Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Composer's Lounge Do you feel like they "don't write good songs anymore?"

Actually I feel people still write good music,
but the music industry and the public don't
seem to want to buy them.
I'm a 50's and 60's generation person...and
I feel music went heavily down hill by the
mid 70's....
Or it my age showing?
I think there are exceptions of course...
I love the Andrew Lloyd Weber stuff ...
and certain songs have stolen my heart, like
Wind Beneath My Wings....

I've kind of felt that way. I can't "place" myself in anyone style so I feel like a wanderer not really latching on or categorizing myself in anyone place because I can't find anyone style that consistently cranks out top notch stuff.

I have recently wondered if because composition and recording software is so much more accessible and easy to use and understand that almost anybody is able to write and record now so the market maybe is more saturated with stuff that's not always that great.

What do you feel like were good songs from the 50's and 60's? I was a teenager in the 80's but I do like a lot of 50's and 60's music especially more than the 70's. I was also really picky about what I liked in the 80's. Then I kind of lost track of what was great after that. Now I just gravitate toward folk music especially Early American songs like Stephen Foster's music and the children's songs "we grew up with" especially rhyming ones. Maybe whatever era one grew up in are the songs one feels are the best. Maybe those who wrote music in the 50's and 60's "hogged" all the best stuff and didn't leave anything for anyone to write after that. I love "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" and I always sing to my kids, "Beep Bop a loola, you guys are my babies . . " Of course I changed the words a little to sing to my kids. I also like Peter, Paul, and Mary music. I could probably think of some others but those are just off the top of my head.

I hate to say it, but if you were from an even younger generation, you might actually feel that, actually, and ironically enough, all the pieces that both of you have listed do not contain any actual genuine deep emotion, the harmonies in conjunction with the words, the textures, the accompaniments, the overall atmosphere, is not convincingly expressive like some music of the romantic period, for instance.

Which is kind of funny, because in a way, I do have to agree, there isn't as much truly powerful music being written, but I would have to say it applies more to the entire 20th century than just a few decades! (and keep in mind, I know of many many exceptions, I'm just talking statistically here).

Totally don't think so. Things like Band of Gypsies/Hendrix Experience, Pink Floyd, Radiohead, Portishead, Lamb, Yann Tiersen, RHCP, Suzanne Vega etc etc. If anything music has become vastly more varied since the 70s.

Good music is nonsense anyway. I much prefer Rachmaninov over gangsta rap like 50cent but no sane person could argue it is better. Maybe more complex, more melodic and more dynamic, but not objectively better.

Good points guys. Actually after I studied "classical" music is when I started having trouble categorizing myself as an advocate of country, rock, etc. come to think of it.

I always wondered what is it about the master composers' music that seems to transcend time and never gets "tossed by the wayside"? I've also always wondered what Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Schubert, etc. would be composing if they were living in today's society. Would they be country or rock musicians?

I cried when John Lennon died because I knew
it was the end of a powerfully creative musical
genius.
I think Bach and Beethoven would write even
more amazing stuff now. They'd have better pianos,
they'd have the musical community available, like
we do...and exposure to all kinds of wonderful
things. They were great souls. I think one must
be a great soul to write great music.
I do believe Beethoven was profoundly depressed. He may not have written some of the
passionate sad things had he been on an antidepressent, however!
We're all representative of our times.
I enjoyed Arjens response...most of those
people he mentioned I've never even heard of.
Maybe its the music we have as our "background"
of youth that seems to be the best...when
we are keenly passionate about things, falling
in love..whatever is the "theme song" of that
era becomes what we call "great music".
I think it still requires a beautiful melody
to grab my heart. I could name thousands of beautiful melodies from years past, but I can't
name even a handful of what I think are great
songs from the last five years. Guess I'm an
old fuddy duddy.

Arjen - you are right, especially after I've seen some of the bands you listed! However I do feel that for that style of music, things have died off quite a bit since the early 90s, and alot of the music from the late 90s and 2000s seem to be more superficial and lacking of substance than the rock/alternative from back then. Don't you agree? Not in all cases, but as a general trend. Just look at the music videos nowadays, and look at our youth! They are trying so hard to be attractive on the surface that they are not worrying about what is much more important - having something substantial underneath... which others will discovery shortly after they see your amazing body and nice clothes! (Not that those aren't important too, but it's all about balance!).

