Study: Older music is more memorable even among young people

[Sectorseven]

https://nyunews.com/2019/02/19/music-psych-pascal-wallisch-generational/

In this study, NYU Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychology Pascal Wallisch and a team of undergraduates found that music from the '60s to the '90s is significantly more recognizable to younger generations, in a collective memory bank more stable than the years before or after the time period. Titled "Who remembers the Beatles? The collective memory for popular music," the study surveyed approximately 650 millennials in the greater New York area over the course of a year. Undergraduates had the rare opportunity to co-author the paper.

The team's study found three distinct phases in the public's memory of popular music from the '60s to the '90s: The first phase demonstrated a steep decrease in participants' abilities to recognize music from this millennium, which declined annually from 2015 to 2000. The second phase was a "stable plateau from the 1960s to the 1990s," with participants maintaining stable recognition of songs released during this 40-year period. The third phase highlighted a gradual drop in the ability to recognize songs from the '40s and '50s.

One possible explanation for a surge in the younger generations' knowledge of their parents' music is the accessibility millennials have to songs from past decades. There are over 200 million worldwide users on Spotify alone, according to the company's official Q3 2018 report. In fact, there was a significant relationship between the likelihood of recognizing a given song and its corresponding play count on Spotify.

 

[shnurgleton]

there's definitely more to it than just the age of a song. everybody recognizes "Africa" by Toto but i highly doubt as many people could identify another song by Toto. more probable its recognizability is a combo of 1) it's an older song and 2) it was popular enough to be played a lot on the radio and in other contexts for decades after its release

 

[Brass Body Dave]

Another explanation is that advertising is mining this music mercilessly - and children are attaching themselves to brands. It's an interesting world coming forward. We'll absolutely be comparing corporations to religions in the next hundred years. A lot of "belief" is in corporations which sure sounds familiar.

 

[PSqueak]

i mean there's probably more to it than just the age of a song. everybody recognizes "Africa" by Toto but i highly doubt as many people could identify another song by Toto

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It's what i call the "Golden age of music Fallacy", Older music that remains pouplar even with today's kids is the music of their era that stood the test of time, ie, we keep hearing these songs because they're the cream of the crop of their times, it's not because any music of the era will instantly be good, it's just that good music keeps being played even after several years and the younger ones get spared from the shitty old music.

 

[Plasmid]

Lots of older music is celebrated more, has been in the public sphere of pop culture longer so it makes sense they're more memorable.

 

[The Albatross]

Interesting study. I'm sure it controls for all of the various factors, like how music from the 60s-90s has been around for 30-60+ more years than music from the 90s-2020, so it's in a lot more commercials, TV shows, movies, etc; and how it's been filtered through a 30+ years of weeding out the good from the bad. I was going to suggest that those ~1960s-90s songs established so many tropes in popular music that have mostly been rehashed because... how many different ways can you arrange the same 4-16 chords or the same scales in a way that's memorable...

But, I think part of it could also be the tie in with popular music from the 60s-90s and other popular media, movies, television, videogames, commercials, sports, etc. Like, I find the music in GTA Vice City and GTA San Andreas to be far more memorable than GTAIV and GTAV (although I like GTAV's sound track a lot)... It's because Vice CIty and San Andreas are basically greatest-of albums from the 1980s and early 1990s, so I already knew a lot of the songs, and then those that I didn't were mostly all certifiable classics that are classics for a reason. Also both of those games came out at a time in a sweet spot in videogame music licensing where music executives/artists didn't take the medium seriously, so they didn't charge insane licensing fees, but videogame companies still had some capital to be able to put together a greatest-of album. GTA games going forward has to invest heavily in indie music that doesn't cost a lot of money, and take chances making hits, or the hits they do choose are the lesser known hits from that age/genre (like the pop station in GTAV has a ton of great songs on it, but almost no certified chart toppers, most of them are secondary or tertiary hits from those artists).

So without looking into the details and taking the thread at face value, I wonder how much they controlled for things like that. Like, a lot of people might be familiar with Led Zeppelin because their parents or uncles played it when they were growing up, but then a lot of that is reinforced by ... Cadillac using Led Zeppelin in all of their commercails from 2005-2010, so perhaps as many young people might recognize a Led Zeppelin song as being "That song in the Cadillac commercial..." as they might actually being familiar with the song.

 

[Sobriquet]

there's definitely more to it than just the age of a song. everybody recognizes "Africa" by Toto but i highly doubt as many people could identify another song by Toto. more probable its recognizability is a combo of 1) it's an older song and 2) it was popular enough to be played a lot on the radio and in other contexts for decades after its release

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Even Rosanna or Hold the Line? 😢

 

[Dan Thunder]

Some songs easily recognized by the younger generation were "When a Man Loves a Woman" by Percy Sledge, "Baby Come Back" by Player and "The Tide Is High" by Blondie. Whereas, other tunes such as "Knock Three Times" by Dawn, "I'm Sorry" by John Denver and "Truly" by Lionel Richie went largely unrecognized by the sample.

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Funny that, all time classics are still remembered!

