Songs that haven't aged well

[Ten Pound Hammer]

What are some songs that you feel haven't aged well?

* Many of the songs from the first Iraq war in the early 90s. "Don't Give Us a Reason" by Hank Jr. is laughable.

* Almost any song from the post-9/11 climate. Seriously, why am I still hearing the lines "And you say we shouldn't worry 'bout Bin Laden" or "This nation that I love has fallen under attack" in 2016?

* "Shuttin' Detroit Down" by John Rich. Another one that spoke of something topical at the time (the GM bailouts), but largely forgotten about now.

* "Cost of Livin'" by Ronnie Dunn. The song is so clearly a product of the mid-2000s recession, and the line "three dollars and change at the pump" is outmoded because gas prices have dropped again.

* "I'm a Saint" by Mark Chesnutt. The line "I know Justin sings lead for 'N Sync, so my kids think I'm cool" was outdated even at the time, because 'N Sync had already been broken up for years. It just struck me as a painfully out-of-place namedrop.

[Andy]

I will definitely go with a lot of '80s country with the synths and reverb and such. The Highwayman's first two albums have some excellent tracks and will always have a ton of nostalgic value to me, but the production is dated.

Also, while it's not necessarily indicative of the songs aging poorly overall, any lyric that mentions contemporary technology is virtually guaranteed to become outdated. See mentions of VCRs (e.g. "Paradise" by John Anderson, "Little Goodbyes" by SheDaisy) or cassettes (e.g. "On the Road" by Lee Roy Parnell). "Online" by Brad Paisley has another big one ("go check out Myspace"). "Mind Your Own Business" by Hank Williams mentions a party line (look it up).

With regard to "Cost of Livin'", I agree that maybe that line about gas prices dates it a little bit, but in my view it's still an incredibly well-written and well-performed song that describes what a significant number of people are going through at any given time, including now. It's still a masterpiece in my eyes, but of course your mileage may vary.

[Deleted]

Alan Jackson Where Were You When The World Stop Turning. It's a great song in its own right but sounds so dated.

[.indulgecountry]

Anything post-comeback Garth Brooks is releasing as "new" music sounds like bad demos he found on his old flip-phone from the 90s that he just dusted off. Not really what the thread is probably going for, but that's all I could think of when I opened it, lol.

[McCreerian]

Reba's 1986 top 10 hit "Let the Music Lift You Up." It has the line "We don't have a curtain made of iron or stone. We are not divided by a wall." Obviously that was a reference to the Soviet Union and Berlin Wall. But hey wait til 2017, this song may become current again closer to home...

[rsmatto]

Many songs can sound so dated based on production(especially the canned drums and synths of the 80s). Lyrically, "Here's a Quarter" comes to mind.

Andy, I queued "On The Road" up and think it's still quite great. Even with that lyric. It is actually a song that has aged quite well. Would love to hear a band like Midland cover the song.

[Ten Pound Hammer]

"On the Road" is one of my favorite country songs of the 90s because I have some great memories tied to it even though I was only 6 when it came out.

I've found that a lot of songs from the late 90s by female artists have really canned, reverberant production. Lila McCann comes to mind.

[Andy]

I absolutely agree "On the Road" is great and has aged fantastically; as I had mentioned in my original post (since edited to make it more clear that I was referring to specific lyrics rather than the songs overall), it's one of my favorite songs ever. But that line in particular is dated IMO. Cars don't even have cassette players anymore, and haven't for some time. It's not a big deal by any means, just a little something that reveals the song's age.

[onebuffalo]

Ronnie McDowell's Step Back-an eighties modern girl? Better update that reference.

[Ten Pound Hammer]

^ See also "80's Ladies" by KT Oslin.

[Andy]

The Highwaymen - The Twentieth Century is Almost Over

[matty005]

Jan 2, 2017 18:19:53 GMT -5 Andy said:

I absolutely agree "On the Road" is great and has aged fantastically; as I had mentioned in my original post (since edited to make it more clear that I was referring to specific lyrics rather than the songs overall), it's one of my favorite songs ever. But that line in particular is dated IMO. Cars don't even have cassette players anymore, and haven't for some time. It's not a big deal by any means, just a little something that reveals the song's age.

I've always been able to not think that line sounds dated because hot rod chevy's are old cars and wouldn't have an advanced stereo system.

Agreed though with the above. So many memories attached to this song.

