We don't all remember the war

[seashaken]

I've just been for a walk and passed a pub with a notice up about a lunch with entertainment for the over 60s. The entertainment is a crooner singing a selection of wartime favourites. Now I'm 66 and the cultural movements that informed my youth were hippies, glam rock and punk. For people 10-20 years older than me it would've been Elvis, mods and rockers, the Beatles and there can't be many people in the target age group with clear memories of the war, many wouldn't have been born. Obviously I realise the audience will be self-selecting and anyone who prefers Led Zeppelin will give it a swerve, but I did find it depressing that this is still considered appropriate entertainment for people my age. I don't want to find myself in a care home in 20 years time being forced to listen to Vera Lynn.

I've been saying this for years.

TV is equally as bad. Every time you see a care home/entertainment for the 60+ its always the same.

Most of them grew up in the 60s/70s and would prefer Rock/pop anything else.

It's madness. The war ended 77 years ago! So you'd need to be over 80 to remember it!

People seem to be struggling to move on. WW2 ended almost 85 years ago. The over 60 crowd today, even the over 80 crowd, really have nothing to do with the war. But as a society, we still seem to have the mindset that older people = war memories and stuff, so things aimed at them still involve war stuff.

Time to remember it as part of history and stop pushing it onto older people as if it somehow involved them.

My Dad is in his 70s and wasn't born until after the war!

His youth is The Beatles and long hair.

(The war and the major rashioning that continued after it)

That’s really funny. Most of the women over 60 I meet are busy grandmas talking their DGC to play groups (where I take my DS). They definitely wouldn’t be interested in war time classics.

Maybe they thought they’d

…get more interest than if they put over 90s

Thank god it's not just me! Was fully expecting to be told I'm being a grumpy old woman 😂

It's ageist and not OK. Probably young people organised it. Over 60s war time classics indeed!

It's madness. The war ended 77 years ago! So you'd need to be over 80 to remember it!
I'd say well over 80and more on their 90s
My mum is 811so she would have been 4 .
I dont know about anyone else but I wouldn't associate the music of my youth as being what I listened to at 4 years old!

You are not wrong and it also applies to some MN posts talking about older women.

Completely agree. My 80 year old dad has been saying the same thing for years. He was born in the war, but has no memory of it. He hates the expectation that this is the type of thing he would like - says that his parents' generation would have been the ones who would have enjoyed a Vera Lynn singalong.

My great Nan is 98 and even she would probably roll her eyes at a Vera Lynn singalong 😂

Wow 811, what’s her secret?

My mum loved the war time songs. I used to take her to concerts every year where they sang Vera Lynn songs and all the old Glen Miller stuff. However she's dead now (would have been 94) and she was really end of the era. I can't say there would be much demand for this for very many more years.

I'm 66 and Vera Lynn would definitely not be on my playlist I love a bit of Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald but really grew up with Wishbone Ash, Joni Mitchell and The Eagles. I'm still interested in new stuff and found a few new artists I liked like Sam Fender and Holly Humberston watching Glastonbury.
The thought of spending an evening listening to wartime favourites would have me running, OK walking, a mile from the venue in question.

I raised this when I worked in a care home, people currently in their 70's and 80's have little interest in war time music

I am mid sixties and hoping for a bit of Northern Soul in my care home when I get there.

My great aunt was a teenager during ww2. She's 97!

My Dad is 83 and was born just as war began. His teens were in the 50’s and he was young married man in the 60’s - wartime ‘favourites’ are NOT his era at all!

Maybe you should call in and have a word with the Landlord/lady and try to get them up to date - talk about living in the past!

I was being generous with 80 tbh. My Grandad is 88, he remembers the war but has no interest in talking about it.

I feel much the same, I'm 64 and hate all this stuff. This was for my grand parent generation [ both long dead ], not mine.

My dad is 86. So yeah, he was a child during the war.

But he was a teen/young person in the 50s and 60s. That’s the music and era he loves.

He’s in a care home and all they seem to do is war themed things. He refuses to join in. He doesn’t exactly have pleasant childhood memories of it all and has always hated 2nd world war nostalgia rammed down his throat.

FYI many singers of "war time favourites" are still gay icons.

Nothing to do with "over 60s".

Me too. Shot down in flames though 🔥🙄 because 'everyone knows the words' well yeah they do, I do and my own grandparents were part of the war effort but they'd be over 100 if still alive.
I do think that many of the late 70's early 80's age group probably grew up with this music if their parents were part of the war effort and they listened to it at home maybe after the war? I listen to music from my teens and early 20's as my DD grew up, so in 60 years time it would probably evoke memories for her.
But I also used to sneak in some 50s, 60s and 70s music too and it did go down well, because it was from their teens and early 20s - got quite a few reminiscing about meeting their other halves, parties, nights out and holidays - and the odd 'this was on the radio when I started my first job/had my first baby' memories.
If I live long enough to be in my 80's I'll be singing along to Vera Lynn because I know all the words - but not because I grew up with it being popular music at the time!