# Songs with a nostalgic sound **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 16, 2014, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-a-nostalgic-sound/688569 "2014-05-16T04:25:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/try2b_comprehensive/32/65_2.png) [@Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Try2B_Comprehensive)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2014, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-a-nostalgic-sound/688569/1 "2014-05-16T04:25:55Z")
If you stick with it, I think [this song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVB0AaAhDlY&feature=kp) performed by Iggy Pop ends up creating a nostalgic atmosphere. Maybe if I could understand the French lyrics I wouldn’t think so, but it doesn’t matter. They don’t have to be in any particular style, but can you think of other songs that sound “nostalgic”? ---
**Author:** ![Flywheel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Flywheel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flywheel)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2014, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-a-nostalgic-sound/688569/2 "2014-05-16T04:53:38Z")
Biff Rose - [Molly](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_-A9rGLaYs) ---
**Author:** ![Alley\_Dweller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alley_dweller/32/430_2.png) [@Alley\_Dweller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alley_Dweller)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2014, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-a-nostalgic-sound/688569/3 "2014-05-16T05:48:23Z")
Maybe I’m confusing rural small-town with nostalgic, but there are a lot of songs in the Americana roots genre that evoke a feeling of nostalgia for a bygone era. Here are a couple of original modern songs of that ilk: [Iris DeMent - Our Town](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9IUj1mDENg)[Mary Chapin Carpenter - I am a Town.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHAVjfURfrw) And some Delta Blues take us back to a different time. Here is a cover of a song written by Hattie Hart in 1934: [Rory Block - I Let My Daddy Do That.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9A2VXzAu6M) ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2014, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-a-nostalgic-sound/688569/4 "2014-05-16T14:07:41Z")
[Chris Isaaks’ _Wicked Game_](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOjTweUPt3Q) always struck me as sounding “out of time” for some reason. Of course, there are Dave Edmund’s and The Stray Cats’ homages to Rockabilly. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2014, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-a-nostalgic-sound/688569/5 "2014-05-16T14:39:24Z")
I’ve always enjoyed things like The Kinks Village Green Preservation Society, Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band, and Peter and Gordon (‘Lady Godiva’ and ‘Knight In Rusty Armour’). Not only do they personally take me right back to my salad days, but they conjure up British music hall songs performed decades ago. Like British vaudeville/folk music. “I’m Henry the 8th, I Am”, “It’s a Long Way To Tipperary”, “Pack Up Your Troubles”. Telling a funny story, and often with instruments that conjure up a long ago feeling. ---
**Author:** ![Flywheel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Flywheel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flywheel)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2014, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-a-nostalgic-sound/688569/6 "2014-05-16T14:40:13Z")
Billy Joel - [Root Beer Rag](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKrd0lv_p1c) ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2014, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-a-nostalgic-sound/688569/7 "2014-05-16T22:43:41Z")
I’m not sure if this fits the OP theme, but I remember hearing “Rehab” by Amy Winehouse for the first time. It was playing on a jukebox in a bar, and I was playing Name That Tune. I couldn’t place it, but guessed it was a Phil Spector-girl group thing from the 60s. Then I noticed that the recording sounded quite clear and voluminous, and then that the singer was singing about not wanting to go to rehab! I had heard of the song “Rehab”, but had not yet heard it, but I put the pieces of the puzzle together. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2014, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-a-nostalgic-sound/688569/8 "2014-05-16T23:29:38Z")
Mary Hopkin – “[Those Were the Days](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVdOQvx379Y).” New Vaudeville Band – [“Winchester Cathedral”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wv_RfFmJ5nA) ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2014, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-a-nostalgic-sound/688569/9 "2014-05-17T00:05:52Z")
Randy Newman, [Dayton, Ohio, 1903.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrTdiNkhnOc&feature=kp) Would you like to come over for tea? On a lazy Sunday afternoon in 1903. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2014, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-a-nostalgic-sound/688569/10 "2014-05-17T00:21:46Z")
> [@Flywheel](#): > > Billy Joel - [Root Beer Rag](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKrd0lv_p1c) I can’t resist a hijacking anecdote about this song… I was sent a pre-pressing of Joel’s _Streetlight Serenade_ album prior to release when I worked in Hollywood, and the publisher needed a lead sheet for that song right away. A typical country song took me about an hour to finish a inked lead sheet, and I wasn’t familiar with Billy Joel, so I told the publisher to allow about an hour and a half, and I’d get right on it. Then I played it for the first time, and, while none of the notes were in doubt, there were so fucking many of them that I wasn’t going to treat this as a “typical country song.” I called the pub back and said, “Uh, this is going to take me just a _little_ longer.” They waited, and I had fun. Didn’t get paid much ($18, I recall), but I had fun doing it. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2014, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-a-nostalgic-sound/688569/11 "2014-05-17T00:32:16Z")
