AIBU to feel sad after listening to nostalgic 80s music?

[BakeOut]

God, why do I feel so sad listening to 80s music?
I spent yesterday evening listening to 3 hours of all the songs I either loved and played or just heard around me (radio, TOTP, Sunday charts etc.) whilst I went through my teen years.
It started by me putting Through The Barricades song (song not album) to play on Amazon music, and then it went on a random play list of all the music from around that time. It was so good, it was choosing all the music that I loved. Every other song that came on I was thinking "Oh I loved this song!" And I couldn't stop listening, it was all so nostalgic. I had a lovely evening listening to it all, honestly haven't heard or played those songs for decades.
But suddenly, when I went to bed, from out of nowhere I felt so incredibly sad. I'd had a lovely day so I couldn't understand why. And I still feel a bit sad this morning. I can't shake this sadness off. It's taken me right back to how I felt all through my teenage years, when life felt really good. When I had my whole life ahead of me, and life felt so easy back then, and I felt like anything was possible in my big, long future. Through my teens I felt invincible and strong and full of hope and aspiration. I had a strong sense of starting out in this adventure of life. The 80s were an amazing time to be a teenager. I know everyone says that about whichever era they grew up in. But my God, the 80s were a good time.
And here I am at 52 feeling like life is so much harder now, my hopes and dreams didn't work out, I'm a different person now to how I was then, life has changed and re-shaped me, I don't have that optimistic excitement for the life ahead of me like I had then, and I no longer have my whole entire life stretching out ahead of me.
I feel very melancholy. This music has churned up feelings and emotions deep inside me tbat I didn't even realise were there. Yet I felt right as rain and perfectly happy yesterday afternoon before listening to it all!
(If you're reading and you're under 50, you probably won't get this!😂)

I'm 43, but I get what you mean. I was once full of hope and dreams. I'm certainly not disappointed with my life and I am happy. But I don't experience the same level of excitement that I did when I was younger. Everything just feels a bit flatter now I'm older.

I get this and I'm 49!! It seems like yesterday that I was teenager, doing my A levels,going off to uni, planning what I was going to do in life. And now here I am fat, broke, divorced and dying the greys out of my hair. Wtf. Music can really take you back to another time and I think feeling this way is normal to an extent. If you find it becoming more frequent and really intrusive and difficult to shake off I'd worry more and seek some support.

YANBU. I think it’s been proven that music binds itself into the part of our brain that holds memories, so just as seeing a picture or souvenir reminds you of a fime and place, so does music.

Listening to music that triggers those memories is a form of therapy, as long as you don’t get too attached to the past.

I think you've explained it pretty well.

Back then there was a whole lot of my life I wanted to change... but I was pretty sure it was going to change, and the possibilities stretched before me.

Now, everything I want to change has already happened, and the possibilities left are harder to envisage (partly because I'm more aware of my limitations).

Dear oh dear that sounds as if my life is dreadful, doesn't it? It's actually reasonably lovely, especially compared to many 57-year-olds. But we all have things we wish were different, and 80s music reminds us of when they could have been.

Well I’m ‘just’ 40 and I get it. That sense of the future being a wonderful exciting place of opportunity. Now we are older we have ageing to look forward to. And the world is a much less optimistic place in general. There was hope for the future in decades gone by. I’m not sure exactly when that changed, or whether it’s just me that’s changed. The young people I meet today don’t seem as carefree as I remember being.

I completely get this! It's a bit like smells that take you back to another time. Nostalgia is a funny one as it's always slightly tinged with sadness. Also, I agree the world is just so much more complicated now than it was then.
I guess it's like a yearning to go back to those carefree times.

Nostalgia...that's why. There's an Alarm song from 1985ish called Spirit of 76 which sums it up.

There's nothing wrong with looking back and regretting some of the decisions made or when things didn't go well.

There is a point where it's does get worrying. I've a friend who feels the best years of her life were the 2 we spent in 6th form. For her it was brilliant, she blossomed, was very popular for the first time and had great fun and brilliant nights out. She however measures the rest of her life against it, talks about it a lot and is constantly on YouTube watching 80s stuff. We have started to get together as a 6th form group and she counts down the days till we meet up again.

Me I have had brilliant times since, several times and look forward to making more happen