5 Old Songs My 9-Year-Old Niece Thought Were New
This is how I gauge whether a song is timeless
You’re a super tito (uncle) when you like playing with your niece/nephew and you’re having as much fun as them.
My nine-year-old niece is one of the few people I can talk to about music. She absolutely loves it. To the point that it’s quite annoying ’cause she always wears those huge headsets. Not in an angsty manner, no. She just listens.
She’s not a fan of particular artists but she knows tons of songs for her age. Unlike many, she’s more interested in music than musicians. It goes to show that she prefers the art and not the artist. One time she was singing “Don’t Start Now,” and “Break My Heart” so I recommended something else by Dua Lipa. But she asks, “Who’s Dua Lipa?”
One listless afternoon while we were on a Spotify binge, I was wondering how a song is considered timeless or ahead of its time. The first time I listened to Patti Smith’s Horses, if I didn’t know it was released in the 70s, I’d say that it’s a new release. The recording is clean and her music sounds contemporary. But I may be biased so I did an experiment.
I quizzed my niece by streaming a few songs and she’d guess if they were new or old. Let’s face it, there are tons of good old music but some undeniably sounds like they’re from the vault. My niece hates getting things wrong so please don’t tell her that I’m listing down her mistakes. Here are the old songs that she thought were new releases:
Kimberly (1975)— Patti Smith. I had to start with Patti. Like my niece, I don’t want to be proven wrong so I needed someone to validate that Patti sounds new. I asked her why she thought this was new and her only response was, “It just doesn’t sound old.”
I wanted to play “Gloria” but I did not want to introduce her to Patti with a song that starts with “Jesus died for somebody’s sins but not mine.” We’re Catholic, you know.
Ziggy Stardust (1972) — David Bowie. I’d be disappointed if she got this one right because David Bowie is the epitome of timelessness. I think that his sound will continue to be relevant in the next fifty years. Even if from the album he sings, “Five years, that’s all we’ve got.”
(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction (1965) — The Rolling Stones. I was surprised that she thought this was new. The style isn’t really something you’d hear on the radio today but she told me that she hears this song often. From where she couldn’t remember. I’m sure it’s not from the radio because I doubt that she knows how to operate one.
Neon Lights (1978) — Kraftwerk. This one’s interesting. She was quick to respond that this is one is new despite the fact that the new wave sound is so damn ancient (No offense because I love this record). As it turns out, classic electronic music continues to influence the pop scene. When I asked her if she’s sure of her answer, she said, “Yes, it definitely sounds like The Next Step’s “Fire.” When she saw the confusion on my face, she patiently explained that she heard this song from the game, FNAF.
I asked, ‘F&F?”
She rolled her eyes and enunciated, ‘F. N. AF. Five Nights At Freddy's.” I pretended I knew what that was and moved forward.
Anyway, she was spot on. The song indeed sounded like Kraftwerk! Isn’t that incredible?
Ain’t No Sunshine (1971) — Bill Withers. At this point, I was convinced that my niece was already bored and was just giving random answers. When I asked her to think again, she told me that this was new because her mother plays this song. When I told her that that could be a clue why the song might be old, she just shrugged. As you can imagine, the game already lost its fun so this ends the list.
Obviously, I enjoyed the game more than my niece. I still gave her twenty pesos ($0.40) for “winning” and mostly for humoring me. Whenever I ask her to play the guessing game again, she comes up with a lot of excuses. Poor me.
Anyone else likes to play?
