This is something I had already noticed, but working with elderly clients has made me notice EVEN HARDER that most pop music is for young people. I think this is part of why the music at a grocery store can be so depressing: hearing those yearning passionate lyrics (“I can be your hero, baby”) while looking around at all of us very ordinary people living very ordinary lives and no one really following us around begging us to please please baby please be theirs…well, it’s a poor fit, and a painful contrast.
I noticed it particularly while driving home from a visit with a client, hearing Ed Sheeran’s “Thinking Out Loud.” Is my 86-year-old client going to identify with “And darling, I will be loving you until we’re 70”? Will that seem romantic to her? Will she sing it sentimentally to her 88-year-old husband? No. In fact, the song suddenly seems ridiculous. Wow, ALL THE WAY until SEVENTY??? And THEN what? Divorce, I assume, or death. Gosh, when you’re THAT old, does it even matter? This song is for people who can’t even IMAGINE an age like 70, people who were born when some of my clients were ALREADY 70.
I’ve heard that most music is written for young people because young people are the ones who buy music. But this seems like a bit of a CYCLE, doesn’t it? Music is written for young people because they’re the ones spending most of the money, but then pop music appeals less and less to older people, so then older people buy even less music and younger people buy even more, and there’s yet another set of data explaining why we might as well market only to younger people.
Besides, surely we do not market ALL the products for just the group who buys the MOST? Surely there is also money to be reaped from the groups who buy less, even if it’s LESS money. After all, you can still buy Prell and bluing and horehound candy and housedresses and bay rum aftershave and perm kits and handkerchiefs, even though The Young People don’t want to buy them. Let’s EXPLOIT those little pockets of money, marketers! I would love to hear more lyrics like Taylor Swift’s “I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling 22” or Paramore’s “‘Cause after all this time, I’m still into you”—and I’d love them even more if they were written/sung by, respectively, someone who was older than 23 and someone who had been in a long marriage. I would like to hear more songs by/for people who have CHILDREN or GRANDCHILDREN who are 22.
My friend Surely has pointed out that COUNTRY music is helping to market to this niche. I have actively tried to like country music, but I just DON’T. I like pop music, and some pop-alternative. Maybe the occasional country cross-over: I do love Florida Georgia Line’s “Cruise,” though I liked it even better when Nelly got involved. And that’s not the type of lyrics that I’m talking about anyway. How many of us are going around in bikini tops lookin’ for the fast life in some guy’s truck? I need something with more of an “Old Navy crewneck”/minivan feel. “Yeah when I first saw her with that comfy tee on her / She was walking right down that grocery store aisle.”
I promise if someone tries to exploit this market, I will buy the songs. Well, some of the songs. Well, if they’re on SALE; will they be on SALE? *rummages through coin purse for exact change*
Ha! OK, now I know it’s not just me who listened and was thinking a big solid WTF? 70, Ed Sheeran? Is that all? Then what?
Well, it does move on from the Beatles and “When I’m 64”
This is why I like Macklemore’s Thrift Shop song so much. I’m never going to be rolling in a Bentley or hanging out on the French Riviera on a yacht, but hitting up the Goodwill to buy Grandpa’s old clothes? Yeah, that I can do.
I LOVE “Cruise” with Nelly!! That song makes me feel 17 again.
THANK YOU for saying something about those Ed Sheeran lyrics! Bothers my EVERYTIME. When I said this in my kids’ hearing, though, they seemed completely non-plussed. But IT’S NOT JUST ME! Yay!
HA. I get around this by pretty much never actually registering what the song lyrics actually are. Any time I make a point to pay attention to what is being said? I am surprised / confused / horrified. Bopping my head (and even singing along at top volume! just without really… thinking about it? i guess?) is my jam.
I do this! I will even sing the words without having any idea what I’m saying. So I’m really just singing sounds; sometimes I literally just make sounds that aren’t words, but match what I’m hearing. I often never even notice.
I hate that Paramore song, which seems like A List of Expectations That Will Not Actually Be Met in Real Life, and the singer seems so smug about it. “Envy my happy relationship!”
I want to reach into the radio and grab her by the collar: “Hey, sweetcheeks, that’s not actually how it goes. You know nothing, so stop congratulating yourself. Also, my husband is a jillion times better than whoever this guy you’re gushing over is.”
Yes, yes, a thousand times YES! I LOVE that song dearly but the “till we’re 70” part irritates me every time!
I never really listened to the lyrics until my son started asking me what they meant.
“How does she make the bad boys good, mama? Is she police?”
We listen to CDs now.
And I thought he was singing 17, so I didn’t think it made any sense at all. I like the song, though.
This summer Motley Crue came to the Mid-State Fair, undoubtedly to cash in on all us 40 somethings who want to relive our teenage dreams while rocking out in our mom pants. It got me to thinking how awesome RockStar Life is when you are twenty — lsex drugs & rock’n’roll, sleep all day, party every night! Living the dream for sure.
…But also how being a rock star when you’re pushing 50 has got to feel like some Ground Hog Day style hell. Having to stay up all night, stretch your so-longer-perky butt into leather pants, and perhaps feign enthusiasm for singing songs you wrote twenty years ago. Man, some days you just want to chug Metamucil and garden, but you gotta shake your money maker for a bunch of paunchy balding fans.
Don’t know where I’m going with this exactly, except you sure are right. Music can make you feel old.
Oh my gosh this made me laugh so much!!!
