Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Original poster

Are my kids unusual in listening to this music?

106 replies

AInightingale · 17/12/2023 09:45

Just wondering last night whether teenagers nowadays have their own pop music culture anymore. I was upstairs and my 12 year old was listening to Kate Bush - streaming the Red Shoes album which I remember having as a CD when I was about 22, he got into Kate via the re-release of Running Up That Hill last year - my 14 year old was downstairs listening to the Pogues and had been playing Eurhythmics songs earlier in the day. In a way it's great, and I remember being really into the Beatles and older David Bowie at their age, which predated me, but I'm just puzzled as to why they don't listen to contemporary stuff. Is it really so crap, or are they just slightly unusual?

OP posts:
TheYearOfSmallThings · 17/12/2023 09:46

They will of course be listening to current stuff alongside the old stuff.

Crumblecakes · 17/12/2023 09:47

I think nowadays kids have such easy access to all types of music so its easier to find things that aren’t current if you don’t like them. The teenagers in my family all have really eclectic tastes in music. Thank god for Spotify!

Dacadactyl · 17/12/2023 09:47

My kids (one teen one preteen) love Fleetwood Mac, David Bowie, Queen etc. A good act or good song is a good act or song whenever you hear them/it.

BigBoysDontCry · 17/12/2023 09:49

My DC have been similar, but then we've always had music playing in the house and car since they were babies and we are "older" parents. I think some of my younger son's first words were leb zeppelin, (led zeppelin). He could also distinguish between various blues singers as a toddler. He is 22 and likes pink Floyd, rush, Bowie, Fleetwood mac etc. Elder isn't as much into music but likes the beatles, Bowie, green say.

MadamVastra · 17/12/2023 09:50

My ds and dd know all the Wham Rap and Young Gun lyrics 😂

BlueberryVelvet · 17/12/2023 09:51

My DD (22) loves Dolly Parton, Kenny Rogers, John Denver and Nirvana (apparently retro too).

BigBoysDontCry · 17/12/2023 09:51

Oh and they loved Madness as toddlers.

Saisong · 17/12/2023 09:52

My 16yo listens mostly to stuff from my era - G'n'R, Green Day, Ramones, RHCP, Foos, AC/DC etc.
She came to this all by herself (as they are not entirely my taste). She says more modern music is boring.

Shouldershoulder · 17/12/2023 09:53

Not unusual at all, kids these days have access to just about every type of music ever recorded. My dd was a big Elvis fan 😊

HavfrueDenizKisi · 17/12/2023 09:53

No they are not unusual in the slightest.

Almondmum · 17/12/2023 09:54

It's the one good thing about tiktok. The snippets of music on there are really wide ranging and they end up hearing stuff from decades ago.

As others have said Spotify is fantastic for this too, you have everything at your finger tips and it suggests things to you. So if you are a kid and you listen to running up that hill because of stranger things then you'll end up listening to more kate bush.

So yeah, I don't think they're that unusual.

Shopper727 · 17/12/2023 09:54

My son (22) came down stairs singing Jolene the other day I think it’s good they have a wide range of music they enjoy and listen to. I was a bit surprised to see my 22 year old 6ft 3 son singing away to dolly

SgtJuneAckland · 17/12/2023 09:55

I think this is quite common tbh , DS is only five but his favourite songs are not from this decade

KickboxingWanker · 17/12/2023 09:56

My 11 year old loves AC/DC, Rolling Stones, Motörhead, Queen etc - he plays the drums and loves all music tbh.

Needhelpsupport · 17/12/2023 09:56

Absolutely normal to listen to old and new !There is a reason why so many legends are still listened too ,particularly 80s music.

Original poster
AInightingale · 17/12/2023 09:56

Thx for replies, but I am just wondering who exactly the biggest names are today. I mean I'm really old (had kids in late 30s) and out of touch anyway, but who are they?

OP posts:
naughtynine · 17/12/2023 09:56

It’s so much easier now to access music eg watching a film & hearing an old song & you can then buy it straight away.

MoralOrLegal · 17/12/2023 09:56

Almondmum · 17/12/2023 09:54

It's the one good thing about tiktok. The snippets of music on there are really wide ranging and they end up hearing stuff from decades ago.

As others have said Spotify is fantastic for this too, you have everything at your finger tips and it suggests things to you. So if you are a kid and you listen to running up that hill because of stranger things then you'll end up listening to more kate bush.

So yeah, I don't think they're that unusual.

This! It's now really really easy to find music that isn't currently in the charts, much more so than when we were kids. Mine are into some pretty unusual music (swing, folk, jazz) which didn't come from either of their parents.

Needhelpsupport · 17/12/2023 09:57

AInightingale · 17/12/2023 09:56

Thx for replies, but I am just wondering who exactly the biggest names are today. I mean I'm really old (had kids in late 30s) and out of touch anyway, but who are they?

Ask your children.

naughtynine · 17/12/2023 09:58

Also I think most pop stars today are pretty shit & a lot of pop sounds the same.

I don’t even know how I would define music trends from the 10s or 20s

JoshLymanIsHotterThanSam · 17/12/2023 09:58

My DD (19) is all about modern stuff with a touch of Metallica thrown in.
My DS’s on the other hand listen to all sorts. The 11 year old is currently massively into Eminem circa 2000 😆. They like Bon Jovi because I do too.

Original poster
AInightingale · 17/12/2023 10:00

The Killers are also really popular in our house, but even that's going back nearly twenty years...

OP posts:
ANightingale · 17/12/2023 10:00

Back in the 80s, as a teen, I often listened to my mum's records from the 60s, such as The Incredible String Band - in those days, unless you had time and money to browse record fairs, it wasn't easy to access dated music, so I was lucky my mum had a good record collection!

In this age, it's so easy to access music online from any era, and it's good to hear teens are making the most of this and not limiting their horizons to what is current.

nokobonoko · 17/12/2023 10:02

They'll be inspired by the music you listen to. I started listening to the Stones and Queen at that age and then I developed my own taste as I had more exposure
Kate bush and the Pogues are timeless though, so I'm sure they will continue to enjoy

SkaneTos · 17/12/2023 10:02

AInightingale · 17/12/2023 09:56

Thx for replies, but I am just wondering who exactly the biggest names are today. I mean I'm really old (had kids in late 30s) and out of touch anyway, but who are they?

Taylor Swift.

Swipe left for the next trending thread