# Retro music genre: new songs that sound like old songs **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [December 4, 2020, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/retro-music-genre-new-songs-that-sound-like-old-songs/927212 "2020-12-04T16:37:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2020, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/retro-music-genre-new-songs-that-sound-like-old-songs/927212/1 "2020-12-04T16:37:17Z")
Give me some “new” original songs that sound like old songs. They don’t actually have to be “new” songs, but they should be original songs, not covers, that sound like they belong in an earlier era than the one in which they were released. Any style, be it rock, pop, R&B, country, whatever. Examples: Bakar: Hell N Back [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/BdrNvQ4YCng/maxresdefault.jpg "Bakar - Hell N Back (Official Video)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdrNvQ4YCng) Ceelo: Fuck You [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/YNDVipmJfz8/maxresdefault.jpg "CeeLo Green - Fuck You (Official Cantoyo video)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNDVipmJfz8) The Greenhornes: Underestimator [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/H-jsGpmLk0g/maxresdefault.jpg "The Greenhornes (Underestimator) - Wilcox Sessions") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-jsGpmLk0g) Smash Mouth: Walkin’ On the Sun [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/LQj--Kjn0z8/maxresdefault.jpg "Smash Mouth - Walkin' On The Sun (Official Music Video)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQj--Kjn0z8) ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2020, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/retro-music-genre-new-songs-that-sound-like-old-songs/927212/2 "2020-12-04T16:47:22Z")
I think the obvious one is _Uptown Funk_. When I first started hearing it everywhere I initially though it was an '80s song that had suddenly become popular for some reason. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/OPf0YbXqDm0/maxresdefault.jpg "Mark Ronson - Uptown Funk (Official Video) ft. Bruno Mars") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPf0YbXqDm0) Watching the video, it looks like the '80s feel extends to the video as well, with a 1980s era Lincoln Town Car prominently featured. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2020, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/retro-music-genre-new-songs-that-sound-like-old-songs/927212/3 "2020-12-04T17:28:09Z")
There are quite a few acts whose whole schtick is recreating the style of an earlier era. Like the Squirrel Nut Zippers [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/tHGnIlNtD5o/hqdefault.jpg "Squirrel Nut Zipppers "Put A Lid On It" Music Video") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHGnIlNtD5o) or the Stray Cats [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/vEtbfzMLVWU/maxresdefault.jpg "Stray Cats - Stray Cat Strut (Official Music Video)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEtbfzMLVWU) ---
**Author:** ![Stephe96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Stephe96](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephe96)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2020, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/retro-music-genre-new-songs-that-sound-like-old-songs/927212/4 "2020-12-04T17:51:08Z")
Sloan has a lot of songs that would sound great on your favorite classic rock station: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/un3xVgQg-EY/maxresdefault.jpg "Sloan "Spin Our Wheels"") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=un3xVgQg-EY) [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/Qp8EMGd30qM/hqdefault.jpg "Sloan - Witch's Wand") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qp8EMGd30qM) ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2020, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/retro-music-genre-new-songs-that-sound-like-old-songs/927212/5 "2020-12-04T17:56:11Z")
All of the songs from Fitz and the Tantrums’ first studio album, _Pickin’ Up the Pieces_ (2010), have a very 1960s Motown/soul feel. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/O3WRXYYBwRA/maxresdefault.jpg "Fitz and The Tantrums - MoneyGrabber") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3WRXYYBwRA) [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/3O6v47vkptM/maxresdefault.jpg "Pickin' up the Pieces") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3O6v47vkptM) ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2020, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/retro-music-genre-new-songs-that-sound-like-old-songs/927212/6 "2020-12-04T17:58:06Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > There are quite a few acts whose whole schtick is recreating the style of an earlier era. The very first rock concert I ever went to was Sha Na Na. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2020, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/retro-music-genre-new-songs-that-sound-like-old-songs/927212/7 "2020-12-04T18:02:31Z")
Greta Van Fleet is a relatively new hard rock band, which sounds very much like vintage Led Zeppelin. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/aJg4OJxp-co/maxresdefault.jpg "Greta Van Fleet - Highway Tune (Official Video)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJg4OJxp-co) ---
**Author:** ![Tabco](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tabco/32/7644_2.png) [@Tabco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tabco)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2020, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/retro-music-genre-new-songs-that-sound-like-old-songs/927212/8 "2020-12-04T18:06:29Z")
[![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/fHI8X4OXluQ/maxresdefault.jpg "The Weeknd - Blinding Lights (Official Audio)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHI8X4OXluQ) Won’t claim to be a fan of the song but it definitely has a retro sound to my ears. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/GUHPFgwn9d0/hqdefault.jpg "The Blasters - So long baby goodbye") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUHPFgwn9d0) An 80s song that sounds a couple decades older. ---
**Author:** ![Edward\_The\_Head](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ce73a5/32.png) [@Edward\_The\_Head](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edward_The_Head)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2020, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/retro-music-genre-new-songs-that-sound-like-old-songs/927212/9 "2020-12-04T19:22:59Z")
Night - Under the Moonlit Sky. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/6Bbj3MbCogA/maxresdefault.jpg "NIGHT - UNDER THE MOONLIGHT SKY (Official Video)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Bbj3MbCogA) The whole album sounds like it could come from the 70s or 80s yet sounds really fresh. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2020, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/retro-music-genre-new-songs-that-sound-like-old-songs/927212/10 "2020-12-04T19:34:07Z")
