Where Has All The Good Music Gone

We need to seriously have an educated and logical conversation about the state of music today people. I know I know every generation says the music of the next generation is terrible and we wax poetically about songs of our youth and how good the music was. I am also aware that just by writing about this topic I now sound like some grumpy old man but deep down you know I am correct and if you don’t well get in line. Sure you could also argue that its not today’s music that sucks but rather my ability to find good music today. Sure it is out there if you look hard enough but that’s my point. It is almost impossible to not judge an entire generation’s music because the radio stations keep playing the same crap over and over and it is almost comical who wins Grammy’s these days.
While there are certain defining moments in the music of every generation it is safe to say the downward trend for most of us, that grew up with good music, began with Nickelback back in the early 2000s and the torch has been passed down to Imagine Dragons. Now before you jump all over me we both know I am not the only Nickelback hater on here nor is it the music from Nickelback that we hate so much. Nickelback is not hated because their music is awful because let’s face it there is plenty of music out there that is just really terrible and nobody gives it a second thought. What sets Nickelback apart from the others is someone at a record company heard them and knew, even though the music was awful, that with the right PR campaign they could sell it to the masses. They knew that given the right spin and saturation on radio stations everywhere the public would lap it up and it worked. The formula worked so well they teach it in colleges across North America and graduates practice it every day. Next time you log in to Spotify give Lizzo a listen and you’ll see my point. It’s not just her lyrics and lack of originality in the music but her ability to sing which is something that her fans are more than willing to look past. An attitude and a flute are a suitable cover for terrible music and singing.
Pop music today is auto-tuned crap that is spoon-fed to us by marketing gurus that are laughing at how gullible the general public is. There are exceptions of course but the majority of pop songs today are not as complex melodically and feature fewer chord changes and lyrically they have becomes more anti-social, angry and feature more first person “I” talk. Growing up through the 70’s,80’s and early 90’s made me appreciate the mystery of each new band and the ones we had. The lyrics were different and so were the sounds. You could tell who each singer was because their voices were distinct and the music…it had depth and an undeniable influence. And why can’t anyone write a song today? Why does each song have to be a collaboration between a dozen people where Bohemian Rhapsody was written by one man?
I have an 8-year-old son and I feel, as a parent and a lover of music, that I owe him the opportunity to listen to real music and experience the songs of the past so he can understand that we weren’t always this way. Early this summer I was fortunate enough to walk by his bedroom while he was hiding a book. I had to stop and do a double-take and then I just stood there and listened as he quietly sang to himself American Pie by Don McLean. While this music phase may end up being short-lived the seeds have been planted and there is hope.