Classic rock in the digital age

As recently noted by Yahoo, only 10 of the top 200 paid downloads are songs from the 20th century. We're not sure whether this is a worrying statement on the downloading world's lack of historical perspective, or an encouraging sign that the classic rock we grew up snoring at will one day finally go the way of the dodo and the two-dollar pizza slice.

 

There are a couple of surprises among those 10 tunes, like the Goo Goo Dolls' "Iris" (really?!?!) and the late Hawaiian crooner Israel Kamakawiwo'ole's "Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World," but otherwise it's mostly classic-rock business as usual, with all the songs that have been burned into the brainpan of anyone within spitting distance of a radio in the last 30 years.

 

Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'" tops the list, but one has to assume that's got a lot to do with its placement in the final Sopranos episode. "Bohemian Rhapsody," "Sweet Home Alabama," "Sweet Child O' Mine," "Eye of the Tiger," is it really possible that there are that many people who A) continue who continue to have an unquenchable thirst for these songs and B) don't already have them? Has the classic-rock radio playlist of yesteryear become the musical equivalent of the McDonald's sign, which used to get updated after each million people served until they finally got to the point where they just left it at "billions and billions?"

 

1. Journey - "Don't Stop Believin'"

2. Queen - "Bohemian Rhapsody"

3. Lynyrd Skynyrd - "Sweet Home Alabama"

4.  Israel Kamakawiwo'ole - "Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World"

5. Guns N' Roses - "Sweet Child O' Mine"

6. Survivor - "Eye of the Tiger" 

7. Green Day - "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)"

8. Queen - "We Will Rock You"

9. Guns N' Roses - "Welcome to the Jungle"

10. Goo Goo Dolls - "Iris" 

 

5 Responses

August 12, 2008 at 12:03 p.m.

What the ???

August 12, 2008 at 12:11 p.m.

that sounds like an awesome mix tape. please burn me a copy.

August 12, 2008 at 12:31 p.m.

THIS IS WHAT PASSES FOR "CLASSIC ROCK"
The Stones are Classic Rock
Zeppelin is Classic Rock
The Who
Jimi Hendrix
Johnny Winter
ZZ Top

Green Day is great and all. But they ain't no Classic Rock. This is why demographics and comdification of art is so stupid sometimes. Classic implies long standing cultural and artisric relevants. You couldn't even give birth to a legal driver since that GD record came out!

August 12, 2008 at 12:32 p.m.

he's not saying Green Day is classic rock, but a good part of the list is.

August 12, 2008 at 1:28 p.m.

This list has nothing to do with classic rock. It's a list of songs so prominantly displayed in pop culture that people hear them, wonder why they don't have that song because "it's like a classic or something" and download it- Only to listen to the first 2 minutes, realize they have no appreciation for it, and let it wallow in the digital cesspool of inferior Pop music.
People do buy good music. This tells us that those people may prefer other mediums than a purely digital format. Vinyl is coming back, and while Katy Perry may be killing it in the digital sales, expect your Stones, Beatles, Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Hendrix, John Denver? or what have you, to be better represented in legacy formats.
Speaking of legacy formats, Back to the Future II is thrilling on mine.

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