No, not President Hoover or shiny new Model T fords.
Listening to some songs from the 1970s, certain themes and phrases were very common, but now almost never seen in popular music today. For instance, “stealing away” - a staple of rock songs in the 1970s, but now something that makes most think “what the hell did that mean, anyhow?” Rock songs about cars and driving are also now very rare, although rap has taken up the slack somewhat with Escalades, “20s” and “box Chevys” occasionally mentioned in songs. Suburban teenage rebellion in the 1970s has been replaced by emo suburban teenage angst today.
What other themes used to be common in music, but are now rare or nonexistent?
Train songs. They’re still there, but they’re pretty irrelevant anymore, plus the majority of people riding them these days are in the Northeast corridor, not exactly a hotbed of train-song-friendly genres of music.
On a similar note, rock songs inspired by or payng tribute to blues music. Used to be very common in the 1970s and 1980s, but now it seems like it’s extremely rare.
Songs about being on tour and wearing down because of it. Journey’s “Wheel In the Sky” and Bob Seger’s “Turn the Page” among many others that I can’t think of right now.
Paul Simon’s “Homeward Bound” Pretty much the Zenith of that genre.
Now back to topic
Eternal Love – don’t see that much anymore as they seem to be mostly about casual sex
I think the cheating song is doing well though (classics like, “If Lovin’ you is wrong (I don’t wanna be right)” and “Mrs. Jones” are good representatives) I think the tone is somewhat different in it.
Parental Denial – Don’t see kids much caring what their parents think or arguing with their parents in song (still around even in the 80’s i.e. “Papa Don’t Preach”);
Rebel Love – Love for the individual who stands against society
Long meandering songs that have no lyrical context or make any sense (inna gadda davita)
How very codgery of you. Most pop songs are all about “loving you forever”. It is incredibly rare for mainstream pop to be about casual sex.
Sure rap and hip hop are largely about getting it on but is that really different from “Let’s get it on” or Let’s spend the night together"?
And really all we can talk about is pop and main stream music.
Someone said songs about travelling and driving are rare… except Rockabilly songs are almost exlusively about travelling and driving so there you go.
Well, there are exceptions to everything. But it’s a different political climate now, and as radio becomes more and more censored, songs that make light of drugs are not as likely to be given the kind of exposure they had in the '70s.
From the early 1970s:
Melancholy songs about the fleeting nature of love, and human fallibility. Typically accompanied by acoustic guitar. Chief proponents: Joni Mitchell, Carole King, Janis Ian, Jim Croce, Kris Kristofferson.
(Distinguished from modern day songs about human fallibillity in that 1970s singer-songwriters then tended to examine their own foibles & flaws and lament their own failings as lovers. More recent singer-songwriters - Jewel, etc. - typically blame their partners for everything that goes wrong and assume no culpability for their romantic woes, which is infinitely less interesting.)
From the late 1970s:
Semi-mystical anthems about the awesome power of youth to move mountains, change worlds and bring down the mighty & corrupt.
Also, songs about the grand wisdom possessed by youthful rebels.
Any song by Supertramp, Triumph, Styx or Rush fits this bill.
From the early 1980s:
New Wave songs centered upon the idea that we’re a NEW generation of youth (i.e. we’re not hippie-dippy flower children), and that the clothes we wear & cars we drive matter matter greatly to us: “We’re the Kids in America”, “Walking in L.A.” etc.
From the late 1980s:
Angry rap songs about the disenfranchisement of blacks, as exemplified by Public Enemy’s “Fight the Power”. Nowadays, rap music is all about over-the-top excessive wealth & luxury, or simply commercials for the “artists” clothing lines (“In my Sean Johns, in my Sean Johns…” etc.).
Novelty songs about drugs. Like Ringo Starr’s “The No-No Song.”
Yes, they were fairly common, into the '80s. Cheech & Chong albums were widely popular. FM radio had all kinds of rock songs about drugs, either implicit or explicit, and a station I used to listen to aired “Highwitness News” in which the DJ talked about the drugs on the street. I don’t think there’s much of that going on nowadays.
… I will disagree with you in terms of drug talk on the radio…atleast in California. Listen to any station left of Limbaugh and pot talk is as common as talking about alcohol. It’s not that odd to find DJs talking about their current stoned antics.