The Beatles, The Doors, Queen...classics?!
Question: I’m a seventeen-year-old music aficionado. Something I’ve noticed when listening to and analyzing older classic music (The Beatles, Queen, The Doors, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and many others), I have trouble analyzing them and figuring out why these bands are considered the best. I know there’s more to it than extremely memorable choruses and melodies, but I’ve been having trouble figuring out what. A theory I have is that to truly understand why these bands and their songs are classic, you had to experience them when they came out. You have to be very familiar with the other music that came out at the time and why their sound was innovative and new.
Don’t get me wrong – I am often able to figure out why the songs are classics. But sometimes I just feel like I’m outside of the window looking in. Any insightful comments about this?
Answers: I’m a seventeen-year-old music aficionado. Something I’ve noticed when listening to and analyzing older classic music (The Beatles, Queen, The Doors, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and many others), I have trouble analyzing them and figuring out why these bands are considered the best. I know there’s more to it than extremely memorable choruses and melodies, but I’ve been having trouble figuring out what. A theory I have is that to truly understand why these bands and their songs are classic, you had to experience them when they came out. You have to be very familiar with the other music that came out at the time and why their sound was innovative and new.
Don’t get me wrong – I am often able to figure out why the songs are classics. But sometimes I just feel like I’m outside of the window looking in. Any insightful comments about this?
It's kind of like a life changing experience. Something happens that never happened before. That's the way it was with the Beatles. The uncontrollable frenzy they caused! It was just amazing.
Queen...the first time I heard them I was hooked. I had never heard anything like them before or since. The choral arrangements especially...and that guitar!
Jim Morrison was sexy...and smart. His music was so incredibly psychedelic that it was like tripping to to listen to it.
(Sorry, not a Skynyrd fan, but...)
They all changed the course of music and they were all masters of their genre at the time. Yes...it would have been better if you had been there. The great thing is you are interested in the classics. I always told my kids to enjoy whatever type of music they wanted, but also listen to and respect the classics. This is where it all came from. But, there are other classic as well. Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Jan & Dean, Elvis. There are a lot of cool books out on the history of rock and roll...that is...if you're interested.
Yes you def have a point there.Obviously when these songs did come out it was a breakthrough for music and was something different.its such a shame these days though as we get bombarded with the same old crap that we must come to a realisation that none of our music today will ever become 'CLASSIC'.
I was talking to my dad the other day and i said something about abba and he was like they were crap in my day,people wouldnt admit they even liked them.But now they considered classic....strange...
A little like back in tha day when i liked hanson!!embarrassing to admit!!
i think you hit the nail on the head...but they are great because they change the way certain music should sound or be played... different time signatures... different melodies... the ope the mind of the imagination to the new bands of today and the future.