[Andy]

Jan 2, 2017 21:31:07 GMT -5 matty005 said:

Jan 2, 2017 18:19:53 GMT -5 Andy said:

I absolutely agree "On the Road" is great and has aged fantastically; as I had mentioned in my original post (since edited to make it more clear that I was referring to specific lyrics rather than the songs overall), it's one of my favorite songs ever. But that line in particular is dated IMO. Cars don't even have cassette players anymore, and haven't for some time. It's not a big deal by any means, just a little something that reveals the song's age.

I've always been able to not think that line sounds dated because hot rod chevy's are old cars and wouldn't have an advanced stereo system.

Ah, I failed to consider that detail. Definitely not a great example then.

[rsmatto]

Jan 2, 2017 18:19:53 GMT -5 Andy said:

I absolutely agree "On the Road" is great and has aged fantastically; as I had mentioned in my original post (since edited to make it more clear that I was referring to specific lyrics rather than the songs overall), it's one of my favorite songs ever. But that line in particular is dated IMO. Cars don't even have cassette players anymore, and haven't for some time. It's not a big deal by any means, just a little something that reveals the song's age.

My father's 2006 Toyota Tundra does. Actually, in some parts of the world, cassettes are still used!

[Andy]

This applies to a lot of Cledus T. Judd's parodies and original songs because they often center on contemporary events or situations that may be forgotten or later change. "Garth Must Be Busy" is pretty hilarious but is no longer as relevant now that Garth has returned from retirement. "Let's Burn One" is about the novelty of downloading MP3s and burning mix CDs, making it feel like an early 2000s time capsule. "My Cellmate Thinks I'm Sexy" revolves around the Kenny Chesney/Tim McGraw police horse-riding incident from 2000 that may have been a big deal at the time but is now basically ancient history. "My Voice" is one of my favorite parodies, but will probably be lost on younger listeners who are unfamiliar with Billy Gilman. "Waitin' On Obama" is tied to an extremely specific time period between the time Obama was elected and took office. "Mama's Boy" with John Anderson contains a gag about Elian Gonzalez, etc. etc. etc.

[shrk314]

Dude Looks like a Lady by Aerosmith

[onebuffalo]

Jan 12, 2019 20:34:14 GMT -5 shrk314 said:

Dude Looks like a Lady by Aerosmith

This is the Country Forum. Besides, look at Caitlyn Jenner.

[Ten Pound Hammer]

Jan 12, 2019 20:21:26 GMT -5 Andy said:

This applies to a lot of Cledus T. Judd's parodies and original songs because they often center on contemporary events or situations that may be forgotten or later change. "Garth Must Be Busy" is pretty hilarious but is no longer as relevant now that Garth has returned from retirement. "Let's Burn One" is about the novelty of downloading MP3s and burning mix CDs, making it feel like an early 2000s time capsule. "My Cellmate Thinks I'm Sexy" revolves around the Kenny Chesney/Tim McGraw police horse-riding incident from 2000 that may have been a big deal at the time but is now basically ancient history. "My Voice" is one of my favorite parodies, but will probably be lost on younger listeners who are unfamiliar with Billy Gilman. "Waitin' On Obama" is tied to an extremely specific time period between the time Obama was elected and took office. "Mama's Boy" with John Anderson contains a gag about Elian Gonzalez, etc. etc. etc.

Cledus also had a tendency, especially on the earlier albums, to do parodies of songs that were obscure even at the time. His first had a parody of "Refried Dreams" by Tim McGraw, the second spoofed "For a Change" by Neal McCoy and "You Have the Right to Remain Silent" by Perfect Stranger. While he got better at it over time, I have no idea what he was thinking when he made the title track of Polyrically Uncorrect a parody of an obscure Gretchen Wilson single that fell short of the top 20 over three years prior and was remembered by literally no one.

Speaking of the "For a Change" parody, "The Change" makes a lot of sex change jokes that can be seen as downright transphobic nowadays, particularly the fake "gay lisp" he uses throughout the song. Then again, Nashville still won't accept women in 2019, so I doubt they'll ever see eye to eye with the LGBT community...

[Ten Pound Hammer]

Is it just me, or is "A Woman Loves" by Steve Wariner really sexist?

A woman loves beyond her questions,
And dreams beyond her doubts,
Her heart will lead and she will follow,
Even when there's no way out.
Her eyes refuse to see the danger,
As she walks right through the fire.
A man may give himself to passion and desire.
But a woman loves.