Two very close friends of mine are getting married in a few weeks, and they very generously asked me to sing at their wedding. I suggested a few songs, but they eventually settled on Bridge Over Troubled Water, by Simon and Garfunkel. As a result, I’ve been listening to and falling in love with their music all over again after years of not really having paid attention. Their music is really special to me–my best friend and I used to sing all the harmonies in the halls at school and in classes constantly. We sang for years together. Our parents introduced us to Simon and Garfunkel. My mother loves these songs as much as I do.
Their music brings me back to a time that I have a very nostalgic picture of. I want to idealize it and say people back then could appreciate real instruments, strong vocals, and really great songwriting in a way that may no longer exist. Don’t get me wrong, there are some dubstep songs I like, and I definitely like dancing to my share of pop. And I guess we’ve got singers like Adele in our generation. But back then, that was the norm. I wonder what causes shifts in music? Are there studies on why a particular generation likes what it likes listening to?