It’s a serious challenge to find words that feel uplifting and inoffensive that also reflect the realities of aging. Words like “old,” “mature,” “senior,” and “elder” are out. These once-beautiful words have been poisoned by society’s negative attitudes.
Do you hear me?
Do you care?
Do these lyrics give you earworm? They’re from Missing Persons’ 1982 hit “Words.” This bouncy new wave classic is not only deeply enmeshed in the fabric of our American upbringing, it’s also a creation of our generation. Vocalist Dale Bozzio is 58, guitarist Warren Cuccurullo is 56 and drummer Terry Bozzio is 62.
No one notices.
I think I’ll dye my hair blue.
It’s more than OK to enjoy it still. You can even proffer it as an example of a pop gem to share intergenerationally. Our pop classics are as vibrant today as they were in the 70s and 80s. They permeate society still and are the foundation of many modern pop concoctions.
Baby you can buy my car
The rehashing of new wave, punk, post-punk and synth pop is now an acknowledged way into the hearts and minds of the WiseTribe generation, just like classic rock before it. Did it make you happy or upset when Mitsubishi used Devo’s Uncontrollable Urge for their 2005 Galant ad campaign, or when Toyota advertised its RAV4 using the Buzzcocks’ What do I get?
Volkswagen has mined pop culture for our musical memories many times, from Nick Drake’s Pink Moon to Trio’s Da Da Da to Mr. Roboto by Styx. These are just a few car manufacturers as examples. Name a major advertiser that has the remotest interest in selling to men and women 50+ and brace yourself for a pop classic aimed straight at your wallet.
What are words for?
When no one listens anymore?
Words and music are for marketing to WiseTribers, apparently. AARP (!) used the Buzzcocks’ Everybody’s Happy Nowadays” for a recent ad campaign. Shocked? Amused? The founding members of the Buzzcocks, Pete Shelley and Howard Devoto, have been AARP-eligible for eight and 11 years.
Pop classics — punk or otherwise — are just exactly that: classics. Listen for them soon in an advertisement aimed at you.
Julian Rogers is a contributor to WiseTribe, Oregon Sports News, OregonLive (the Oregonian), Comcast Sports Net, ProFootballNetworks.com, Androsform.com, and other websites. He is a native Washingtonian. He also spent six years in Alaska, but still does not understand the appeal of hockey or dog sled racing. He has made an uneasy peace with social media and can be found on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and WordPress. He has two beautiful children and one tolerant wife, who is also beautiful.
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