I agree with FP about the opening, with the same caveat.
And "dated" is one of those terms that means something different to everyone. For me, a song can be really good, but still sound "dated" in that it uses a lot of gimmicks common to its time period that are no longer en vogue. For instance, I absolutely adore the song "Tainted Love" by Soft Cell, but its heavy synth sound screams "EIGHTIES" to me.
I see what you mean. Me, I just think that we (me included, of course!) like to think that certain things are "dated" when we are so deep in our own time. If someone was brave enough and would use the "dated" things in public, we might realize that we love them too. This often happens when old things come fashionable again. To me nothing is dated, but at some point we like to think they are! A few years from now, ringtones and crocks will seem dated, but now they rule. A few hours from now I'm gonna read this and wonder what on earth I was trying to say
I see what you mean, chaim. If a trend comes back into vogue thirty years later, you can't call the initial trend "dated" anymore!
Your comparison to ringtones is interesting, though, because when those go out of style it will be because they are technologically obsolete. Perhaps that's also true of some of the more technologically-driven "sounds."
ETA: You know what, this got me to thinking - synth is featured in some parts of Fleetwood Mac's "Everybody Finds Out" from their 2003 album Say You Will - and it was my favorite song off that album! I didn't think "dated' when I heard it; I thought "this song is awesome!" Guess that proves your point!
To me the entire Building The Perfect Beast album is dated because of the overuse of synths.
Yeah, ringtones were not a perfect example, because of the technology. I guess I was also thinking of what turns us on at any given time. We laugh at what people njoyed in the 80's, but now we are amazed by ringtones. Anyway, I'll have to listen to "No fun aloud" again to be able to say more about it. And it would be interesting to hear "Don't give up" again, now that the word "dated" has come up! I have moved to a new apartment in a new town, so everything is in boxes at the moment...
This word "dated" has got me wondering since I started to hear people around me laughing at the eighties. We laugh at all things 80's and what are we doing at the same time? Trying to get the ultimate killer ringtone to impress others, wearing pink crocks and writing "I think I'm going to wash the dishes" in facebook! When I watch Miami Vice today, it still has the same effect on me. No difference whatsoever. A great show with great atmospheres, great scenes with the picture and music fitting together nicely, great characters. But everyone around me is saying, "it's so eighties"
Anyway, looking forward to hearing "No fun aloud" again when I get it out from whatever box it is in!
Ragarding this discussion about songs being 'dated', I tend to agree with chaim in that it really doesn't matter to me what it sounds like as long as I like the sound. If it's a great song, I don't care if it sounds like 50's sock hop or 90's hip hop. Although I understand that there are some sounds that are closely identified with a certain period, the problem is that more often than not, whenever people say something is 'dated', it carries a negative connotation with it. IMO, some things are 'dated' in a good way, but unless I clarify that, when I say it is 'dated', the assumption is usually that it is bad. For that reason, I personally don't really like using the term that much.
And chaim, have fun listening to NFA today!
"People don't run out of dreams: People just run out of time ..."
Glenn Frey 11/06/1948 - 01/18/2016
I always thought that it was interesting that during the F1 tour You Belong To The City was invariably described as 'dated' while Boys Of Summer and Dirty Laundry were not. We know which song was dropped.
It's funny, because to me "Boys of summer" is as "80's" as "You belong to the city", but the difference is that BoS was more popular from the start. Both are great songs. Seems to me that BoS has escaped the "dated" label because people think it's a great song, not because it doesn't sound like an 80's track.
A little epilogue, added afterwards:
I find it interesting that both BOS and YBTTC have the same three-note hook that was very common in the eighties. If the song is in E minor (like these two songs are), the notes are g, f sharp, d. "Powers that be" by Roger Waters has this, even in the same rhythm as BOS. For those who don't know about musical notes, I mean the "you belong to the city"-melody, which has the same three notes as the "Boys of summer" instrumental hook. Somehow those three notes together, with the minor chord in the background, sum up the eigthies.
Last edited by chaim; 06-06-2010 at 06:06 AM.