To you 40-somethings out there...?

Question

My husband and I had a discussion the other day about how we like a lot of the music our kids listen to (ages 17 & 22) but our parents did not like our music when we were teens/20-somethings. Also, our kids like a lot of the music from our era (now considered golden oldies!). Have you noticed this to be true for you also? And why do you think the big difference?

Answer 1

totally weird, innit?...now i gotta go drink some 'boost"...

Answer 2

Yes. Our children are listening to some pretty neat stuff right now. I don't like all of it, but I am amazed a little at how much of their music I do like. They in turn listen to some of my golden oldies and have found out the songs weren't just from the last movie that came out. My parents did not like a lot of my music and refused to listen to it, (except mom would sometimes). However; I think it is important for me as a parent to listen to what my kids are listening to and to also introduce them to all aspects of music. Not just country or rock & roll, but symphony, strings, big band, easy listening, gospel, etc.

Answer 3

I have noticed the same. I have 2 boys ages 13 & 11. I like their music like Green Day and Good Charlotte, All American Rejects. And they like a range of music from country to old rock and metal that we listen to. I am not sure what the difference is except that maybe we are more open to their music and so in turn they are to ours as well. The only music I do not like is Rap and if they decide to rebel that is what they will be driving me nuts with.

Answer 4

My Nephew (whose 18) loves the music we grew up with ('60's-'70s)as well..
I like some of what I hear of the music they listen to also..I think its because the new music is based more on the type of rock we listened to when rock became of age..My parents listened to a much more innocent type of rock n roll,big band era stuff..like Buddy Holly,Glen Miller etc...The sound being totally different than with the typical instruments used today ;; the electric guitar,electronics etc...I think its cool the kids somewhat appreciate what we did though..don't you? =)

Answer 5

I think it's just a generation thing. Our parents were raised in simpler times. Today we all want to be friends with our kids so we stay in touch more with today's music. My mom was a huge Elvis fan and I couldn't stand him when I was younger but now I listen to Elvis at least once a week. Our tastes in food changes as we get older and so does our taste in music.

Answer 6

I'm in the same boat as you-- well with respect to this question.
40-something, 18 and 21 yr olds.

I think its because many of our parents disliked the music we grew up on (e.g. Rock n Roll). And since we grew up on it, many of us kept with the "newer" rock 70's - today. I love stuff from the 60's era rock all the way to many bands of today.

That said, I think our kids also grew up listening to things we originally liked, plus the newer stuff. So they, like us, were exposed to the older stuff AND the newer stuff. Plus, many bands cover older music, you see more older music on tv commericals now (e.g. Led Zeppelin, even AC/DC for cryin' out loud), and many movies have rock in them.

Our parents did not necessarily have the same experience-- many of those folks (e.g. pre-baby boomers and some baby boomers) got "stuck" in their own music genre's and times. They viewed our music as noise. Heck, my father in law is only 20 yrs older than I am and practically anything after 50's and 60's motown music is considered bad to him.

On the other hand, I'll listen to a wide range of music-- from motown, R&B, some country to progressive rock.

Heck the stones are in their 60's, Aerosmith in their late 50's, The Who in their 50/60's, Zeppelin--hmmm late 50's?

I plan to fight old age tooth and nail I will keep rockin' till they put me in the ground! Rock on!!!

My 2 cents anyway..

Answer 7

We had really great music when we were younger, I think that's why my kid likes a lot of it. (Plus we don't bother playing the crap for them).

There was a much bigger change in music between our parents generation and ours than between ours and our kids.

My folk's pop music was Perry Como and Bing Crosby, for crying out loud, lol.

My Dad was into jazz, though, and opera, which I didn't like as a kid but I grew to love. And when I was young, he liked some of my stuff which was blusey, like the Allman Brothers.

Answer 8

I remember when I used think that my parents' music was square. Then I really got to love it. I'm not keen on some of the stuff kids listen to today.
My 20-something son likes mostly heavy-metal. He also likes retro-music...from our generation.

Answer 9

My son, 16 likes some of the music I grew up on. I like not much at all of what he listens too..... a big gap in generations for music I would say.

Answer 10

yes. i noticed this years ago with my own kids.
seems like the first time parents and their children enjoy the same music together.

but as a child i can remember liking all kinds of music myself. i have a sister and brother who are10 and 8 yrs older than me and i can recall playing their records as well as my mothers records when i wasn't going to school yet.

i played my music all the time when my own children were little therefore influencing their choice in music too.

Answer 11

Yea, my parents were not at all into rhythm and blues, or the rock and roll scene. But I think you are talking about the shift to acid rock. A lot of people of all age groups did not and do not like that.