# More Evidence I'm Getting Older: I Have No Clue About the Top 40 Artists **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 19, 2004, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-evidence-im-getting-older-i-have-no-clue-about-the-top-40-artists/255741 "2004-07-19T00:20:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2004, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-evidence-im-getting-older-i-have-no-clue-about-the-top-40-artists/255741/41 "2004-07-23T06:06:10Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > I think it [Enya] is a she, not a them. Check post # 18. I beat ya to it. Not even I am safe from my relentless nitpickery. šŸ˜‰ ---
**Author:** ![TeaElle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8491ac/32.png) [@TeaElle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TeaElle)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2004, 7:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-evidence-im-getting-older-i-have-no-clue-about-the-top-40-artists/255741/42 "2004-07-23T07:15:37Z")
> [@Paul in Saudi](#): > > I am annoyed there are American sports teams I do no know. (Tennessee plays pro ball?) The Tennessee Titans used to be the Houston Oilers. The owners moved them to a town more willing to build a new stadium and yada yada yada. šŸ†’ ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2004, 8:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-evidence-im-getting-older-i-have-no-clue-about-the-top-40-artists/255741/43 "2004-07-23T08:08:36Z")
Iā€™m 55, and listen to and like all kinds of music from blues to smooth jazz to top 40. I like todayā€™s top 40 stuff as much or more than the songs that were popular when I was 18. Todayā€™s songs and the attitudes that go with 'em are a lot more fun than the music of my youth. Hereā€™s my list, believe it or notā€¦ **People I know songs by** : Hoobastank Usher Britney Spears Maroon5 Ludacris Beyonce Alicia Keys P. Diddy Enya D12 Outkast Lil Jon Juvenile Switchfoot Kevin Lyttle Mario Winans Petey Pablo Nina Sky Jabba Los Lonely Boys Spragga Benz Soulja Slim **People Iā€™ve heard of but donā€™t know any songs by** : Ashlee Simpson **People Iā€™ve never heard of** : JoJo Christina Milian ---
**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2004, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-evidence-im-getting-older-i-have-no-clue-about-the-top-40-artists/255741/44 "2004-07-23T11:11:49Z")
> [@ultrafilter](#): > > Just out of curiosity, whatā€™s the Dutch top 40 (or equivalent) look like? [Current Dutch Top 40](http://www.top40web.nl/salestop40/index-e.html) I recognise about 10 songs. ---
**Author:** ![jinty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/dbc845/32.png) [@jinty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jinty)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2004, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-evidence-im-getting-older-i-have-no-clue-about-the-top-40-artists/255741/45 "2004-07-23T13:05:48Z")
Yep, hereā€™s another old geezer who doesnā€™t recognise many of those names. Actually I wouldnā€™t go near the charts, no matter what; they just feel to me like big record companies telling me what to listen to. And up with that I will not put. Also, thereā€™s damn little artistic talent on display from what I can see. Anyway, Iā€™m pleased to see Marillionā€™s name in the UK charts. Iā€™m not by any means a fan, but they got dropped by their record company years ago as not fitting the right marketable demographic, so now they publish & distribute their own stuff, a creditable effort and a big poke in the eye for the A&R men. ---
**Author:** ![Agrippina](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8797f3/32.png) [@Agrippina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agrippina)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2004, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-evidence-im-getting-older-i-have-no-clue-about-the-top-40-artists/255741/46 "2004-07-23T13:29:32Z")
Iā€™m 22 and Iā€™m already clueless about about the Top 40. I remember when I bought ā€œWeird Alā€ Yankovicā€™s new album, ā€œPoodle Hatā€ there were songs he was parodying that I had no clue about the original. ---
**Author:** ![booklover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/85f322/32.png) [@booklover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/booklover)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2004, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-evidence-im-getting-older-i-have-no-clue-about-the-top-40-artists/255741/47 "2004-07-23T13:58:57Z")
People Iā€™ve heard of from the list: Usher Ludacris JoJo (only because I think there was an article on her a couple weeks ago in the paper) Britney Spears Beyonce Knowles Alicia Keyes I know Enya & P.Diddy, and I know there are multiple Winans brothers, so Mario must be one of them. OutKast The others Iā€™m clueless about. Soulja Slim is very confusing, because it makes me think of Sister Souljah. Are they separate people? Petey Pablo does sound like a restaurantā€”some by-the-roadside Mexican dive. I donā€™t think I could identify any of their songs except for Enya and Britney Spears (ā€œOops I Did it Againā€ is very heavily played on the radio at the gym where I work out). ---
**Author:** ![booklover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/85f322/32.png) [@booklover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/booklover)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2004, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-evidence-im-getting-older-i-have-no-clue-about-the-top-40-artists/255741/48 "2004-07-23T14:05:48Z")
Oddly (considering Iā€™m American), Iā€™m much more familiar with the artists on the Uk list, perhaps because some of them have been around longer. People I know from that list: Usher Morrissey Britney Spears Mario Winans,Enya & P Diddy Elvis Presley Black Eyed Peas George Michael Cassidy & R Kelly Outkast Kylie Minogue Counting Crows Nelly Furtado ---
