There a lot of awesome songs that are dated; it just means that because of the production values and such, the song is a product of its time. Prince has a lot of songs like "Controversy", "Sexuality", and "DMSR" which sound very much like the early 80's. That became more obvious when he performed them on the Musicology tour with a full horn section which made them even funkier than they were when they were first recorded. There are a few songs on Michael Jackson's Off The Wall album which sound like the disco era, but even those songs hold up better than many of the songs on the Bad album. The heavy use of synths on Bad make it obviously 80's. The Beatles have a few songs which are an obvious product of the 1960's, but much of their work is so strong that people can still listen to and record the songs today in a fresh way, even though most of them are 30 to 40 years old.

AlexdeParis said:

True. I approach every song independently. Maybe that's how I can listen to almost any song randomly on shuffle mode and it just fits.

AlexdeParis said:

Because a song sounds dated does not mean it's not a good song.

Graycap23 said:

Yeah, that's what I said. Unfortunately, people usually seem to use "dated" as a pejorative.

All music, all art can be "dated" to some degree. The only thing that prevents any of us from doing so would be experience, right?

I would guess that in the year 2171 that no one but a trivia buff is going to care that When Doves Cry was created in the 1980s. If it lives on, and I believe it will, it’ll be because it outlives both its technical aspects and its nostalgia.

People will be touched by its soul, its honesty, its greatness, long after anyone is left that knows about a Linn Drum or cares about the thousands of inferior songs that used the same equipment.

So to me "dated" or "hasn’t aged well" would apply to creations that are stereotypical of their time that received some level of popularity that in hindsight might be disproportionately high when compared to a song’s currently perceived quality.

In other words, the less appealing side of a fad.

But ultimately all that matters is what brings you personal joy, not what others think of its authenticity.

In 5 years time perhaps we all look back and laugh at some of our own naiveté.

But that won’t discount any of the love we felt in the past, will it?

== spell check ==
[Edited 8/29/08 21:43pm]

AlexdeParis said:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pejorative
Words[1] and phrases are pejorative if they imply disapproval[2] or contempt. When used as an adjective, pejorative is synonymous with derogatory, derisive, dyslogistic, and contemptuous. When used as a noun, pejorative means "a belittling or disparaging word or expression".

Cinnie said:

I used it appropriately.

It means a person looks older than what they really are, I guess.

Rinluv said:

Didn't you read anything in this thread?

Arnotts said:

My statement was just a joke intended for just myself, trying to scew the real answer of his question. I just forgot to put one of these " "

But to answer his real question since you find it so important. "Haven't aged well" in music to me means the song and or album itself is stuck in time. And can't go pass the decade or even a five year span of it's orignal release. For example a song that "sounds" 80's hasen't aged well.

I look at most rap in the 80s riiiiight before NWA. Could I put on Heavy D's "Don't U Know" and say "awww, that was my JAM!" Nope. Actually, most anything Heavy D did has to stay exactly where it is. From that same time I could play "I Need Love" by LL Cool J and almost smile again.

Rinluv said:

I caught the sarcasm.

good example :
Prince 1990 - present..


hasn't aged well is an understatement...