decades of music.

today in my communications 101 class, we studied music recordings.  my professor, dr. rawlins is a super cool guy.  the more i hear from him, the more i like him.  he chose to lecture on each decade of music generations, starting with the 1950s.

1950s - elvis presley walked into sam philips recording studio and made an album for about $3.  nothing spectacular happened until the mics were turned off and elvis and his band started playing around with 'that's all right, mama.' we watched a clip from the ed sullivan show, where he would sing a line, and then for a measure of music, just shake those legs.  the girls went wild.  seriously, the screaming is horrendous.  it was so funny.  i know i have heard it a thousand times before that it was a huge uproar that elvis moved his hips, and his dancing was of the devil.  but it just hit me funny tonight--that time was so simple. 

1960s - i thought i would get a little taste of my parents generation here, but wasn't quite sure when it would come.  the beatles were seriously the best.  they are so loved among everyone.  even today,  i don't feel like it's just a fad to like the beatles, but that they are truly beloved.  they give me the chills of nostalgia whenever i hear them.  

1970s -  this was the time i was excited for.  james taylor--the epitome of my youth.  growing up on mostly classical,  i loved the times when my dad would loosen up and put james taylor or simon & garfunkel on. what struck me is that kiss, saturday night fever, james taylor, jackson 5 etc. all existed in that time period. they were all so different.  

dr. rawlins is still very attached to rock n' roll. he mentioned several times that the 70s, full of disco inferno (the song he met his wife to at a stake dance!), were a nightmare for a rocker of the 60s.  you can tell it has still stuck with him. 

1980s - as we started to get into the 80s, my excitement was heightening. video killed the radio star.   as proud as i am that i was born in the 80s (4 months shy of being otherwise)--i was so happy when it was...

1990s - cheryl crow, spice girls, chumbawamba, and pearl jam blasted through our classroom auditorium and i, along with my 100 or so fellow students were on cloud 9.  it felt so good to collectively reminisce the songs we never experienced with each other, but totally together.

the 21st century, we decided, is anybody's game.  so many indies, american idol, and itunes makes the world of difference.  i don't know that much about music throughout the decades, but i was sure happy to be in class today.  to be able to revert back to a time when life was a bit simpler. ya know.