Recent deaths of vocalists and musicians from our generation brought back fond memories.  Obits included Ozzy Osbourne, the lead singer of Black Sabbath.  A Denver Rockies Hall of Famer chose Ozzy’s “Crazy Train” as his “walk-up” song when he was on the team, hoping that as it played as he strode to the batting box it would rattle the pitcher.

Marianne Faithfull’s first hit, “As Tears Go By,” was written by the Rolling Stone’s Mick Jagger and Keith Richards   Helped that she was dating Jagger.  Wayne Osmond, the second oldest in the Osmond Brothers band, cashed it in this year as well.  Connie Francis was the first woman to have a No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 as a solo artist.  “Who’s Sorry Now?”  We are!!  We miss you all!

We were spoiled.  We danced and sang along with The Beatles, Elvis Presley, Janis Joplin,  Simon & Garfunkel, the Rightous Brothers, Fleetwood Mac, David Bowie, the Grateful Dead, Carly Simon, The Supremes, Tina Turner, Chicago, Carole King, Marvin Gaye, and more, and more, and more.

Think back.  What LPs did you own that you bought again and again when vinyl died and the format moved to cassette tapes and then to CDs?   One of ours was Pink Floyd’s 1973 album Dark Side of the Moon—often named as one of the greatest albums of all time.  Love their song “Money” that mocks greed and consumerism and entertains with the sound of cash registers and clinking coins.  Still so current except for the cash registers.

Remember the 70s disco era?  Disco bars featured flashing lights, including strobe lights.  There are still bars that describe themselves as discos today.  Not bothering to check them out.  The lights could give us vertigo.

But, still listen to the Bee Gees.  They were one of the groups that dominated the disco era.  Their music contributed significantly to the movie Saturday Night Fever.  One of the film’s most popular was their hit song “Stayin’ Alive.”  Hmmm.  Maybe we should adopt that as our generation’s theme song??   

Remember American Bandstand hosted by Dick Clark?  We were lucky.  We lived in New Jersey and watched it on a local TV station once it debuted in Philadelphia in 1952.  In those days, the big, three networks considered rock n’ roll outside the cultural mainstream and not marketable.  Wrong!  It premiered nationally in 1957 as part of ABC’s afternoon lineup.  Teenagers showed off the latest dance moves to Top 40 songs and popular musical acts lip-synced to one of their latest hit singles. 

Oh, and remember when we all tuned in to watch Elvis Presley on The Ed Sullivan Show?  His suggestive hip movements caused an uproar and parents called him a “youth-corrupting” musician.  The compromise?   He could appear on television but only be filmed from the waist up.  No hip shots on Ed’s show for Elvis the Pelvis, his nickname.

Multiple studies today indicate a growing preference for older music and dislike for music that’s popular today.  Critics point to increased loudness and repetition; angrier, anti-social sentiments; the rising use of digital audio tools; and the lack of depth, originality, and musicianship.  Giggling.  Bob Seger’s “Old Time Rock and Roll” included the line “today’s music ain’t got the same soul.”  And that was in 1978!

Aren’t there some rock singers and groups we could enjoy today, we thought?  So, we searched the top 40 hits and knew only one of them…Coldplay.  But we know their name because the fan cam at their July concert caught a couple, who aren’t a couple, canoodling and created quite the scandal!  We just chuckled and started humming Chaka Khan’s 1984 song “Caught in the Act.”

So, our Wrinkled Wisdom for today?  Ask the grandkids to give you a CD of one of today’s popular rock n’ roll groups so we can get with it…a learning experience for both of us.   Do they even know what CD is???  And, yes, most of us oldies still have our aging CD players.  Preset all the local stations on your car radio that play only music from our era.  Makes driving so much more enjoyable.  Come on baby, let’s do the twist!