It’s us who don’t evolve,not them

Yesterday I started to pay more attention and study the song Living on a prayer of Bon Jovi since I discussed with Costi about playing it. The song is one of those that put a mark on my rock life, it is an icon of the music of the 80’s, nobody could deny this. The whole song is sustained by the bass line and by the voice of Jon plus the “uha,uha, uhuhuha” effects of Richie Sambora’s talk box. That’s what gives life to that song. And the good melodic line and the expansive way of being of the young Bon Jovi.

Then I have listened more Bon Jovi songs on YouTube and I couldn’t miss the very big difference between what Bon Jovi used to play and what they play now. I don’t know, I love them with both of their musical directions, however some won’t consider what Bon Jovi plays now as rock. Maybe pop or pop-rock the most, but not rock.

So, I was thinking, is this selling out? Or is just adapting yourself to what the market asks. If you would remain to that initial sound of energetic songs, will you still be here in the music business?

The music changes day by day and if you make a living out of playing music, then you need to adapt yourself, even that most of the fans will consider you are not the same you used to be when you started.

I actually think it is something else…

The mot active period of a music fan is the one between 14 and 20(something). From this period we retain the most from music: taste, bands, songs. This is the period that define our musical personality.

Of course, later in our lives we refine our musical taste, we find new things, we become more complex, but nobody can deny the fact that the most important period from the point of view of forming a musical taste is this one.

On the other hand, the bands that we like need to follow trends in order to match the musical preferences of the ever-changing teens that find something new as being cool every few years, so the music they listen will be changed every few years. Bands can not stay “true” to the music they used to play 20 years ago in order to be loved by their 20 years ago fans because 20 years ago fans are now grown people with kids, jobs, responsibilities and tend to give less and less importance to music and of course, spend less and less money on it.

That is why I think that no band should be accused of selling when adapting to follow trends. They follow music evolution, adapting to new waves of teens hungry for love and music, the ones who can not change is us, fans of music played long ago in our teen life.

So I think this is not selling out. It’s evolution and it’s us who don’t follow it.

What do you think?

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