It might have a core of ultra-rich high-calorie cheese, but the throwback song is a very specific and carefully calibrated art form.
It must evoke and transcend the era it’s reviving in an affectionate or hilarious fashion (or both); it has to be a great song as well as a nostalgia trip for those who remember, and a vicarious saunter through a previous decade for those who don’t. Equally, the timing has to be right: You don’t want to bring back something that doesn’t feel particularly fresh or relevant at that moment (the standard 20-year nostalgia cycle is a reliable benchmark,…
It must evoke and transcend the era it’s reviving in an affectionate or hilarious fashion (or both); it has to be a great song as well as a nostalgia trip for those who remember, and a vicarious saunter through a previous decade for those who don’t. Equally, the timing has to be right: You don’t want to bring back something that doesn’t feel particularly fresh or relevant at that moment (the standard 20-year nostalgia cycle is a reliable benchmark,…
