We've all experienced the rush of sudden nostalgia when we hear a song from our youth come on the radio or make it on a playlist at a party. There's few things quite as euphoric.
A recent Slate article discussed this very phenomenon. Since the Internet loves anything having to do with nostalgia, you've probably seen this article passed around among your friends on social media. It points to research that suggests our brains are actually wired to make us feel good when we hear songs that were a major part of our formative years.
So what are the songs that make people of all generations go to their happy place? We took the liberty of rounding up the tunes that defined what it was like being a teenager during each decade, from the 1950s, when a separate youth culture really started to take shape, to what we've experienced so far of the 2010's. It's time to get nostalgic.
The 1950s: "Rock Around the Clock" by Bill Haley and His Comets
Though it may sound innocent by today's standards, this early rock 'n' roll song was the rallying cry for teenage rebellion, which became something of a moral panic after World War II. The song was featured over the opening credits of the 1955 teenage delinquency film "Blackboard Jungle," and it soon shot to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
The 1960s: "My Generation" by The Who
This rock classic from The Who perfectly encapsulated how young people felt increasingly alienated from the rest of society during the 1960s. "My Generation" provided a soundtrack for the civil rights and freedom of expression movement, as well as anti-war protests, which were all causes fueled by young people. With lyrics like, "I hope I die before I get old," "My Generation" clearly drew a line between teenagers and their parents.
The 1970s: "Dancing Queen" by ABBA
The Swedish quartet's only No.1 hit helped usher in the disco era that would dominate the latter half of the 1970s, urging young people to shake their groove things. The decadence of this pop song is an aural accompaniment to what would become known as the "Me" generation, a term Tom Wolfe coined to describe the growing egoism of young people during the decade in a 1976 "New York" article. The Sex Pistols' "Anarchy in the U.K." gets an honorable mention for this decade for being the defining anthem of the other big youth movement of the 1970s, punk.
The 1980s: "Don't You (Forget About Me)" by Simple Minds
This song's association with John Hughes' 1985 generation-defining teen movie classic "The Breakfast Club," has helped "Don't You (Forget About Me)" become the defining song of young people in the 1980s. The haunting, synthpop feel of the track is also just a great example of 1980s music.
The 1990s: "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana
One of Nirvana's most famous songs and music videos captured the disillusionment and inner conflict of Generation X. It also helped usher in a new era of popular music, grunge.
The 2000s: "Hey Ya!" by OutKast
OutKast dominated early 2000s radio with their double album "Speakerboxxx/The Love Below." The most successful track off that album was "Hey Ya!" The song reflected the cross-over nature of the music business by incorporating multiple musical styles, from funk to pop to hip-hop. Its upbeat nature also showed a generation rebounding from the September 11th attacks and a poor economy. However, its greatest contribution was probably teaching the world how to "shake it like a Polaroid picture."
The 2010s: "#Selfie" by The Chainsmokers"
We're not even half way through the 2010's, but if we were to pick a song to define today's youth, it's got to be "#Selfie" by The Chainsmokers. Not only is this song a part of the EDM craze that is sweeping today's youngsters, but it also shows their narcissistic obsession with social media. Let's see if anything changes by the end of the decade.
