3 Popular Classic Rock Songs That Didn’t Make Sense to Listeners Until Later in Life

Sometimes, a good classic rock song that you’ve heard a million times as a kid will hit you hard later in life. Some things just make more sense when you’re older, including the following very existential songs from classic rock history. Let’s dive in!

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“Landslide” by Fleetwood Mac (1975)

This song always sounded pretty to me as a kid. But once I grew up and heard it again, it hit me like a truck. It’s crazy to think that Stevie Nicks wrote it when she was only a 20-something young woman. This song was written about a tough time in Nicks’ life after being dropped by her label. She said that she looked out into the mountains, “pondering the avalanche of everything that had come crashing down on us.” “Landslide” is about aging and feeling old even when you aren’t.

“The Logical Song” by Supertramp (1979)

As a kid, one might understand this song on the surface level. But once the listener ages, “The Logical Song” by Supertramp becomes a very clear tune. It’s all about losing one’s childhood and entering adulthood.

“’The Logical Song’ was born from my questions about what really matters in life,” said songwriter Roger Hodgson of the prog-pop track. “Throughout childhood we are taught all these ways to be and yet we are rarely told anything about our true self. We are taught how to function outwardly, but not guided to who we are inwardly. We go from the innocence and wonder of childhood to the confusion of adolescence that often ends in the cynicism and disillusionment of adulthood.”

“Old Man” by Neil Young (1972)

Younger listeners can listen to this classic rock tune and grasp its meaning, but it really hits hard later in one’s life. Neil Young, at least in terms of what he said in his music, was terrified of growing old. Naturally, he wrote a song about an old man he met after becoming famous. But “Old Man” seems to be more self-reflective than anything. It’s also a poignant examination of how wisdom comes with age. Lines like “Love lost, such a cost / Give me things that don’t get lost / Like a coin that won’t get tossed / Rolling home to you” really hit home.

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