FEATURE
Vintage Music
V
The Sound Is Coming Back and Influencing Artists Everywhere
intage music has no clear definition, period of time, or precise sound; it means something different to all those who hear the term. Some may think of vintage music as representing bands such as The Clash or The Rolling Stones, while others may think of nostalgic jazz from the beginning of the
20th century. If you ask a group of people what the first band they think of when hearing the term vintage music, nearly all participants would give a different answer. Personally, I automatically think of Led Zeppelin. Although I may not personally relate or even understand their lyrics, I still feel drawn to their unique and enticing sound. To me, Led Zeppelin embodies characteristics that I would define as vintage and timeless. To someone else, Led Zeppelin could represent none of those characteristics; that is why I find the idea of vintage music so interesting. Often vintage bands are considered to have music that never gets
old, and is forever timeless. Many people define a timeless band or song differently than another would. “[To me, a timeless band has] the right combination of originality and universality,” said English teacher Kira Quesnell. Junior Konrad Lyle added that “Appeal is what makes a song or a band timeless; how many different music styles a band touches on and how many people relate to the songs that they play. I would say it’s pretty rare to find something that is actually timeless. Although there are kids that listen to the music from their parents’ generation, few kids listen to the classics that our grandparents listened to. Timeless in today’s world is music that has survived a generation, or at most two.” Lyrics are often an important factor in creating a song that is timeless and can relate to people from more than one generation. The words in a song, although not always understood, are a vital role in creating a story that one can listen to over and over again. “Lyrics have to be applicable to the human experience or make the audience question one’s plight here on Earth. [Timeless] lyrics
Rock n’ Roll first got popular during the 1950’s. Since then, it has continued to drive current music and artists.
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TRIDENT April 2014
articles by Maddie Tenebaum