I've noticed something about popular music that kind of says something about today's generation and I got it full force on my way home from work today. Angel #4 is jealous of people my age for getting to be teenagers in the 80's. Though I didn't realize it at the time, looking back now, the 80's were a great time to be a teen. We had John Hughes, Ronald Reagan, Eddie Murphy (R-rated, not todays PG version), tight-rolled jeans and some really incredible hair. The mid-80's were pretty much the peak of the glam age - I had hot-pink mascara for pete's sake! Like #4 says, the 80's were cool, nobody says they wish they were a teenager in the 90's. Our music was pretty awesome too. For the most part it was pretty optimistic and, I'll admit, rather self-centered, but that's what the 80's were all about.
Fast-forward to today. We've got All About That Bass and Secrets (I don't care if the world knows what my secrets are) which is all about, this is who I am, like it or lump it, suckers. Sorry, that stuff just didn't fly when I was in high school. You did NOT go to school in your pajamas, you DID comb your hair daily (and applied about 2 lbs of Aquanet) and no matter what Madonna wore onstage, people did NOT see your bra straps out in public. #4 looks back in envy of the days when people made an effort before going out in public. I'm not saying everyone should plaster on the make-up and spend an hour on their hair every day, but fresh clothes and a shower certainly shouldn't be out of line. But then when I think about the other song I heard on the radio today and I understand their look of defeat. Yes, it was the dreaded American Dream. The song that states that it's "not the same summer song that you used to know, Jack left Diane 30 years ago." Jack and Diane are MY people and they need to keep them out of their depressing little ditties. J & D were all about making plans for the future, doing something with themselves, having dreams; to drag them into a song whining about whatever happened to the American Dream is just depressing us all. No wonder teenagers can't seem to find the energy to get out of their pajamas in the morning if all they think they have to look forward to is just surviving life. Okay, bitter middle-aged rant over. Now I've got to go get my broom and tell those rotten kids to get off of my lawn.
On a totally unrelated note. We've really got to get the curtains up in the living room. With the big patio door in the middle of the wall and all the people out there shining deer down our road, I feel like I"m in a big fish bowl, or that alien zoo episode of the Twilight Zone.
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