Back in the 70s and 80s when we Baby Boomers were in our 20s and 30s and reinventing the social order on the fly, we listened to the Beatles and ELO sing complex songs that asked existential questions and made astute cultural observations.
Today, the youngest of us is 51, older AND wiser, and while we still have a soft spot for relevant, trenchant lyrics, we can also see that sometimes the intensity of the 20s experience can be overheated. What might be tragic in youth may be less so, seen from a more mature, experienced self.
If you’re like me, you are pretty much oblivious to today’s 20-somethings scene, musically and otherwise, but I’ve just been introduced to Harry Styles, a 23-year old STAR, from the STAR boy band “One Direction”* and now I’m a convert.
Age is irrelevant if the song is good and Styles’ newest, “Sign of The Times,” an emotionally intense song of love and life, has struck a cord, via radio and social media. It’s barely been out for a week, and already it’s #19 on Top 40 radio.
At the same time, “Sign of the Times” is it a bit myopic—the interpreter is only 23-years old—how much can he really know, at that age? Boomers see a bigger, wider picture.
That said, Styles’ “Sign of the Times” is engaging to anyone who can appreciate the magic moment when the right song is sung by the right person, a powerful combo that pulls you in with centrifugal force. In addition, there are glimpses—threads—of both the Beatles & ELO, in that song.
You’ve probably heard of One Direction, but here’s a recap: four young Irish-English lads. Styles’ band mates Zayn Malik and Niall Horan have also released their own singles.
Harry Styles was once Taylor Swift’s boyfriend.
Talk about success: One Direction band members are worth about $70 million. Each.