A couple weeks back I joked on my Instagram stories that I think about George Michael’s Careless Whisper (released 1984) multiple times per week - and that story ended up being my most viewed story to date. Clearly I hit a nerve! For those not understanding the Roman Empire reference - there has been a popular TikTok trend going around where partners ask their husbands/boyfriends how often they think about the Roman Empire - and to their surprise, their spouses confess that they think about the empire…quite a lot. Men and their imaginations!
Perhaps you think about it so much because the intro has been memed to death over the last decade... swear I've heard it more in the last 10 years than I did growing up.
That said, the topic of empires in decline has been talked about quite a bit over the last 20 years... just not among the Tik-Tok set. And I'd imagine it's still not, as every video I've seen has been an obvious "skit"... which is likely just propaganda disguised as a "trend" designed to make people ignore what they're witnessing, because... "It's just a Tik-Tok trend.. it's, like, not real. OMG I can't with u rn"
Derrick! Thank you. You’re touching something so quintessential. It’s astonishing. My 33 and 34 yo kids recently remarked how much George Michael is a soundtrack to their early childhood.
I was fortunate to see him play at then Shoreline Amphitheater in 1986. I’ve been to many concerts since I was a baby (child of hippie Grateful Dead boomers). I’d seen the Dead play there a dozen times. The fever pitch of the teen crowd was reminiscent of a Beetles concert. Something I’ve never experienced since.
And I study the archetypes of music as it relates to generational astrology. So I will look at Michael’s natal chart compared to the planetary transits of 1984 to see correlations in him as a person touching the nerve of the time when it was released.
PS Greil Marcus is my former brother-in-law. I say you’re music reflection is damn good too.
This song just reminds of my college buddy randomly popping up with his sax and playing it all the time.
Perhaps you think about it so much because the intro has been memed to death over the last decade... swear I've heard it more in the last 10 years than I did growing up.
That said, the topic of empires in decline has been talked about quite a bit over the last 20 years... just not among the Tik-Tok set. And I'd imagine it's still not, as every video I've seen has been an obvious "skit"... which is likely just propaganda disguised as a "trend" designed to make people ignore what they're witnessing, because... "It's just a Tik-Tok trend.. it's, like, not real. OMG I can't with u rn"
Derrick! Thank you. You’re touching something so quintessential. It’s astonishing. My 33 and 34 yo kids recently remarked how much George Michael is a soundtrack to their early childhood.
I was fortunate to see him play at then Shoreline Amphitheater in 1986. I’ve been to many concerts since I was a baby (child of hippie Grateful Dead boomers). I’d seen the Dead play there a dozen times. The fever pitch of the teen crowd was reminiscent of a Beetles concert. Something I’ve never experienced since.
And I study the archetypes of music as it relates to generational astrology. So I will look at Michael’s natal chart compared to the planetary transits of 1984 to see correlations in him as a person touching the nerve of the time when it was released.
PS Greil Marcus is my former brother-in-law. I say you’re music reflection is damn good too.