Maybe you would like Cory Sipper. She was a song writer turned SAHM and is now trying to renter the music scene – with bumps! I think her subject matter is a lot more, let’s say, grown up. Her blog is here: http://www.ladycordelia.com/my-blog/
Ha! This post made me laugh out loud – SO TRUE. I sometimes feel like young people are the only ones with the passion to write dippy lyrics (that seemed OH SO SINCERE to me when I was a teen) about LOVE and HEARTBREAK and BEAUTY. Would I enjoy songs that were written on a more mature theme? A cute tune about hair turning grey? A sweet song about the comfort of someone who knows exactly how you like your tea? The joy of sharing yet another poker night with the same women you’ve known for years?
Huh. Turns out I WOULD like to hear such things. Maybe you should form a rock band (in your spare time).
I find that if I actually listen to the lyrics of most songs these days, I end up scratching my head. The one you mentioned comes to mind but also Honey, I’m Good by Andy Grammer. Okay…so he wants to be faithful, but if he has one more he might not leave alone? And what the heck is he doing out in a club without his partner in the first place?!
Yes: I feel that the “all of his love,” which he claims his baby has, doesn’t seem to include much if it means he talks to other girls about their legs and butts, and gets far enough with them that he needs to specifically say that he will NOT be having sex with them after all.
Yes! I agree! I feel like the message is “I love my wife/girlfriend so much that I won’t cheat on her, no matter how tempted I am!” It’s like…yeah, good job. You’re NAILING the absolute bare minimum there.
The lyrics to “Dear Future Husband” crack me up every.single.time. But this is whole post is why I pretty much listen to talk radio or the kids station b/c I just can’t with today’s music. (also, I’m a country fan, but not NEW country b/c it’s too pop and oh god get off my lawn)
OK even my 12 YO son was like “70? That’s it? What the heck is he going to do in the 20 years after that, divorce his wife?” When a 12 YO who generally loves pop music calls out your lyrics as unromantic, you’ve got a problem ED.
I do a zumba/dance type exercise class so I listen to way more up to the minute pop music than I usually would and I almost always feel old because the lyrics are either confusing, ridiculous, or exhausting for someone my age. Drinking all night, possible threesomes, booty shaking etc. Just thinking about it is exhausting. I mainly try to tune out and listen to the tune and the beat.
I don’t like country either, I mean, I like classic country, like Loretta Lynn and George Jones, but not Luke Bryan, who I only learned who he was because I have a relative who works with him on his tour and now I see him everywhere. You are cracking me up with the Old Navy and the comfy tshirt in the grocery store aisle, ha! I keep thinking of other lyrics, like Honey, I love you so much that I am willing to do it tonight even though those damned kids have made me tired and hate the thought of anyone touching me, la la la ooooohhh yeah. Ha! I work in a K-8 school now and I do research/google type projects with my middle school kids, and when the answer is, like, ‘a famous person from some state’, the people they choose aren’t even famous, to me! They are on youtube or something, ugh, it makes me feel 100 years old, 30 years past my Ed Sheeran due date!
You made me think of the world’ best grocery store in Branson, Missouri. My family had a reunion there and since we were eating every two hours, we made many trips to the store. Luckily, it was playing all kinds of fun 70’s-type songs. (Proud Mary / ABC (Jackson Five)/ Cecilia) My sister and I were singing and laughing and didn’t care one whit that people were staring. It was like being at a dance club that had cereal! That store manager is a genius.
Just realized I should probably throw a shout-out to my husband’s sweet tunes, though they do have a country twinge. They are singer-songwriter-y with what I consider smart lyrics, if maybe you don’t always want happy music. bobedingfield.com should link to some free ones, no change required!!
Yeahhh, just realized he took his site down in anticipation of a new record release. One old song is still here, though: http://yearlongrecord.bandcamp.com/
“Yeah when I first saw her with that comfy tee on her” This is terrific. I hope someone pays you for this line!
I always hear “Thinking out Loud” as 17 even though I know it is 70. Which actually I love because it seems so realistic of what a 15 year old pop music listener might believe is forEVEAH.
The last line of this post is just brilliant, Swistle. I LOL’d.
My husband does the heavy hitting when it comes to pop music – he drives the kids to school and they like to listen to Radio Disney. And he’s the one who was SOOOOOO anti-pop when I met him. It cracks me up, he knows all the teeny bopper music now. I just keep the radio off in the car when the kids are with me. Total Party Pooper. But you’re making me WANT to get in on it, a little bit, just so I can “get off my lawn” with the rest of you. ;)
I am wondering if Ed Sheeran thinks making it to 70 is a good run — his grandfather died of Alzheimer’s, and while I’m not sure how old he was, ES is so young I wouldn’t be surprised if his grandfather didn’t make it to 70:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afire_Love
Pop country is in no way at all marketing to the “older” demographic that I can see. Most of it serves the same purpose as generic radio-rawk or club music. The people selling to the older demographics, if we’re actually talking seniors — many of whom don’t shop on iTunes — are those endless remasters of golden oldies that PBS is always marketing through things like the “My Music” series.
Hahaha, I love Cruise, but I love your lyric change even more!
When I was a teenager I worked as a candy striper at a nursing home, and one of the things I did was play piano for old-timey sing-alongs. I loved it. I can still belt out all the words to those songs that were really popular in the 1920s.
If youuuuu were the onlyyyyy girl in the world, and Iiiiiii were the onlyyyyyy boy….
My 17 year old son bought a package of old timey horehound candy drops from Cracker Barrel and promptly remarked, “This tastes just exactly like 1940.” Cracked me up!