This past weekend I went to a time warp party. Had I known it was a time warp party I would have stayed home, but they disguised it as old school so off I went. I even put together a cd of old school hits to get me in the mood as I drove to the party, reminiscing to Heavy D, Doug E. Fresh, Guy and Eric B. and Rakim. Imagine my surprise when I stepped into the time capsule and the DJ was playing Midas Touch (touch, touch, touch). It got worse, D. Train, Colonel Abrams, Kashif (he was alright) and basically the B side from every 2 hit wonder post Motown and pre hip hop.
Okay, so I walked in to the wrong decade, but when I think of oldies, I’m not thinking about the songs I heard when I could actually stand up in the back of my uncle’s ’98. I’m thinking more along the lines of when I got my learner’s permit. I think people my age who are still young, but undeniably grown, are afraid to admit that yes, Control was a “back in the day jam”. I think it is a game of denial. We are still trying to narrowly define oldies as our parent’s music to keep from admitting we are grown folk. These old school parties could be fun if we’d stop only playing the songs that we had to listen to when our feet wouldn’t touch the floor in the back seat of that Cutlass Supreme. We had absolutely no control over the radio, which is why I know the words to all of Al Jarreau and George Benson’s songs (you don’t appreciate great artist like them until a few years after graduation, your first break up and a call from a bill collector).
Or maybe we don’t appreciate the great music we had. Yes, I said great. When our parents put on those Motown songs they were so proud and would dance with such energy about back in the day. Do we not appreciate the music of our generation? Are we too razzled, dazzled, and suffocated by the swagger of what’s in rotation now? I like today’s artist. What I listen to now will forever be in my grown folks music file as the O’Jays and Earth Wind and Fire were for our parents. But the truth is, I don’t care what today’s artist do now, how I nod my head, or how many CD’s I download it doesn’t speak to me the way my coming of age music did. The generation behind us will feel the same way. Remember when Janet did that 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 countdown in Rhythm Nation-brings back memories…and when she jumped over that chair in Pleasure Principle, you haven’t felt that from anybody in a video since. If you can remember any of these artist I’m talking about, then you know there has been no other boy group worth mentioning since New Edition. I don’t care how synchronized they are or how many hand stands they do, it is not the same as Ralph, Ronnie, Ricky and Mike (did I miss one)? And remember Lisa Lisa? If we don’t appreciate us, who will?
Contrary to what some think, I am not anti “oldie” oldies. But if you’re going to go there, go there: Rick James, Tina Marie, or Frankie Beverly and Maze. They didn’t even play the national black anthem, Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now. Truth be told, I still had a good time. The conversation was good. I danced, I laughed and I made a few other people laugh. I left the party grateful that the artist played will not release a greatest hits CD and glad to get back to the future.
How was your weekend?