Music of My Generation

So I was listening to internet radio at work and got caught up in some of my generations "oldies but goodies" and it got me to thinking:

Why is it that music from your teen years is the most defining? Did we listen to more music then? This would explain why shows like TRL, geared towards teens, was so successful. Once we hit our twenties does our influence in pop culture die because we focus our money and time on other things?

Whatever the reason, I just find that  any music that is played from the time I was 11 through 21 years of age is the music that stirs me the most in ways that music after that or before that time hasn’t been able to do. Not that I don’t have artist now that I love; it’s just different. I get put in a real place in my life when I hear Crystal Water's Gypsy Woman  (and In Living Color's parody of it) or Jade’s Don’t Walk Away Boy (don’t act like you don’t remember them) and me getting braids.  I get excited and start doing the running man when I hear CL Smooth and Pete Rock "They Reminisce Over You"  and I know exactly where I was when I first heard Coldplay's Yellow and the dance my sister and I did to Lost Boyz Jeeps Lex Coups Bimaz and Benz.  And let's not forget how we played out the Goo Dolls Iris song and The Spice Girls Wannabe (heck, that's still a karaoke pick of mine, I wanted to be like Scary Spice- well she was the only black girl and she inspired me to grow my curls out and stop getting a relaxer).

However, I will quickly turn the station now when Lil’ Wayne comes on (his voice just makes my ears bleed or is that the old “fuddy duddy” starting to emerge in me, if so, www.i’mgettingold.com ) and Rhianna and Lady Gaga music won't get me pumped.

I don't know, maybe it’s simply that when we are kids and teens we need soundtracks for our lives more than any other time period. When I hear these songs I don’t just remember the artist and the videos, I remember me.