Alright, so I had this idea a while back, probably on a rainy Sunday when I was just scrolling endlessly. I thought, “What if I actually listened, like really listened, to music from the 60s all the way up to what’s buzzing right now?” Seemed like a simple enough project, right? Famous last words, as they say.
Kicking Off with the Sixties
So, I decided to start properly with the 1960s. I fired up my usual streaming app and just typed in “60s hits.” Man, talk about a rabbit hole. At first, it was all the stuff you hear in movies – The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Motown. That was cool, familiar territory. But then I started digging a bit deeper, looking for stuff that wasn’t on every “best of” compilation. I found some incredible psychedelic rock I’d never heard of, and some folk artists that just blew me away with their lyrics. I spent a good week just immersed in that decade, letting the playlists run, sometimes getting sidetracked by an artist and listening to their whole discography.
Into the Groovy and Glam Decades
Then came the 70s. Disco, funk, punk, the birth of stadium rock. It felt like everything just got bigger and, well, shinier. I have to admit, some of the super mainstream disco stuff wore me out after a bit, but then I’d stumble on some gritty funk or some early punk tracks, and I’d be right back in. The sheer variety was kind of overwhelming. I remember making a mental note: “Okay, this is gonna take longer than I thought.”
The 80s were next. Oh boy, the 80s. Synths everywhere! New Wave, hip-hop starting to really make its mark, hair metal… it was a trip. Some of it, I’ll be honest, hasn’t aged too well for my ears. But then there were tracks, those iconic synth lines or drum machine beats, that just instantly transported me. I found myself really getting into some of the early electronic music pioneers from this era too, stuff that wasn’t all over the radio back then but was super influential.
The Nineties and Noughties Nostalgia (and New Finds)
By the time I hit the 90s, I was in more familiar waters. Grunge, Britpop, the rise of R&B and hip-hop as global forces. I lived through this, so a lot of it was pure nostalgia. But even then, I tried to listen with fresh ears, and I definitely found bands and albums I’d completely missed or dismissed back in the day. It’s funny how your taste changes, or how you appreciate things differently years later.
The 2000s felt like a continuation and an explosion of subgenres. Indie rock had its moment, pop music got even more polished, and the internet started to really change how music was discovered and consumed. I spent a lot of time just clicking around, following “recommended artists” and seeing where it led me. It felt a bit like the Wild West compared to the more curated radio days of the earlier decades.
Navigating Today’s Soundscape
And that brings me to “today.” This part is… ongoing, really. There’s SO much music. It’s incredible, but also a bit daunting. Playlists are king, algorithms try to guess what I’ll like, and new tracks drop every single second. I’ve been trying to keep up with new releases while also exploring genres that are completely new to me. Some days I feel like I’ve found my new favorite artist, other days I feel like I’m just wading through a sea of sameness. It’s a different kind of listening experience, for sure. More fragmented, maybe, but also full of potential for discovery if you’re willing to put in the effort.
So, What Did I Get Out Of All This?
Well, for starters, a much, much bigger music library. And a deeper appreciation for how sounds and styles evolve, borrow from each other, and then morph into something new. It wasn’t just about listening to old songs; it was like tracing a cultural timeline through sound. I realized how much the technology of the time shaped the music, from a four-track recorder in the 60s to a laptop today.
Here’s what really stuck with me:
- Every decade has its gems. Even the ones I thought I wouldn’t like.
- The “hits” are just the tip of the iceberg. The deep cuts are where the real adventures are.
- My own taste isn’t as fixed as I thought. I genuinely surprised myself with what I ended up enjoying.
- It’s a never-ending journey. I could probably do this for another year and still only scratch the surface.
It started as a simple idea, and it kind of took over my listening habits for a good while. But you know what? I’m glad I did it. It’s been a fantastic way to connect with different eras and just appreciate the sheer creativity out there. If you’ve got the time, I’d say give it a go. Just be prepared to lose a few weekends to it!