Don't really agree with it but I get what you mean. But don't forget that when Pink Floyd was doing incredible things the majority of people were buying Abba records. When radiohead took on a new direction Happy Hardcore hit the airwaves big time. I think that in ten years or so we'll be way more able to judge this era: there's so much crap that has to be washed away by time.

There is loads of great songwriting going on, but its on small labels and not commercial at all. My votes go to:

Strawbs (Dave Cousins is a BRILLIANT and insightful songwriter, as good as any in popular music. They tour in both electric and acoustic forms. Saw the acoustic band at Leicester Cathedral in August and they were so good that we're off to see them again in February).

Rufus Wainwright - son of Loudon III and very different to anyone else I've heard.

Woolly Woolstenholme (ex-Barclay James Harvest, now has his own band MAESTOSO whose 2005 album 'GRIM' contains some of his best writing. Follow the links from www.bjharvest.co.uk)

Richard Thompson. I'm off to see him live in February. His latest album is excellent.

Ian Anderson, the main man from Jethro Tull (another band I have booked to see, in March). Anderson has written some really inventive and widely influenced stuff and continues to pen some quality tunes today.

I would also point people in the direction of Fairport Convention (Still going strong!), Eliza Carthy, Steeleye Span (back on fantastic form these days. I saw Fleetwood Mac live a couple of years ago and Lynsey Buckingham's latest offerings are really good as well.

The problem with the music industry today as I see it is that it is more about IMAGE than music. Even talented artists can often start "selling out" once they get a little fame under their belt and the promotional ad revenue starts kicking in (many musicians make more money off of Advertising than they do on record sales). The whole radio/tv universe is set up to feed the masses the music that makes them happy.

If you want good music you usually have to go looking for it. Luckily with the help of the internet, online music services and on-line indie distribution channels like CD-BABY.com it's possible to find some real jewels out there if you are willing to search for them.

If you are talking about just "POPULAR MUSIC"...ie the stuff that Joe Blow can buy off the "New Releases" aisle at his local Wal-Mart (do they have Wal-Marts outside North America?) then I tend to agree with the original poster...

~pianocliff

i agree with all the most recent posts.. i think we are zeroing in on the problem now!

Yes, we sadly have Walmarts in the UK as well. They used to be called Asda, now they are called Asda-Walmart and soon I am sure they will be called Walmart. They are trying hard to compete with Tesco, but thats another story. Like Tesco etc. they only stock the commercial stuff and, sadly, most of it is rubbish.

Buying direct from the label is a pretty good way of ginding great new music. Another suggestion for a link - look out Witchwood Records for some interesting stuff.

As the saying goes,

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder."


My husband always loved mostly country music songs which I couldn't stand years ago (now I like some of it). It used to all sound too "twangy" and all sounded the same. But then my husband would hear a country song he knew and say, "This is a good song!!!" Then I went to a jazz concert once. I do like some jazz but at this particular concert it all sounded the same and the audience was really jammin' and I wondered what they found so great about it. Then there's my parents generation who still loves Lawrence Welk and can't get enough of the Gaithers music. I see others getting so excited about music that I don't see what their so excited about. I've gone to a lot of country music shows with relatives who love this stuff and are having a blast at the show while I fight boredom trying to sit through the show.

Even within classical music, if one took a survey as to what pieces others considered "good songs", you'd get umpteen different answers.

I think each generation tends to fall into the "pop culture" of their time, and that those who fall outside this cultural world are the exception, not the rule. So, there is a neverending turnover of, "Kids these days don't know what music is!" which is, of course, a ridiculous premise. They might not know what you like, but nevertheless, what they listen to appeals to them and the culture of their generation, and will probably ultimately help to form and define their generation.

So, naturally, while there may be less that I "like" today, I certainly will not say that it is not "good", nor would I say that the music of a previous generation's tastes is superior in any way to the music of today.