Who didn’t have a parent, older sibling, aunt, uncle, grandparent, great grandparent, teacher, or a family friend say, ‘Your music stinks, the music you kids listen to is awful. You should listen to what we listened to when we were younger. I still listen to it today. I’m not listening to the noise on the radio now.’?

The quote may be segments from a few people or the same person at different times, or I have the best memory ever, however we’ve all heard something like it, if not the exact same lines.

And as I’ve gotten older, the statement or statements seems to hold up over time.

We will start with the generation born in the 1940s because before then, was music even being made? Just kidding, shout to Lous Armstrong, Billie Holliday, Jimmie Rodgers, Wolfgang Mozart, Ludwig Van Beethoven, Johann Sebastian Bach, and the rest of the musical pioneers who are rolling in their graves and mean mugging me from heaven. Thank you for your contributions to our ears.

But we’re still starting with those born in the 40’s.

If you were born in the 1940s, you probably enjoy music from the 1950s and 1960s because that is when your ear, mind, and late childhood/teenager/early 20’s adventures come together to form your musical vibe, life storyline, and what YOU truly want to listen to.

Born in the 50s, you probably favor the 60s and 70s.

Those born with a 6 as the third digit in their birth year probably like the 70s and 80s tunes.

And so on and so on.

I was born in 1985.

Although, thanks to classic rock stations, MTV, VH1 (especially, Pop Up Video), Spotify, working for one company (Starved Rock Media) which runs three radio stations playing three different blends of music under one roof, YouTube, music classes in both high school and college, owning CD suitcases I lugged everywhere in high school and college, and my current ever growing vinyl collection, I know a lot of different music and like some of all eras, generations, fads, and genres.

However, the 1990s and 2000s are the home of my top jams.

The selections I’m selecting whether it’s for a workout, the ride to work, the ride home, the ride to the next job, at home dancing in the kitchen with my girlfriend while we’re cooking, or when I’m writing stories or designing newspaper pages, are 97.8 percent of the time coming from those two decades.

The other 2.2 percent may see a tune from the 70s, 80s, 2010s, 2020s, or even a Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley (his old, good stuff), or Creedence Clearwater Revival. I’m leaving out some, but those artists have a cut or two in my playlists.

With that said, I am now the guy who is telling his nieces and nephews, ‘Your music is awful. What in the world are you listening to? Why don’t you listen to this?’ …As I text them a link to a 2-Pac, Incubus, Red Hot Chili Peppers, or early Lil’ Wayne song.

I have become the person I always tried to ignore when I was younger, or frankly, try to prove wrong by giving examples of music during my time that is better than their older time.

Well, now my nieces and nephews, you guessed it, are doing the same thing.

They try to get me to listen to Sexy Red, Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, Kodak Black, and the long list of “trendy” rappers who sound like their whining, congested, or never had a speech class in their life.

If them reminding me of my younger self didn’t make me feel old already, social media throws coals in the fire with posts such as “These songs came out 25 years ago?” or “How old were you when this came out?” or “Do you remember this from the 1990s (or 2000s)?”

The last post I saw, five of the eight songs were played in my car an hour earlier.

Next time I see my nieces and nephews, I’m going to tell them, ‘Just wait, your time is coming.’