Without seeing the playlist it's difficult to agree or disagree. If they're using classic songs that are still played to this day then of course they'll be remembered.

I'd also suggest that the streaming generation have access to a much broader range of material than current ones as a reason for the inability to remember more current music. Therefore people today may well end up playing a much wider range of music whereas with physical media you'd often listen to the same album a huge number of times.

 

[low-G]

I'm of a mind that because the monoculture died with the popularity of the Internet, that the monoculture as it was is still significant. It is one touchstone marketers can tap into, and there will never be many new monoculture songs, so they will tap into 80's and 90's hits for a few more decades to come.

 

[Kemono]

 

[Bakercat]

Older music has also had more time to fester in pop culture and society in general than a song made a year ago.

 

[Tomasoares]

Most pop music from nowadays sounds way too similar to each other, so it's not surprising for me.

 

[Window]

I wonder if this also has to do with the change in style of music. Older songs tend to be more melodic where as modern (pop) music is more percussion based with its EDM influences. The latter style may be less 'memorable'.

 

[Busaiku]

Similar to why newer comic characters don't tend to catch on, is cause companies keep focusing on those older properties.

 

[Deleted member 4783]

Y

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Don't you dare post Thoughty2 videos here. He's is trash.

Now, on topic: duh.

 

[mikeys_legendary]

I actually remember reading somewhere that older popular music had more variety to it in it's structure, where as newer pop music is much more homogenized.

I don't listen to much newer popular music, so I'm not too certain on this.

 

[Netherscourge]

Today's parents play music more often around their kids.

That music is 70s/80s/90s tunes, which were popular during the parents' adolescent years, which is also the time when MTV was newer and still playing music videos.

 

[Violence Jack]

I actually remember reading somewhere that older popular music had more variety to it in it's structure, where as newer pop music is much more homogenized.

I don't listen to much newer popular music, so I'm not too certain on this.

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I agree with this. Plus, as a parent, my child has heard far more music from the 70s/80s/90s and early 2000s than anything current. I think the only current artist my child likes is Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga.

 

[kyle mechlachlan]

Gonna be that guy, but this honestly sounds like a symptom of capitalistic mentalities. Everything has to appear to everyone to maximize the profits so as less risks are taken the language of music artists use become more simplified and eventually that's what's normalized.

 

[Nappuccino]

All radio music blends together. There's like 85 bands from the mid nineties and early 2000s that all sound the same and are always on the radio.

 

[AnansiThePersona]

Movies, TV shows, commercials, and grocery stores are constantly playing older, iconic music so it ends up becoming memorable to younger generations

 

[ghostemoji]

Old music is curated continuously by the entire culture. New music is abundant and wildly variable in quality and lasting impact.

 

[thediamondage]

so in 40 years everyone will fondly be remembering taki taki




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixkoVwKQaJg

thanks, millennials

 

[Mona]

so in 40 years everyone will fondly be remembering taki taki



thanks, millennials

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La Bamba for a new generation

 

[Schlorgan]

Older music has also had more time to fester in pop culture and society in general than a song made a year ago.

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That's what I was thinking. Those older songs have been around for the majority of our lives.

 

[shnurgleton]

so in 40 years everyone will fondly be remembering taki taki

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Taki yes, taki taki no

 

[Fisty]

Every time I would grab my son's hand to cross the street for the first 12 years of his life, he would sing "I want to hold your hand" because I sang it once when I grabbed his hand to cross the street when he was 3. Melodies, man

 

[Lazlow]

I can't see the pillars of Christmas songs, the classics, that get played every year ever falling out of favour as they keep getting passed down the generations.

 

[Dalek]

Most pop music from nowadays sounds way too similar to each other, so it's not surprising for me.

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This is how I feel. Music today all sounds so similar because they're all going for the same audience.

 

[bionic77]

I have been saying this for awhile and most people said I was crazy.

IMO I think it's because music is just not as culturally important as it was in prior decades. There are just so many more forms of cheap and free entertainment. Most people are not going to wait for an album, spend 20 bucks on it and then then spend their entire weekend listening to it.

 

[Segafreak]

Everything went downhill after the early 00s.

Games, music, movies. The only thing having a golden age right now are TV shows (tho it can be debated since the end of Sopranos), and I suppose the generic Marvel formula of superhero movies.

This is why nostalgia pandering is such a big thing now, everything is having a remake. People will look back on this decade as the most unremarkable in terms of content.

 

[Ignacious]

Occam's Razor: The quality of music has declined the last decade or two.

 

[Deleted member 1086]

A lot of it is how much older music is used in movies, like the Guardians of the Galaxy movies. I've over heard a few kids go on about how much cool music is on the Guardians soundtrack and I just laugh, because when I was a kid much of that same music was on the Dazed and Confused soundtrack.

Also so many hard rock/metal songs from the 70s and 80s are used in movies/movie trailers. AC/DC's "Highway to Hell" is used in tons of movie trailers for some reason, and I remember laughing at The LEGO Movie trailer for using "Kickstart My Heart", given the meaning of the actual song.

