Shoes Skid into Vinyl stores as young eyes watch the circling black records crackling against a needle while Fleetwood Mac flows through the listener’s ears. This method of listening to music and older musical preferences was expected to die out, yet has spiked among young individuals. The phenomenon, which started in the 2010’s, grew further between2020-2025.
There are multiple explanations for this reasoning as young people today have been listening to more older music than past generations.
Rebellion Against Common Trends: One of the most common ages is the natural tendency to rebel. The willingness to rebel in general is caused by an underdeveloped prefrontal cortex (a part of the brain responsible for choice making that does not finish developing until the mid to late 20s). However, the main driver of this subtle rebellion is due to the willingness to show individuality by choosing non-mainstream genres/ bands.
Example: Listening to Def Leppard instead of Sabrina Carpenter as a form of rebellion if the person disagrees with her thoughts or has differing tastes in music.
“I do like older music. It gives me good memories and makes me feel nostalgic,” said senior Emily Lugo.
Vicarious Nostolgia: Vicarious Nostolgia is a psychological phenonmenon found in younger generations in which a person feels Nostalgia for a decade or time period they never experienced. This is due to a perceived view, emotional connection, or romanticized version (caused by music, movies, and media) of a past generation. This can also be caused by disillusionment with the present causing a longing for a more ideal time period.
Example: The increasing trend of people owning iPods (a music device from the 2000s) to avoid Spotify and for the nostalgia factor.
“Amy Winehouse looks like she came out of the 1920’s but her style of music reminds me of the 2000’s,” said senior Sienna Rios.
Storytelling and Relatable Themes: Older songs and bands tend to add storytelling to their music and express universal themes (love, loss, longing, etc). These messages allow the listener to emotionally connect to the song and its words. Even if the song tells a story that may be hard to relate to, the story itself enthralls younger listeners and allows them to daydream about it. Some older bands/artists (such as Fleetwood Mac, Elvis, etc) welcome the current events/wars of their time to influence their music uniquely and this allows for younger people to be intrigued.
Example: “Enter Sandman” is a song by Metallica which is also a child’s protection/prayer in the form of a song which many fans prefer.
“I love the song “Maybe Tomorrow” because of its beat and lyrics. I like how it talks about how things can get better,” said junior Anna Sophia, referring to the Stereophonics tune from 2010.
Modern Technology and Media: Unlike older generations, younger individuals such as Gen Z have more access to the media and technology. This advantage allows them to discover and access older music easily. Older generations such as Gen X had to find older music at thrift stores or in garages, but today music can be accessed on apps such as Spotify, Apple Music, Treble, etc. Social media also introduces older audio via some trends that shed light on them.
Example: The 1950’s song, “Pretty Little Baby “became a trendy song among Tik Tok and other platforms allowing people to discover the song and genre.
Whether you prefer Taylor Swift or Bon Jovi, this unexpected rise in popularity of older music illustrates that the musical world is unpredictable, and even old stuff can become new, through a heart born in the present can still be drawn to the past.
