Nuthin' Like A Golden Oldie

I'd say half of my childhood was spent riding in a car, waiting for my mom to finish errands. Or waiting for dad to finish the long drive to Disneyland. That half of my life was filled with the music my parents listened to when they were in high school -- golden oldies. Yes, I know the words to "Johnny Angel", I know that the Byrds sang about a verse in Ecclesiastes, and I listened to "Leaving on A Jet Plane" before it was made popular on the "Armageddon" soundtrack.

Okay, so maybe that last song isn't technically a "golden oldie," but for contemporary purposes, I'm saying that oldies are about anything between the early 1950's and 1970. I asked my dad what he would consider as the oldie age. He said it started with Bill Haley and the Comets hit, Rock Around the Clock, in 1954 and ended around 1966 or '67, when "hippie" music came onto the music scene.

Anyway, what I'm getting at, I think, is that music from my parents' formative years was great! I mean, tonight my dad set the TV to 60's-style Sirius Radio (satellite radio), and I had a wonderful time talking to my parents about the music they grew up with. We talked about the greatness of oldies -- my dad says that singers then had a LOT of talent, and they always looked nice. My mom says that oldies music has lyrics you can actually hear. And then she and I danced to some Motown, which is my favorite kind of oldies. Besides the Beatles. I think.

It's funny that they associate oldies rock 'n' roll with growing up, and I associate it with being little. But I'm glad that I had early exposure to a cleaner style of music when I was young. Now I'm not saying I don't love some Led Zeppelin or 80's pop or indie music of the 21st century. What I do want to say about that music, though, is that it can be sooooo depressing. Maybe I've just listened to Radiohead's "OK Computer" a bit too much, but I do think it's worth saying that everyone needs a little golden oldie once in a while. It's so refreshing!

Now it's your turn, readers. Tell me which golden oldies you prefer.