How do you know that you are growing old?
In my case, it’s when I started eschewing the music of today and started hankering for the music of yester years. Do not get me wrong, I will always be in love with Incubus, and my feet will always (secretly) start tapping when I hear the Backstreet Boys and Britney Spears.
But these days, what keeps me “vibin” to say the least is listening to the Beach Boys, the Beatles, The Doors, Rolling Stones, Jackson 5 and the other artists who recorded under the Motown Label. I don’t know when I started realizing that the music then was waaaay “cooler” than now. Yes, they do not have all the technical gimmickry and gadgets to ensure that the artists would sound good. All they had before was their voice! Have you heard Beach Boys as they start humming to “Good Vibrations” or have you listened to Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young? Distinct voices creating magic just through different key, no mixers, no gimmick, just pure magic.
That is why I am so elated to hear that the Beach Boys gave a special number to this year’s Grammy Awards, and also have announced that they will be reuniting in time for their 50th anniversary.
Here’s their Grammy 2012 Performance:
How do you know when you’ve made it? It’s when really cool, establish groups sing your songs as a sign of tribute:
Maroon 5 singing “Surfer Girl”
Foster the People with their version of “Wouldn’t it Be Nice”
Just as I was trawling the internet looking for old and new videos of the Beach Boys, I saw some pretty rude comments about how they looked during their Grammy performance. I don’t know what planet these trolls occupy or if they even had a brain, but to say that the Beach Boys looked old is STATING THE FREAKING OBVIOUS right?
I mean, these dudes were celebrating their 50th Anniversary, so that would make them how old right? Yet, to be that old and still have that amazing voice and command the respect of some of the best artists in the industry — that probably means a lot right? The music that these guys created withstood the test of time and will probably appeal even to my future grandchildren due to its timeless simplicity. I wish we could say the same for some of the so-called singers of today, especially the flash-in-a-pans, the teen sensations and those borne out of gimmicks.
So, yeah — if listening to these dudes and dreaming of the good ol’ days (the 50s and 60s to be exact) and wishing you were born that year meant growing old — then, I am glad to be old.
LIFESTYLE WANDERLAND 