Was Songs Actually Better in the’ 80 s And’ 90 s?

Introduction: Nostalgia, Rosy Retrospect, and Declinism

I frequently pay attention to relatively old musicians like ABBA, Tears for Worries, Weapons N’ Roses, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Duran Duran, Alphaville, Pearl Jam, David Bowie, Queen, Bon Jovi, and 4 Non Blondes. And under any of their tracks, inevitably, are remarks stating the years to which they belonged as having been the best one for songs.

And eventually, I became interested: was songs truly better in the’ 80 s and’ 90 s?

To address that question, one must initially comprehend 3 principles:

• Nostalgia : A sentimental, bittersweet sensation concerning a past moment or duration. When one is sentimental for the 1980 s, one wants to return to the 1980 s.
• Rosy Retrospect : A cognitive bias wherein one keeps in mind the past as being much better than it really was. While nostalgia and rosy retrospect may occur jointly, they are distinct. One may be timeless for the’ 80 s despite its drawbacks, whereas in the case of rosy revision, those disadvantages will certainly not be born in mind to begin with.
• Declinism : Another cognitive bias wherein the past is seen in an overly positive light and the …