A fan’s obsessions and rationalizations can justify even the most ridiculous music. Look no further than "All Songs Considered"’s recent episode, "The ’80s: Were They Really That Bad?"
In the course of a 50-minute show, all of the talking heads on the show go from chuckling behind the backs of their hands at the 1980s, the decade most overlooked in a recent NPR listeners poll, to shamelessly embracing them. By the time the group hits Tracy Chapman’s "Fast Car," Robin Hilton is close to tears: "I came from a small town, and I had just graduated from high school…the road to the rest of my life lay ahead of me…" And the show positively peaks before the whistle in Guns N’ Roses’ "Paradise City" when Stephen Thompson squeals like an eight-year-old Axl fan, "It’s still gonna get better!"
All three guests on the show, however, hit their teenage years sometime in the ’80s. Whether the time your body is flooded with hormones is also the best time to be flooded with GNR or Talking Heads is a good question, sure, but there are others. Does the decade in which you were born have a bearing on which decade of music you most cherish?
I polled the C-VILLE office and got 15 responses to the following questions:
1. During which decade were you born?
2. What is your favorite decade of music? (Note: No decade mixing; I already got one response for "1964-1974.")
3. What is your favorite song from your favorite decade?
Leave your own responses below. I’ll post them along with the office results between Thursday and Friday.
Oh, and before I go…
The Pretenders are releasing a new record!