Music Was Better In The 80's | John Mayer | Oxford Union

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John Mayer explains why 80’s music is better than todays music. SUBSCRIBE for more speakers ▻ http://is.gd/OxfordUnion John …

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30 comments

@MrDebkumarbasu March 23, 2025 - 4:14 pm

The best way I can describe this is:

When I sit down to work, I put on songs like, nothing's gonna stop us, dont stop believing, walk of life, black velvet etc. And the reason is the same as why we order food before sitting down to watch a movie. It just goes together perfectly and 80s music is like a buger or fried chicken that looks exactly like what it does in the commercial. It is fulfilling, it is wholesome and dare I say, epic!

@churroflaminguez March 23, 2025 - 4:14 pm

In musical terms this can be pointed out very specifically.

Today music is creatively impoverished with a huge mandate by the record industry to crank out disposable hits according to very creatively restrictive formulas, which have gotten more basic and less sophisticated over time.

The creative bankruptcy of modern music has to do with lack of variety in rhythm, creatively unsophisticated arrangements, almost no musicianship since musicians don't play; everything is programmed, Auto-Tune removing the need for a singer to have talent and the robot-sounding setting completely wiping out the aesthetic of a good singing voice. Also lack of chord progression creativity and sophistication, lack of diverse influences enriching the experience, and above all a remarkable lack of melodic and harmonic sophistication as it existed for decades. Today's melodies are fit for nurseries and playgrounds and little else.

@cody_charlesguitar March 23, 2025 - 4:14 pm

People used to trash the 80s so much but there’s so much talent in a TON of 80s songs. You had not so good music as well, but there’s good and bad no matter where you look! The 80s is my favorite decade of music I’ve always thought it was great!

@puffybuns2311 March 23, 2025 - 4:14 pm

Glad he mentioned Ratt because there is no one like Warren Demartini and I am sure John is a fan too.

@curly_wyn March 23, 2025 - 4:14 pm

John Mayer with a garbage opinion. What else is new?

@pinkled4429 March 23, 2025 - 4:14 pm

The best thing to happen to the 80s was Iron maiden, and then the Big 4 of thrash followed by Chuck's Death.

@pinkled4429 March 23, 2025 - 4:14 pm

Apart from metal,

I didn't really enjoy 80s music.

That's coming from a Beatles fanatic.

Most 80s Mainstream music was weird commercial Synth pop, boyband music etc.

It was more about making money, less about the art

@fikreefauzi8604 March 23, 2025 - 4:14 pm

i agree (certain extent)… i was born in 87 and grew up in the influence of late 80'+90+millenial song. From my personal view, besides the song compostion and arrangement thing, what makes 80's song great is the equipment+setup and how they play, if you try to play back the 80's hits song with the current equipment and new kind of play, you will find the music is not sound like coming from 80's at all…

@puffybuns2311 March 23, 2025 - 4:14 pm

The depth and the sheer number of bands I have discovered and still do from the 80s is astounding.
I grew up in the 90s and 80s music was not available in my country (atleast most of it) but then came youtube and in 2006-07 I started discovering these bands and I haven’t finished discovering till now.
They just keep coming up through interviews or suggestions.
I just completely loose myself when I discover some hidden gem which I add to my playlist.
Man the density and quality of the 80s cannot be matched.

@EmilyB5 March 23, 2025 - 4:14 pm

80s and 90s was the best music era.

@martinbarr5676 March 23, 2025 - 4:14 pm

Music was better as it came from a love of music by people who had genuine talent, whatever genre you liked, glam rock, heavy metal, new romantics or the early days of dance music people performed from the heart. Now songs are written by someone else for some manufactured band, non offensive, no passion. Also the times were very different, there was more freedom, we were not watched every minute of the day by cameras. There was no Facebook, instagram likes to worry about, we experienced life, went outside did things together late at night, mad parties which inspired creativity, punishment was to be sent to your room, todays punishment for kids is to be sent outside.
We weren't told what to like by our phones and reality TV contests like Britain's Got Talent. Political times were different, I remember growing up in the 80's we lived (in Europe) under constant treat of the 4 minute warning of nuclear bombs dropping and then the end of it all in the late 80's collapse of the U.S.S.R and a feeling the world was finally all coming together, all of which helped to influence the music of the time. And no Health and Safety meant pyrotechnics could be used on stage and everyone loves exploding drums and sparks out of guitars!!

