# 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:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**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, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/retro-music-genre-new-songs-that-sound-like-old-songs/927212/21 "2020-12-04T22:40:08Z")
Jeff Lynne wrote “I’m Leaving You” (which is on his 2015 ELO album _Alone in the Universe_) as a tribute to his friend, Roy Orbison, and it has the feel of something that Roy would have recorded in the early '60s. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/hcr5bd3Kpqs/maxresdefault.jpg "I'm Leaving You") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcr5bd3Kpqs) ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2020, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/retro-music-genre-new-songs-that-sound-like-old-songs/927212/22 "2020-12-04T22:48:40Z")
The first time I heard the Violent Femmes (late 90s?) I thought they were contemporary alternative rock. Not so much. _1983_ [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/__jh3S9DzYU/hqdefault.jpg "Violent Femmes - Kiss Off") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__jh3S9DzYU) MGMT sounds like an 80s band. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/fe4EK4HSPkI/maxresdefault.jpg "MGMT - Kids (Official HD Video)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fe4EK4HSPkI) Walk the Moon sounds like an 80s band. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/6JCLY0Rlx6Q/maxresdefault.jpg "WALK THE MOON - Shut Up and Dance (Official Video)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JCLY0Rlx6Q) Pulp’s _Common People_ is 80s in every conceivable way. Their other stuff reminds me of sleazy lounge music (in a good way.) [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/yuTMWgOduFM/maxresdefault.jpg "Pulp - Common People") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yuTMWgOduFM) ---
**Author:** ![mikecurtis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikecurtis/32/3284_2.png) [@mikecurtis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mikecurtis)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2020, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/retro-music-genre-new-songs-that-sound-like-old-songs/927212/23 "2020-12-04T22:49:52Z")
That Madcon song sounds old because it is. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/d5AfvOk57bE/maxresdefault.jpg "The Four Seasons - Beggin' (Official Audio)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5AfvOk57bE) ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2020, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/retro-music-genre-new-songs-that-sound-like-old-songs/927212/24 "2020-12-04T22:51:16Z")
Robin Thicke got sued because “Blurred Lines” sounded like and/or borrowed too much from Marvin Gaye. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2020, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/retro-music-genre-new-songs-that-sound-like-old-songs/927212/25 "2020-12-05T13:54:35Z")
[“Rollercoaster” by Bleachers,](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmUw1MmIYvU&ab_channel=BleachersVEVO) released in 2014, absolutely sounds like an early '80s New Wave jam. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2020, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/retro-music-genre-new-songs-that-sound-like-old-songs/927212/26 "2020-12-05T15:00:11Z")
When I first heard [Leon Bridges](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgS_xob1x4A), I did wonder if I was hearing an old song. He even used the kind of clicks, surface noise and distortion I was used to on old vinyl. And of course, he nailed that 60s soulfulness… [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/MTrKkqE9p1o/maxresdefault.jpg "Leon Bridges - Coming Home (Official Video)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTrKkqE9p1o) ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2020, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/retro-music-genre-new-songs-that-sound-like-old-songs/927212/27 "2020-12-05T15:08:19Z")
The Spongetones (an '80s group out of Charlotte, N.C.) specialized in original and often very good songs that recreated the sound of the '60s British Invasion. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/rCr_8tvbxpA/hqdefault.jpg "The Spongetones - My girl Maryanne") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCr_8tvbxpA) ---
**Author:** ![Chad\_Sudan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chad_sudan/32/4509_2.png) [@Chad\_Sudan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chad_Sudan)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2020, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/retro-music-genre-new-songs-that-sound-like-old-songs/927212/28 "2020-12-25T16:40:58Z")
The La’s - There She Goes. They can give it a copyright date of 1988, but it’s a Sixties song… [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/eu2iv-vMKT8/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEmCOADEOgC8quKqQMa8AEB-AH-BIAC4AOKAgwIABABGGAgYChgMA8=&rs=AOn4CLBStian4EaHItTcE6xLyrcN8AkTuA "The La's There she goes") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eu2iv-vMKT8) ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2020, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/retro-music-genre-new-songs-that-sound-like-old-songs/927212/29 "2020-12-25T17:09:25Z")
La Roux and Amy Winehouse are good for this type of music. Bulletproof: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/Kk8eJh4i8Lo/maxresdefault.jpg "La Roux - Bulletproof") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kk8eJh4i8Lo) Back to Black: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/TJAfLE39ZZ8/maxresdefault.jpg "Amy Winehouse - Back To Black") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJAfLE39ZZ8) ---
**Author:** ![2\_More\_Bits](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/2_more_bits/32/4148_2.png) [@2\_More\_Bits](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2_More_Bits)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2020, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/retro-music-genre-new-songs-that-sound-like-old-songs/927212/30 "2020-12-25T18:09:29Z")
Everything Michael Kiwanuka does will transport you back to the late 60s/ early 70s. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/bhKMsubj3bg/maxresdefault.jpg "Michael Kiwanuka: Tiny Desk (Home) Concert") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhKMsubj3bg) If you’re not already familiar with his work… you’re welcome! ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2020, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/retro-music-genre-new-songs-that-sound-like-old-songs/927212/31 "2020-12-25T22:13:51Z")
Specifically, this song. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/qhFNY9zW2F4/maxresdefault.jpg "Got To Give It Up") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhFNY9zW2F4) ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2020, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/retro-music-genre-new-songs-that-sound-like-old-songs/927212/32 "2020-12-26T03:44:07Z")
Iris DeMent usually gets compared to people who have been dead for over half a century, like The Carter Family and the Skillet Lickers. A few years ago, there were a whole bunch of bands (Mumford and Sons, Of Monsters and Men) that sounded a bit like Woody Guthrie. Dee-Lite was aggressively retro. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2020, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/retro-music-genre-new-songs-that-sound-like-old-songs/927212/33 "2020-12-26T05:57:06Z")
This R&B song was NOT recorded in 1968. Or 1978. Or even in the 20th century. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/HdeX_keKO-U/hqdefault.jpg "Lee Fields - Honey Dove") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdeX_keKO-U) Nor was this heavy rock song: [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/OnGBa8dVm6k/hqdefault.jpg "GRAVEYARD - Hisingen Blues (OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnGBa8dVm6k) or this not-Sabbath tune: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/UvtAMFhbuRA/maxresdefault.jpg "ORCHID - Mouths Of Madness (OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvtAMFhbuRA) ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2020, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/retro-music-genre-new-songs-that-sound-like-old-songs/927212/34 "2020-12-26T06:18:18Z")
Lyle Lovett and George Straight were at the vanguard of the new Texas Swing movement from the late 80s. Bob Wills had been dead since 1975 and inactive since 1973. His career was mainly in the 1930s and 40s. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/retro-music-genre-new-songs-that-sound-like-old-songs/927212.md?page=1)