 

[Big-E]

Interesting. When I drive, I have the radio on and I listen to whatever I want in the car. My son, who is 6, listens to this so he is constantly exposed to older music as I don't listen to anything new. He has shown an affinity for the Red Hot Chili Peppers as he speaks up about songs he likes ans asks who plays them and Red Hot Chili Peppers has come on a lot. When I was little, my parents also listened to old music so I heard a lot of Stones and other classic rock. The car radio also probably plays a part.

 

[Equippedwithtowel]

The internet broke monoculture, possibly forever. Pop music has always been a mixed bag. I'm not sure what else needs to be said

 

[Window]

Gonna be that guy, but this honestly sounds like a symptom of capitalistic mentalities. Everything has to appear to everyone to maximize the profits so as less risks are taken the language of music artists use become more simplified and eventually that's what's normalized.

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Music today is maybe the most diverse it's ever been. As said in this thread before, with the advent of the internet monoculture has kind of faded away so you have listeners fragmented across different genres and artists which best appeal to them. As for pop music, there was plenty of bad pop music back in the day too, it's just been forgotten. Also, the 60s-90s were still an era of capitalism for the US/UK where pop songs and acts were driven by a profit motive. As for the times before capitalism (which isn't considered in this article), artists were paid by wealthy patrons or monarchs who would commission works or earned their income from teaching. There's an interesting discussion to be had about the relationship between artistic freedom and ways of compensation but I don't think it's as simple as you claim (not do I think music today is more homogenised).

 

[Indy in the Fridge]

there's definitely more to it than just the age of a song. everybody recognizes "Africa" by Toto but i highly doubt as many people could identify another song by Toto. more probable its recognizability is a combo of 1) it's an older song and 2) it was popular enough to be played a lot on the radio and in other contexts for decades after its release

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Only other Toto song I know happens to be their best one.

 

[Deleted member 9714]

Is there any music from the last 5 years that will be remembered 30 years from now like these rock classics?

 

[random88]

Of course. Today we have hyperproduction of homogenized trash.

 

[Deleted member 18407]

Is there any music from the last 5 years that will be remembered 30 years from now like these rock classics?

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I think it's funny that I remember people asking this exact question in the 90s. Stuff will definitely be remembered.

 

[Cryptosporidium]

Music theory was just a lot more present back then and incorporated better

Today, besides the songs of big writers like Max Martin, Dr. Luke, etc, we see melody, chord progressions, and a lot of other things becoming simpler or even non existent in some popular genres.

This isnt to say todays pop music is worse, but the lack of memorable chord progressions like say While My Guitar Gently Weeps definitely makes music less memorable. Again though tastes change, so its not too much of a problem.

And we still have niche acts with amazing utilization of theory like Snarky Puppy and Vulfpeck

 

[turbobrick]

Is there any music from the last 5 years that will be remembered 30 years from now like these rock classics?

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Sure. But I think it takes a while for the garbage to be forgotten and only the great songs to stick around.

 

[wenis]

so older music has been turned memetic.

 

[Zen]

We're entering an era where more music is being produced every hour than we can consume in our lifetime. Compared to that ocean, the more limited library of music older generations hold in esteem become anchors for people to have shared taste.

 

[SamAlbro]

I actually remember reading somewhere that older popular music had more variety to it in it's structure, where as newer pop music is much more homogenized.

I don't listen to much newer popular music, so I'm not too certain on this.

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Formulas become narrower and more entrenched over time, unless they crash hard. It's the inevitable conclusion of a corporate entertainment medium.

 

[Violet]

Almost like music prominently featured on the radio and media that have been played constantly for years might be more easily recognized than music that............... has not

 

[Catdaddy]

As a child of the 80s, over the years my music tastes are pretty much stuck in the 70s and 80s. I only use 5 presets on my SiriusXM – 70s, 80s, Classic Vinyl, Classic Rewind and the Old School rap (LL Cool J channel), the only modern music I listen to is K-Pop because it just makes me happy and still have no idea why I like it, but I do….

 

[Fitts]

Not that image hasn't been important in music (and all forms of entertainment) forever, but it's more of a factor now than it's ever been. The tunes don't matter as much as the marketing campaign behind them. With the industry clinging to relevance thanks to the rise of digital distribution, it's much easier to set the bar low and go for quantity over quality. Turnover is profitable. Churn out new "stars" and pair them up with established ones in a featured role once in a while so they can get a foothold in the market.

But it's all the same shit written/produced by the same people.

 

[Psamtik]

there's definitely more to it than just the age of a song. everybody recognizes "Africa" by Toto but i highly doubt as many people could identify another song by Toto.

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Hold the Line is much better and has an all-time great riff, though.

 

[Futureman]

We're entering an era where more music is being produced every hour than we can consume in our lifetime. Compared to that ocean, the more limited library of music older generations hold in esteem become anchors for people to have shared taste.

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1979: You heard what was being pushed by record labels on the radio and you maybe owned some vinyl or had friends/family with vinyl that you could listen to when hanging out.

2019: Every song ever at our fingertips AND more music than ever is being made.

I think every other argument as to why this is happening is just a small foot note. It's because 1) we can instantly listen to any song ever made 2) more music is being recorded/released than ever before.