3 Throwback Hits That Have Been Rediscovered by Gen Z

The algorithmic way music is shared today doesn’t just push new music to Gen Z listeners; it also introduces them to throwbacks. Several hits from decades past have returned to popularity thanks to online trends and other modern media. The three songs below aren’t from their generation, but for one reason or another, Gen Z has rediscovered them.

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“Silver Springs” — Fleetwood Mac

Gen Z is obsessed with Stevie Nicks. I mean, really, who isn’t? But younger listeners have become enthralled by her tensions with Lindsey Buckingham and other aspects of her personal life that informed her music-making. The internet loves a juicy backstory, and Nicks’ “Silver Springs” certainly has that.

[RELATED: 49 Years Ago, Fleetwood Mac Scored Their First No. 1 Album With This Drug and Drama Fueled Masterpiece]

This ballad, which didn’t make the original cut of Rumours, was written as a heartbroken diatribe about the end of Nicks and Buckingham’s relationship. Countless throwback clips of Nick performing this song have made their way onto social media, reigniting fervor for it.

“Forever Young” — Alphaville

Really, Alphaville’s “Forever Young” is for every generation of youths since the 1980s. Though the band originally released this song as a passionate plea to live life to the fullest amid the Cold War, the sentiment still applies. Online trends about staying present in your youth have brought this song a new audience among Gen Z listeners.

“Do you really want to live forever? / Forever, and ever,” the band asks in the chorus to this synth pop masterpiece. No matter how many years go by, this song will always be relevant. Youth is a fleeting thing that is usually only fully appreciated by those who don’t have it anymore. Many in Gen Z have listened to this song, believing their youth will be everlasting. The generations that came before Gen Z have an entirely different experience with this track.

“Goo Goo Muck” — The Cramps

The Adams Family reboot, Wednesday, brought The Cramps’ “Goo Goo Muck” into the Gen Z consciousness after a scene of the titular character dancing to it went viral. An online trend only furthered its newfound appeal.

This garage-punk track appealed to the internet’s soundbite culture, thanks to its sticky chorus. This song might be deeply ingrained in the sound of the 80s, but it also plays quite well within the modern musical landscape.

(Photo by Larry Hulst/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)