3 Rock Songs That Only Make Sense if You Lived Through That Era

Many times, a hit outlives its era. But sometimes an enduring song can lose the context that it had at the time of its release. Often, songwriters write about their circumstances. That approach can yield a universally appealing song, but the artist’s intent will always remain. Because of this, some songs only make sense, most truly, to those who hear them in their time. Below, find three rock songs that we still love today, but really only make sense if you lived through the same era.

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“Everybody Wants To Rule The World” (Tears for Fears)

“Everybody Wants To Rule The World” has become an instant time stamp for movies and television shows. If you want to instantly orient the audience to the 80s, this song is a quick fix. But it’s not just the synth-led musicality that makes this rock song such a good era indicator; it’s the inferences in the lyrics.

The 80s were rife with Cold War anxieties. While Tears for Fears wrote this song as a general takedown of a culture controlled by greed and power, the backdrop of real-life tensions gave this song the grit it needed to become popular. We can listen to this song now, relate to it, and even agree. But most of those who were too young to have heard it upon its release will never be able to understand it the way listeners did in 1985.

[RELATED: Tears for Fears to Release Expanded Reissue of ‘Songs from the Big Chair’ Celebrating the Hit Album’s 40th Anniversary]

“Fortunate Son” (Creedence Clearwater Revival)

Modern listeners can hear and appreciate Creedence Clearwater Revival’s protest anthem, “Fortunate Son”. But it will never hit the same as it did for a listener back in the late 60s who might have faced the Vietnam War draft.

The band penned this iconic track as a diatribe against the class-dependent draft, i.e., those wealthy enough had avenues to keep their children away from the war, while those who weren’t had no stipulations. Many in the anti-war crowd found this song to be a pure reflection of their emotions at the time. Decades removed from that conflict, and this song still hits hard, but not in the same way.

“Boulevard Of Broken Dreams” (Green Day)

Many rock fans have listened to Green Day’s “Boulevard Of Broken Dreams” in recent years and had a moment of melancholy. But those who heard this song in 2004 did so in an even more somber mood.

In the wake of the Iraq War, many Americans were disillusioned, and Green Day stepped up to be their mouthpiece. Though the band has songs that were more finely aimed at political forces, this song is the emotional center of their efforts.

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