Music Cycles

Growing up, my parents told me countless times to "quiet down that noise." I never really understood why they were so adamant about not listening to any of my music. It wasn't until now that I understand where they were coming from.

It seems like complaining about the younger generations' pop music is a cycle that repeats with every new generation. My parents disliked my brothers' music, and my brothers (both of them at least 10 years older than me) disliked my music. Today, I see myself disliking this new generation of music and I'm pretty sure my nephews will dislike the future generation of music.

I am not a fan of Justin Bieber, One Direction, or Selena Gomez in the slightest, but I don't think that they are the worst thing that has happened to music. However, how much different can they be from Britney Spears, the Backstreet Boys, and the Spice Girls from ten years ago? Probably not that much: they are all teen idols, they all started their careers young, and their music is considered part of the "pop culture."

Nowadays, you are considered a cultured person if you listen to The Beatles, Queen, The Rolling Stones, etc. Even the 90's generation pride themselves on their music to the point where they are bringing it back and holding it in high esteem. This makes me wonder whether in 30 or 40 years from now,  people who listen to bands such as Nsync, Green Day, and dare I say it, One Direction will be considered cultured. I know that those comparisons seem outrageous right now, but we can't control what is considered to be cultured and what isn't.

Music changes from decade to decade. Is the music that is now looked down upon by the older generations bound to be admired and worshiped by future generations the way we admire the music from our parents' generations? Only time will tell.