertsI have lost count, I had some wicked parties that people still remember to this day(!), I bar-hopped(yes, I was legal), I traveled to Europe, had my first child...and there, always just a stereo speaker or walkman away was the music. Though social and political events shape and define those oh so important years between the ages of 16 and 25 as well, those things are always accompanied by a certain beat, riff or melody, and it's funny how we don't really appreciate how much our decade's soundtrack meant to us until we are about 15- 20 years past it. I guess that can be chalked up to nostalgia, and thank goodness for it, as it gives each generation something that we can call our own, and a special something that can be shared with future generations.
My oldest is laying claim to his decade now, andthe younger two will follow suit in the not too distant future. And when they hit their 30's and 40's, I have a feeling that they will cringe at their first hearing of their music on the oldies station, as I did,but I hope that they will take that with a grain of salt, and discover a newfound love for the music that went along with them on their youthful firsts, and will continue to see them through many more mature firsts to come.
My decade was the eighties. As I wended my way through junior high in the seventies and high school in the very early eighties, the musical landscape came along and evolved with me, as well. While the late seventies ended with the death of disco and the suburbanisation of punk rock, the eighties were born with the sounds of bands like Madness, The Vapors, SoftCell, the B'52's, Blondie, Tears for Fears, R.E.M., The Plimsouls, The Clash, Sousxie and the Banshees, The Cars, The Pretenders... and many more playing in the background; and there I was in the background as well ,an impressionable wide eyed 16 year old high school sophomore, just waiting to break free and discover and explore. As the eighties gained momentum and surged forward , so did I; I graduated from Cardinal Spellman in 1982. I gained a circle of very cool and oh so wonderful friends, friends with whom I shared some of the best times of my life. Although I followed the styles of the day(remember skinny ties, straight-legged pants and lots of stripes??), looking back, I tended to develop and hold onto a fashion sense that helped to strengthen my self confidence and independence. I did all of the things that older teens and young adults tend to do, some not all that good for us, but fun nonetheless; I went to so many concertsI have lost count, I had some wicked parties that people still remember to this day(!), I bar-hopped(yes, I was legal), I traveled to Europe, had my first child...and there, always just a stereo speaker or walkman away was the music. Though social and political events shape and define those oh so important years between the ages of 16 and 25 as well, those things are always accompanied by a certain beat, riff or melody, and it's funny how we don't really appreciate how much our decade's soundtrack meant to us until we are about 15- 20 years past it. I guess that can be chalked up to nostalgia, and thank goodness for it, as it gives each generation something that we can call our own, and a special something that can be shared with future generations.
My oldest is laying claim to his decade now, andthe younger two will follow suit in the not too distant future. And when they hit their 30's and 40's, I have a feeling that they will cringe at their first hearing of their music on the oldies station, as I did,but I hope that they will take that with a grain of salt, and discover a newfound love for the music that went along with them on their youthful firsts, and will continue to see them through many more mature firsts to come.
posted by Christine at 11:12 AM
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