Queen’s _Crazy Little Thing Called Love_ was written in 1979 but since is was written as a tribute to Elvis Presley, it sounds like it could have been written 20 years earlier. [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yziGiVua0Dg) ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2020, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/retro-music-genre-new-songs-that-sound-like-old-songs/927212/11 "2020-12-04T19:40:20Z")
When I first heard Bleeding Love, I was convinced it was a cover of something from 20 years earlier. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/Vzo-EL_62fQ/maxresdefault.jpg "Leona Lewis - Bleeding Love (US Version - Official Video)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vzo-EL_62fQ) ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2020, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/retro-music-genre-new-songs-that-sound-like-old-songs/927212/12 "2020-12-04T19:44:52Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > They don’t actually have to be “new” songs, but they should be original songs, not covers, that sound like they belong in an earlier era than the one in which they were released. Would you accept a Nineties cover of a Thirties song, with the cover sounding like it’s from the early Twenties? ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2020, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/retro-music-genre-new-songs-that-sound-like-old-songs/927212/13 "2020-12-04T20:57:34Z")
Caroline Polachek’s “So Hot You’re Hurting My Feelings” (2019) sounds very 80’s owing largely to its Juno-60 synth. Polachek said: > And, man, I tried so hard to make this song feel less '80s, and it just refused. Every time we’d swap out the drum palette with something less old-school, it just lost the vibe. So we just had to admit it. Let it be who it wanted to be. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/sn3cHUtNZKo/maxresdefault.jpg "Caroline Polachek - So Hot You're Hurting My Feelings (Official Video)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sn3cHUtNZKo) ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2020, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/retro-music-genre-new-songs-that-sound-like-old-songs/927212/14 "2020-12-04T20:59:50Z")
Two that I’ve found recently: Lana Del Rey - Blue Jeans [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/JRWox-i6aAk/maxresdefault.jpg "Lana Del Rey - Blue Jeans") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRWox-i6aAk) Doja Cat - Say So [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/uAYG46w1SCA/maxresdefault.jpg "Doja Cat - Say So (Audio)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAYG46w1SCA) ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2020, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/retro-music-genre-new-songs-that-sound-like-old-songs/927212/15 "2020-12-04T21:18:34Z")
Biff Rose - “Molly” [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/6H6VTBVQsh8/maxresdefault.jpg "Biff Rose - Molly") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6H6VTBVQsh8) ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2020, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/retro-music-genre-new-songs-that-sound-like-old-songs/927212/16 "2020-12-04T21:20:16Z")
> [@WildaBeast](#): > > I think the obvious one is _Uptown Funk_ . When I first started hearing it everywhere I initially though it was an '80s song that had suddenly become popular for some reason. I remember thinking “Kokomo” was a 60s song that had suddenly become popular in the late 80s: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/tIieHL8LerI/maxresdefault.jpg "The Beach Boys- Kokomo (HQ)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIieHL8LerI) ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2020, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/retro-music-genre-new-songs-that-sound-like-old-songs/927212/17 "2020-12-04T21:35:40Z")
Veronica Falls released Bad Feeling in 2011 but it sounds like its right out of 1964. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2020, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/retro-music-genre-new-songs-that-sound-like-old-songs/927212/18 "2020-12-04T22:03:03Z")
Sara Bareilles - Gonna Get Over You Kind of an “Olivia Newton John does doo-wop” vibe. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/OUe3oVlxLSA/maxresdefault.jpg "Sara Bareilles - Gonna Get Over You (Official Video)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUe3oVlxLSA) She & Him - I’ve Got Your Number, Son [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/YFiRDuX53h8/maxresdefault.jpg "I've Got Your Number, Son") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFiRDuX53h8) ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2020, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/retro-music-genre-new-songs-that-sound-like-old-songs/927212/19 "2020-12-04T22:31:36Z")
[![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/dkMevwrVPEc/hqdefault.jpg "RIDE - Future Love (FULL AUDIO)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkMevwrVPEc) ---
**Author:** ![Wolf333](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf333/32/3460_2.png) [@Wolf333](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolf333)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2020, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/retro-music-genre-new-songs-that-sound-like-old-songs/927212/20 "2020-12-04T22:33:29Z")
The Heavy “How Ya Like Me Now” [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/sVzvRsl4rEM/hqdefault.jpg "The Heavy - How You Like Me Now? (Official Video)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVzvRsl4rEM) Madcon “Beggin” (asside from the rap section) [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/zrFI2gJSuwA/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEmCOADEOgC8quKqQMa8AEB-AH-BIAC4AOKAgwIABABGGUgTyhGMA8=&rs=AOn4CLDNMNRcunti64TfGfqxvgN1jq8nIA "Madcon - Beggin") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrFI2gJSuwA) sHeavy “Virtual Machine” is a very obvious not to Black Sabbath [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/W2lU-lyyqT8/hqdefault.jpg "Sheavy - Virtual Machine") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2lU-lyyqT8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/retro-music-genre-new-songs-that-sound-like-old-songs/927212.md?page=2)