Generational Genres

Since before time was recorded, humans have been listening to music. Overtime, however, tastes and sounds have changed. With each new generation, there is a new prominent genre and sound of music that becomes more popular. Before smartphones and personalized playlists, all you had was the radio. And before that, there were records that you could only listen to one at a time.

MUSIC THROUGH THE AGES

Before smartphones and music apps, even before the radio, listening to music was limited to live performances. This could range from a nightclub that exclusively played swing music, to at home with a guitar and a piano. As time has progressed, the way people experience music has changed, but the importance of different genres correlating with each generation hasn’t. These days, when people suggest certain types of music, they often refer to the decades from when the music was popular.

Each decade has a certain “sound” that is key in identifying what year it comes from. The 50s is commonly identified as “swing” or “blues” music, while the 60s is “psychadelic rock” or “folk rock.” While these decades are only 10 years apart, the music that comes from them are wildly different.

ANTHEMS OF THE GENERATIONS

For a long time, the popular way to listen to music was through the radio. Of course there were cassettes and records, but the radio was free, and there was one playing music almost anywhere. Because of this, listeners were forced to hear only the songs that the radio station played, which ended up being the same handful of songs. This meant that these were the songs each generation had to identify with.

In more recent years, music enthusiasts have had ample opportunities to listen to a much broader range of music, mainly due to streaming and smartphones. As a result, the younger generations, as well as future generations, have more access to all different genres of music. Back then, if a song someone didn’t like was playing, chances are it was playing on all of the other radio stations too. Now, there are hundreds of thousands of songs to choose from. There are also staple songs for these more recent decades, just like past generations, but now they vary in sound and genre.

TOP ARTISTS FROM EACH DECADE

50s 60s 70s 80s

ELVIS PRESLEY

FATS DOMINO

CHUCK BERRY

LITTLE RICHARD

THE EVERLY BROTHERS THE BEATLES

JAMES BROWN

THE BEACH BOYS

THE SUPREMES

THE ROLLING STONES STEVIE WONDER

LED ZEPPELIN

ELTON JOHN

PINK FLOYD

THE ROLLING STONES MICHAEL JACKSON

PRINCE

MADONNA

U2

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN

90s 00s

NIRVANA

PEARL JAM

RADIOHEAD

2PAC

RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS OUTKAST

EMINEM

COLDPLAY

RADIOHEAD

KANYE WEST

10s

DRAKE

RIHANNA

BRUNO MARS

JUSTIN BIEBER

NICKI MINAJ

“Social media definitely played a role in shaping the generation’s music tastes,” Joe Bednarcztk, a senior in Asylum, an alternative music club says. “Music tastes would definitely be different if people could only listen to radio and live music. Radio is a fairly outdated medium as well, even with it streaming online. It’s just not as convenient as being able to listen to specific songs you enjoy or even discovering new music by genre on pre-made Spotify playlists. I feel like it’s more modern technology that’s shaped our music tastes.”

THE IMPACT OF MUSIC

Despite every generation having their own sound and their own staple songs, one thing that they all have in common is the love of music and the impact it has on society. The staple songs of every generation are what bring people together, even people who didn’t grow up when those songs were popular. Music spans generations connecting the young with the old, the blues with the pop. Because of social media and how quickly things spread today, it’s much easier for all different kinds of music to reach people it wouldn’t normally reach. The use of a multitude of genres of music on apps such as Instagram and TikTok give people the opportunity to listen to songs that they wouldn’t normally listen to. Due to that, the more recent generations don’t seem to have a specific style of music that is a staple to their particular decade. Instead, there is a hodgepodge of different sounds and styles people choose to listen to on a daily basis.

TOP SONGS FROM EACH DECADE

50s 60s 70s 80s

THAT’S AMORE BY DEAN MARTIN

COME FLY WITH ME BY FRANK SINATRA

JAILHOUSE ROCK BY ELVIS PRESLEY

I WALK THE LINE BY JOHNNY CASH

I’VE GOT YOU UNDER MY SKIN BY FRANK SINATRA SWEET CAROLINE BY NEIL DIAMOND

SHOUT BY THE ISLEY BROTHERS

BROWN EYED GIRL BY VAN MORRISON

THE WAY YOU LOOK TONIGHT BY FRANK SINATRA

TWIST AND SHOUT BY THE BEATLES

WONDERFUL TONIGHT BY ERIC CLAPTON

YMCA BY VILLAGE PEOPLE

SWEET HOME ALABAMA BY LYNYRD SKYNYRD

WE ARE FAMILY BY SISTER SLEDGE

OLD TIME ROCK AND ROLL BY BOB SEGER DON’T STOP BELIEVIN’ BY JOURNEY

YOU SHOOK ME ALL NIGHT LONG BY AC/ DC

LOVE SHACK BY THE B-52’S

LIVIN’ ON A PRAYER BY BON JOVI

POUR SOME SUGAR ON ME BY DEF LEPPARD

90s 00s 10s

ELECTRIC SLIDE BY MARCIA GRIFFITHS

BABY GOT BACK BY SIR MIX-A-LOT

FRIENDS IN LOW PLACES BY GARTH BROOKS

COTTON EYE JOE BY REDNEX

MACARENA BY LOS DEL RIO CUPID SHUFFLE BY CUPID

CHA-CHA SLIDE BY MR. C THE SLIDE MAN

I GOTTA FEELING BY THE BLACK EYED PEAS

SINGLE LADIES BY BEYONCE

WOBBLE BY V.I.C. DANCING ON MY OWN BY ROBYN

ALRIGHT BY KENDRICK LAMAR

ROLLING IN THE DEEP BY ADELE

FORMATION BY BEYONCE

ALL TOO WELL BY TAYLOR SWIFT