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Artists get better with age, e.g., painting. Yet when it comes to pop music, the famous work tends to be written when musicians are in their twenties. So, why aren't Bob Dylan or the Stones banging out amazing tunes now?

15.06.2025 03:15

Artists get better with age, e.g., painting. Yet when it comes to pop music, the famous work tends to be written when musicians are in their twenties. So, why aren't Bob Dylan or the Stones banging out amazing tunes now?

Not all popular musicians are like this. The Beatles made an effort to reach out to every age demographic. Off the top of my head, I know of no other band that was equally comfortable making silly children’s songs and imagining what it would be like to get old.

But they were outliers. Most popular music comes from young people who aren’t thinking long term about aging, and they often have trouble adjusting their music and image as they get old.

If we accept the question’s premise that Bob Dylan and the Rolling Stones aren’t banging out amazing tunes anymore (I agree about the Stones, not familiar with recent Dylan music), then perhaps it’s because most popular musicians can’t figure out how to make great new music that reflects the experience of getting old.

Recently, I cleared my JP Morgan coding round. Next, I received mail for a video interview. What kind of questions are asked in this round? How do I prepare myself?

Here are 2 young women singing a hedonistic sex song. I don’t know many elderly people who want to get down in da club to EDM-pop with sexy lyrics.

Most modern popular music styles, whether it’s rock, pop, rap, etc., is made by young people, for young people. It’s not necessarily well-equipped to speak to the deepest desires and concerns of the elderly.

Here’s a scrappy 60s rock song about young people telling their elders to fuck off.

What happens if a parent refuses to let their child be transgender? What happens if the parent tries their hardest not to allow their child to be trans, like flushing every bottle of their trans child's HRT down the toilet?

Seeing a 2023 Rolling Stones video featuring some sexy Sydney Sweeney dancing on a convertible was…weird, considering Sweeney is young enough to be Mick Jagger’s granddaughter.

David Bowie got old enough to contemplate his imminent death and make haunting music about the experience.