**Author:** ![AzRaek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/azraek/32/16739_2.png) [@AzRaek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AzRaek)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2004, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-evidence-im-getting-older-i-have-no-clue-about-the-top-40-artists/255741/49 "2004-07-23T16:25:03Z")
Hoobastank (a 3rd grade insult if I ever heard one) was featured as the ā€œprizeā€ in some commercial a while back. For Mastercard maybe? ā€œGo on the road with Hoobastank!ā€ the first version said. Im sure they got a lot of calls because the next time I saw it, ā€œGo on the road with the band Hoobastank!ā€ ---
**Author:** ![Kantalooppi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a5b964/32.png) [@Kantalooppi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kantalooppi)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2004, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-evidence-im-getting-older-i-have-no-clue-about-the-top-40-artists/255741/50 "2004-07-23T17:26:12Z")
Incidentally, hereā€™s Finlandā€™s [Top 40 albums](http://www.yle.fi/top40/albumit.shtml) and [Top 40 singles.](http://www.yle.fi/top40/singlet.shtml) ---
**Author:** ![scotandrsn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a4c791/32.png) [@scotandrsn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scotandrsn)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2004, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-evidence-im-getting-older-i-have-no-clue-about-the-top-40-artists/255741/51 "2004-07-23T17:49:55Z")
> [@Starving Artist](#): > > Iā€™m 55, and listen to and like all kinds of music from blues to smooth jazz to top 40. I like todayā€™s top 40 stuff as much or more than the songs that were popular when I was 18. Todayā€™s songs and the attitudes that go with 'em are a lot more fun than the music of my youth. Hereā€™s my list, believe it or notā€¦ But that means that (whipping out calculator) you were 18 in the Summer of Luuuuuuuv ā„¢. A lot of people think that was a pinnacle of popular music. Sgt. Pepper and what have you! (Also my birth year, you fogey! šŸ˜‰ ) ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2004, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-evidence-im-getting-older-i-have-no-clue-about-the-top-40-artists/255741/52 "2004-07-23T18:49:24Z")
> [@SmackFu](#): > > The real sign youā€™re old is when you donā€™t listen to the music AND you say itā€™s crap. So itā€™s good you havenā€™t reached that point yet. I donā€™t recognize most of the names either. The reason I donā€™t recognize the names is because I hear a song on the radio that I think sucks and I donā€™t stick around long enough to find out the name of the offending band. But I defend the right of said offensive band to play their brains out. Have at it! They no more care about me than I do about them. Party on, kiddies. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Lance\_Murdoch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/47e85d/32.png) [@Captain\_Lance\_Murdoch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Lance_Murdoch)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2004, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-evidence-im-getting-older-i-have-no-clue-about-the-top-40-artists/255741/53 "2004-07-23T19:34:40Z")
The only thing I know about Usher is that his house fell down. Okay, seriously, Iā€™m familiar with some of the people on that list, but probably not most. Itā€™s not that Iā€™ve lost touch with whatā€™s going on today, itā€™s just that most of it is not my cup of tea. Most of the music I listen to these days has little to no chance of charting. Honestly, would any pop station ever play The Magnetic Fields? This is not really anything new. Take a random weekā€™s top twenty from the '80s and how many beloved classics are you likely to find? Men Without Hats and A-Ha did a whole lot better than The Smiths and XTC. That said, there are some trends on todays charts that I have noticed. 1. Most of it is hip-hop. 2. One hit wonders. This seemed to start in the '90s. There are a lot more one hit wonders today than there used to be. This has had a big effect on concert tours. There are few bankable younger stars on the concert trail nowadays. 3. ā€œfeaturingā€ Seems like every other song nowadays is by Joe Blow featuring M.C. Whatshisface. 4. Misspelling is very cool amongst todayā€™s bands. 5. British acts are out. 6. Amateur talent show contestants are in. 7. Female singers must look good in midriffs. What I think is weird is that when I listen to pop music stations I recognize a lot of the music. This is because a lot of it is just old songs that are sampled a rapped over. ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2004, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-evidence-im-getting-older-i-have-no-clue-about-the-top-40-artists/255741/54 "2004-07-23T20:35:21Z")
> [@scotandrsn](#): > > But that means that (whipping out calculator) you were 18 in the Summer of Luuuuuuuv ā„¢. A lot of people think that was a pinnacle of popular music. Sgt. Pepper and what have you! > > (Also my birth year, you fogey! šŸ˜‰ ) Yes, there was still good music then, and Sgt. Pepper was at the pinnacle. Itā€™s just that in general, I like todayā€™s music better. Itā€™s more fun, itā€™s catchier, and more in tune with the way people really are and really act. But a lot of the music prior to the summer of love was pretty insipid, and a lot of the music after that became too heavy and drug-oriented. It was still good music in terms of the talent brought to bear in order to create it, but it wasnā€™t fun, to me at least. But still, 1967ā€¦Sgt. Pepperā€¦summer of loveā€¦olympic-sized swimming pool at the amusement parkā€¦all my friends from high schoolā€¦tossing watermelons from the high diveā€¦beerā€¦hot and cold running babes with tansā€¦yes, that was a very good year. šŸ˜ƒ ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2004, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-evidence-im-getting-older-i-have-no-clue-about-the-top-40-artists/255741/55 "2004-07-23T22:32:42Z")
Iā€™m so old and out of it that Enya is Maire Brennanā€™s little sister. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-evidence-im-getting-older-i-have-no-clue-about-the-top-40-artists/255741.md?page=2)