Changes in Music: A Conversation with My Parents

Written by Delaney Davis

Music serves as an auditory scrapbook, keeping the records of the changes in our society and culture. For an intergenerational perspective, I decided to interview my parents on their music tastes during their childhoods and their views on how music has changed over time.

For reference, both of my parents were born in the 1960s and grew up in the 1970s. My mother grew up in Long Island, New York, and my father grew up in Dallas, Texas. I interviewed my parents separately.

What music did you listen to growing up?

Mom: [She laughed and took off her glasses to answer this question]: I listened to Cat Stevens, America, Bread, Carole King, The Grateful Dead, and The Eagles. Mostly rock and folk music.

Dad: I listened to rock and country music. The bands I mainly listened to were ZZ Top, AC/DC, Rush, Alabama, Willie Nelson, and George Strait.

Do you have a favorite music-related memory from your childhood?

Mom: Singing “You’re So Vain” constantly, all day every day with my father, though he’s not what I would consider cool by any means. I love Pop [a nickname for my grandfather] and it is just a carefree memory I have of him. I think about it a lot since he isn’t here anymore, and think about it whenever I listen to that song.

Dad: Going to a super crowded ZZ Top concert in a super small arena in Dallas. It was really cool being able to see the band up close and personal. To get that close today, you have to pay a lot of money.

What was your favorite concert you’ve been to?

Mom: Every Grateful Dead concert I went to. I have lots of memories from those concerts… I was much more carefree back then than I am now.

Dad: A Rolling Stones concert in the Cotton Bowl. Like the ZZ Top concert, the venue was super small and it was nice being with so many people in a crowded area. I usually don’t like crowds, but it made the entire concert super intimate.

What bands from today do you particularly enjoy and why?

Mom: I do listen to country music now, which is new. I never ever listened to country music growing up in New York. I do love George Strait.

Dad: I don’t enjoy any modern music (Typical Dad answer).

In what ways do you think music has changed compared to when you were growing up to now? What changes have you seen in music?

Mom: It seems more of a big show. Like they have to do much more than sing. Sometimes I like the show, but I don’t think singing is enough anymore. Singers like Lady Gaga and Beyonce do much more than sing now, and I think it is very entertaining.

Dad: From what I can tell there is much more emphasis on non-musical attributes such as looks, image, and visuals.

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The most revealing aspect of this interview for me was the striking similarities in my own music taste and that of my parents. Music has always been an integral part of my relationship with them, particularly in regards to my mother. Growing up in Dallas, I didn’t have much connection to my mother’s family in New York, as I was never able to visit them as much as I was able to visit my dad’s side of the family. Listening to music from the time period in which my mother grew up in New York makes me feel much closer to that side of my family.

One moment from the interview that particularly struck a chord with me was when my mother recalled singing Carly Simon’s “You’re so Vain” with her father (my grandfather), since that’s one of our favorite songs to sing with one another.. I didn’t know my grandfather very well since he passed away when I was very young. Learning that my mom sang the same song she sings with me makes me feel as I knew my grandfather on a much more intimate level than I ever did before.

I found it interesting that my parents both had the same response to how music has changed over time. I agree with their observation: artists are not ignorant to the attention that their live performances can bring. Musicians and bands alike have adapted their live performances to meet the demands of our increasingly social media obsessed world. In this age, performance has become even more important than the songs themselves. Performances have transformed from simply singing and dancing to storytelling spectacles that capture the audience’s attention, diehard fans and passive viewers alike. This phenomenon is at its peak at music award shows, most recently being Ariana Grande’s performance of her song “God is a Woman.” Personally, I am not the biggest Ariana fan, but I found her performance enchanting. All aspects of the performance, from the costuming to the synchronized dances moves, transformed her performance in a spectacle that not only entertained, but brought female empowerment to the forefront of the audience’s mind. Had the performance simply been Ariana singing, I’m not sure I would feel the same way.

From the tone of his voice, I could tell my dad views this change in a negative light, but I disagree with this interpretation. I believe the extravagance of performance today has made music more enjoyable and has transformed concerts from mere performances to experiences, as seen by Ariana’s performance at the Video Music Awards.

Despite any potential differences in opinion, I found interviewing my parents to be a beyond positive experience. It seemed as if my parents were reliving a bit of their youth with every question I asked them about their past. No formal interview is required, but I encourage you to ask your parents about their experiences with music. You might just add another page to your auditory scrapbook.