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.

And this is why The "That'll Be the Day" stage show does so well, over's 60's apparently flock to it....

When I visited MIL in her nursing home they played a 60s, 70s and 80s hits in the lounge, which I thought was nice.
There are so few people around who remember the war or want to relive it.

We might not all remember the war, but some may still enjoy the songs. I wasn't born then but I know and like many wartime songs.

lol
I completely understand OP

I am 10 years younger than you and "my" music is from the 60s onwards (though I couldn't tell you what is in the music charts now).
I have often wondered what kind of music they will be playing in Residential Care Homes or even seaside or park Bandstands when I am older than I already am.

I find this whole phenomenon fascinating.

How long will the romancing WW2 continue? Will one day will there be a bunch of OAPs in 30/40 years listening to a Britney impersonator?

Do the people in homes not get a say in what's played?
Or is it a case of the homes have never updated their CD collections?

Absoblooudylutely.

My Dad is 70. He brought me up on Queen, Led Zeppelin, The Eagles, Deep Purple... When he's of an age to be doing sing songs in a care home, it'll need to be classic rock!

When it's me, it'll be a combination of classic Rock, heavy metal and 90s trance!

That is the type of hits I would like to listen too in a Nursing Home

Wow 811, what’s her secret?
🤣🤣🤣
At a guess id say fat fingers!!

Mick Jagger is almost 80, Paul McCartney is 82, Bill Wyman is almost 90!

Think the pub have the wrong generation!

Wow 811, what’s her secret?

😂

Me too, drives me mad. The only people who’ll remember the war (as even young adults) would have been born in the 20’s. I was born in 1964, I want them playing Abba and U2 when I’m in my dotage.

DM is 84, has a long memory and remembers her war childhood (18m- 7), so is about one of the youngest with memories of it.

She hates Vera Lynn etc. Much more Buddy Holly, The Beatles and Pink Floyd.

Why would people want constant enforced harking back to a traumatic phase of life anyway.

I think it was Peter Kaye who did a joke about when he's old putting Prodigy on because it's what he remembers from his youth.

Over 60s? Bloody hell I only have four years to go and my youth music was the Specials and Madness!

@WeepingSomnambulist.
If you mean people should move on, as in the recent Remembrance Sunday, then there have been several wars since the second world war (Korean War, Afganistan, etc).
If you mean music choices, then I definitely agree. But I think they choose this music as many elderly people can sing along with it. Personally, I would avoid any pub with that sort of entertainment.
Here I will add, that when my DM was in a Care Home, they used to have this kind of music and singalong at Christmas. She was in her 90s and part of the war time generation, but she was also tone deaf and never liked it, but was probably in a minority.

When I worked in a care home most of the residents were capable of working the cd player themselves. Occasionally caused an argument because 2 of the men liked totally different things and would grumble and moan at each other. (They did this about everything, not just music)
There was a massive collection of CDs to choose from. Those who couldn't do it themselves were offered a selection to choose from, although staff learned pretty quickly who liked what. Of course that didn't work if lots of residents wanted to sit in the same lounge at the same time. Luckily we had a few communal rooms.

Incidentally a lot of them hated the war stuff because it reminded them of the sad parts of their past (some had been widowed very young, lost brothers, neighbours, fathers etc)

I'm not disagreeing with the general point, but what's with the idea you need to have been around for music to enjoy it? I went to a Fleetwood Mac tribute act the other night, and I wasn't born until several years after the band was! You don't have to be over 60 to enjoy a 70s night or over 30 to like a 90s night.....

Everyone we know over 60 are all still going to rock, pop and punk gigs. We went to a 60th mod, rockers and punk party recently. Plenty of people there approaching 70 in fancy dress, dancing, drinking all night. Old people are rewriting the script.
Our parents in mid to late 80's were all children when the war ended ffs and don't want to return to that era at all. They all eat tonnes of sweets and chocolate between them and blame rations.

I can see both sides. Sure I'm too young but I also remember my grandparents singing those songs. So it helps to bring back memories of my grandparents and not necessarily the war or its hardships.

My eldest was born in the 1990s but she loves Elvis and that era.

I work in mental health and on our dementia wards they are very careful to ensure memory materials - photos, music etc - are geared to the right period, so yes, that would mean Charles and Di’s wedding, glam rock / punk etc for someone in their sixties. When I first started working here, it did feel weird that they constantly have to update materials as time shifts on!

I sing in a choir and we recently sang in a care home. We did lots of 60/70's songs and the residents loved it. One care worker said they had now changed the music they played as the residents were all of an age where they liked 50/60/70's music.

My DM is 82 and Meatloaf is one of her favourite singers! I am 60 and I would say the 70/80's are my vibe. I hope they are playing the Sex Pistols and the Clash when I am in a care home!

Yanbu. My town is obsessed with WW2. At the summer fair there are always singers in uniform crooning Vera Lynn and the whole area treats Remembrance Day like some sort of festival. I’m like wtf my brother fought in Afghanistan and Iraq, not France…

I actually think that the obsession with WW2 is part of a creeping nationalism/ right wing facism which is on the increase in most countries. Glamourising WW2 is right up the street of people like Putin (and Boris Johnson was always banging on about Churchill, come to that).

It takes a long time for a society to realise that they're all dead

And they are, pretty much - all dead

The Queen literally drove in the war, was incredibly elderly at 96 and er... ya know - obviously dead

My parents are in their 80's and more into the Vietnam war era music eg Bob Dylan, Joan Baez and a whole bunch of other stuff.

They loathe all that Vera Lynne type stuff.