Queen [Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkxWyt7K4hw) [Seaside Rendezvous](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CkzXroTbv8) Both from “A Night at the Opera” the first LP I ever bought. ---
**Author:** ![CheshireKat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheshirekat/32/1207_2.png) [@CheshireKat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CheshireKat)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2014, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-a-nostalgic-sound/688569/12 "2014-05-17T03:17:46Z")
Squirrel Nut Zippers - any of their songs, but I’ll pick this one: [Put a Lid on It](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8DXgk4-CcU) ---
**Author:** ![CheshireKat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheshirekat/32/1207_2.png) [@CheshireKat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CheshireKat)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2014, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-a-nostalgic-sound/688569/13 "2014-05-17T03:28:39Z")
One more - I had always loved “We’re All Alone” sung by Rita Coolidge, but then I found out it was written by Boz Scaggs. I think his version has a much more wistful, nostalgic tone: [We’re All Alone](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UAAZZrzNXk) ---
**Author:** ![nachtmusick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ac91a4/32.png) [@nachtmusick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nachtmusick)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2014, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-a-nostalgic-sound/688569/14 "2014-05-17T12:32:35Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > I’m not sure if this fits the OP theme, but I remember hearing “Rehab” by Amy Winehouse for the first time. It was playing on a jukebox in a bar, and I was playing Name That Tune. I couldn’t place it, but guessed it was a Phil Spector-girl group thing from the 60s. > Then I noticed that the recording sounded quite clear and voluminous, and then that the singer was singing about not wanting to go to rehab! I had heard of the song “Rehab”, but had not yet heard it, but I put the pieces of the puzzle together. It does fit, and it’s called Neo-soul. The term gets thrown around loosely, but in my subjective opinion the best Neo-soul is exceedingly nostalgic. Rolling in the Deep and Rumor Has It by Adele are great examples. This is a less well-known example: [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/GUTL92eR0jw/hqdefault.jpg "Ricky Fante - It's Over Now") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUTL92eR0jw) Why this guy is not as big as Amy or Adele I do not know. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2014, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-a-nostalgic-sound/688569/15 "2014-05-17T13:12:28Z")
Not sure if I’m interpreting the OP right. But taking it as “recent songs that reflect an earlier era”, my fave is JEFF the Brotherhood’s [Sixpack](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DiZPMWCZLII). Some 80s-90s touches but the core feeling reminds me of hard rock from ~1971. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2014, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-a-nostalgic-sound/688569/16 "2014-05-17T13:56:32Z")
[Your Woman](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIQWt3oMids) by White Town [Mercy](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7ZEVA5dy-Y) by Duffy ---
**Author:** ![CheshireKat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheshirekat/32/1207_2.png) [@CheshireKat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CheshireKat)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2014, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-a-nostalgic-sound/688569/17 "2014-05-17T14:08:25Z")
Pokey LaFarge’s whole schtick is nostalgia, including dressing the part: [Garbage Can Blues](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jckFQ2U4z5I) Great talented band! ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2014, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-a-nostalgic-sound/688569/18 "2014-05-17T14:13:04Z")
[Magic Piper of Love](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTbxzizp-3U) by Edwyn Collins ---
**Author:** ![CheshireKat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheshirekat/32/1207_2.png) [@CheshireKat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CheshireKat)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2014, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-a-nostalgic-sound/688569/19 "2014-05-17T14:16:03Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > [Magic Piper of Love](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTbxzizp-3U) by Edwyn Collins He is an amazing man - much respect for him. ---
**Author:** ![nachtmusick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ac91a4/32.png) [@nachtmusick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nachtmusick)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2014, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-a-nostalgic-sound/688569/20 "2014-05-17T14:50:28Z")
Yeah - Duffy is right in there with Amy and Adele. It’s a Brit thing (OK, she’s Welsh, but to Americans, London and Wales are within walking distance). White Town is also British, but Taco is Dutch: [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_e6z3RIkaIA) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-a-nostalgic-sound/688569.md?page=2)