DOO WOP

I got home late last night, plopped into my TV chair, flipped around the channels without finding anything that stirred me and went to Plan B.  Plan B is when none of my first choices are on and I’m in scramble mode to find something of interest.  I clicked on an already started public television show on the Doo Wop music of the 50’s and early 60’s.  We called it rock and roll then but Doo Wop seems to be the term these days. 

These were my high school and college years so the pleasant memory portion of my brain kicked into high gear.  Granted they are the year’s most of us accumulate especially vivid memories but damn, those years produced some great music. 

As song after song was performed, often by the original group, there was a dominate theme.  Romance, be it loving someone, missing someone, hand holding or wedding bells, it all related to romance.  Songs such as In the Still of the Night, A Thousand Stars, Little Darlin, and the anthem of the day, Earth Angel.  There was the harmonizing of The Platters and Drifters, and the synchronized moves of The Coasters, The Cadillac’s and others in brightly colored suits.  Shots of the audience confirmed romance was in the air as couples were taken back to school dances and slowly swaying back and forth on a darkened dance floor.

I love music of all types and I try hard to appreciate the sounds of each generation.  The big band sound of the war years, the protest songs of the late sixties, the Saturday Night Fever fad of the seventies, the Michael Jackson and Madonna era and more recently, the Hip Hop/Rap sounds.  I admit, each has its thing, but when it comes to songs about love, I’ll take the early rock and roll days. 

Each of these generations, at some point, will be old enough that their music will be in the “Oldies but Goodies” category, as mine is now.  I wonder if they will be able to sit in a chair late at night, as I did, and be taken back to good times and good memories, revolving around love.   

I sure hope so but I am worried about the current trend.  When their music is in the OBG category what kind of flashbacks will they have?  First off, I cringe at the thought of rap artists of today, such as Ice Cube, gyrating around the stage at the age of 65 plus.  Secondly, if they can pull off the gyrating, will they be able to remember the novel length lyrics?  Maybe the artist can but I doubt if you will.  How will you be able to sing along?  Can you picture you and your friends on karaoke night?  And seriously, will Eminem, Grand Master Flash and the Furious 5 and Notorious B. I. G. make you long for the old days.  Maybe if you knocked off the corner grocery store or pistol whipped your girl friend. 

I’ll be the first to admit that the low, low base sound of rap is infectious and gets me bobbing my head back and forth and trying to shrug my shoulders like I have some sense of soul, but romantic it’s not.