@kevinendo9613 March 23, 2025 - 4:14 pm

dude i've never seen an era where KIDS KNOW THE FUCKING SONGS FROM 40yrs ago.. these kids know more about 80s music THAN ME and i was a teen back then.. EXPLAIN THAT?

@Gnefitisis March 23, 2025 - 4:14 pm

Basically this Boomer is just saying "had real instruments…ergo better." Blah blah

@harbingerofepiphany3155 March 23, 2025 - 4:14 pm

I think it is about as subjective as someone preferring to snack on cat turds rather then dining on a medium rare Porter house steak with a glass of 1981 Chateau La'fite!

@jasonlui March 23, 2025 - 4:14 pm

The 80's were Madonna, Kylie Minogue, Heart, Poison, Genesis, Mike and the Mechanic, U2, Def Leppard, Reo Speedwagon, Survivor, Journey, Pet Shop Boys, Erasure, Roxette, John Waite, Gun & Roses, Duran Duran, A'ha, The Cure, FleetWood Mac, Bangles, Tears For Fears, Dire Straits, Whitesnake, George Michael, Bananarama, Blondie, Kim Wilde, Martika, Whitney Houston, Bobby Brown. Human League, Wham, Bryan Adams, Amy Grant, Wilson Phillips, Alison Moyet, The Pretenders, Motley Crue, Enya, Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson. Foreigner, The Smiths,Eurythmics,

@michaelbonhomme1560 March 23, 2025 - 4:14 pm

💯 Born in 1992. My favorite music is a song that sounds incredible, but is pretty layered arrangement wise. His explanation is excellent

@carmstrong6507 March 23, 2025 - 4:14 pm

The 1960s was also a better decade for music. The Beatles > anything today.

@francismcgee March 23, 2025 - 4:14 pm

society was better in 1980s

@SummeRain783 March 23, 2025 - 4:14 pm

I love that the mentioned Phil Collins ❤️

@JimmyRonan1992 March 23, 2025 - 4:14 pm

Back then music came completely from the heart
Now the mainstream is just trash

@emgex March 23, 2025 - 4:14 pm

80s music is better coz its sounds so RAW compared to todays music and music they made was a bit more complex. And every song you hear from that time sounds damn different and non generic. Every song today sounds soo generic and samey.

@ArthursSimpleLife March 23, 2025 - 4:14 pm

I bet Classical snobs disagree.

@nick8160 March 23, 2025 - 4:14 pm

If those kids knew how complex is to create a metal song they would still listening today's shit

@Fanrose2475 March 23, 2025 - 4:14 pm

Music was better when John Lennon was beating his wife

@susancorgi March 23, 2025 - 4:14 pm

Well said! 80's music was much better. Ppl nowadays still can't get enough of it. I know i can't.

@johnnymcg4596 March 23, 2025 - 4:14 pm

what he is describing is the 60s, and 70s, the 80s sucked.!

@James-hh1lq March 23, 2025 - 4:14 pm

Modern chart is so boring it's fake also

@mshara1 March 23, 2025 - 4:14 pm

Of course a hyper-wanker like John Mayer would think 80's music was the best. Whereas anyone with ears knows the best music came from the 60s and the 90s.

@johnmiller2132 March 23, 2025 - 4:14 pm

'Shredding means sitting in a room yelling "Mum, I'm practicing!" for hours and hours and hours' – John Mayer

@enigma4430 March 23, 2025 - 4:14 pm

I don't like his music but I consider what he said very profound and true

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