A time capsule of nostalgia: Music in 2008
Charlotte Holmes, Contributor
The year 2008 has marked history as a time full of pivotal moments in the 21st century. A housing crisis in the United States, Fidel Castro stepping down as the president of Cuba, a large portion of the Middle East and India being connected to the internet, Beijing hosting the Summer Olympics — and not to mention the global economy suffocating and collapsing, barring a recession. But there is another notable thing to take away from 2008. It also saw dance floors of clubs, bars and school gymnasiums “burnin’ up” — as the Jonas Brothers would say.
“Low” by Flo Rida defined my childhood, though I admit I always was curious how the women rapped about completing a quick change in front of the whole club. At eight years old my naivety to the world outside was high, and instead, music consumed my time. Music was an escape from the real world that I didn’t fully understand — though ironically, reflecting now I realize how little I also understood about the songs I adored.
My childhood was defined by Flo Rida, All American Rejects and Kanye West. On the flip, my older sister also had a part of her life defined by them as she embarked on the prime years of her youth as a now-legal partygoer. Her Friday nights were spent out, screaming Britney Spears’ “Womanizer” at the top of her lungs till 2 a.m. Similarly, mine were spent tirelessly choreographing a routine to the same song with my friends. The music served as a point of connection, even despite our age gap.
But that’s what good music does, doesn’t it? Good music transcends the social norms and societal hierarchies we’ve created — good music breaks down walls and boundaries and gifts us with a sense of freedom, connection and belonging. That being said, I know many from the “Woodstock Generation” might argue my stance of “I Kissed a Girl” as good music. But the music produced in 2008 will forever be a time capsule of nostalgia to a place in our minds — mostly for those born between 1985 and 2000 — of freedom and belonging.
From Akon to P!nk, Nickelback to The Pussycat Dolls or even Lil Wayne to Bon Iver — all these artists contributed to a revolutionary and iconic time in modern history. They wrote songs that were perfect for the infamous Pauly-D fist pump — which some thought made them more attractive to women— and songs that were perfect to cry and eat a whole tub of mint chocolate chip ice cream after a breakup. They wrote songs with surface-level meanings about sexy women at the club and songs layered with powerful statements on the state of our society.
Poetry was formed through lyrics as artists like Coldplay retold stories of old in 2009 Grammy Award for Single of the Year Winner “Viva La Vida.” The song reflected upon the French Revolution and the downfall and execution of King Louis XVI. It led to the band’s first number-one single in both the United States and United Kingdom.
No throwback playlist is complete without at least one song everyone knows the lyrics to from this year. Across genres, various artists created melodies that still imprint our minds and subconscious in some way. One reason could be thanks to the rise of the internet during this time — increasing sales through platforms such as iTunes — coupled with counter protests to the internet from exclusive album releases to CDs.
Rock legends such as AC/DC and The Eagles all contributed to the anti-internet movement by partnering with retail giants such as Wal-Mart and Best Buy. Vinyl also saw an increased reemergence at this time as artists and label records pushed for larger vinyl releases with some including the added incentive of free digital downloads, allowing for easy access anywhere.
Each year has notable music favourites that live rent-free in our minds. Each generation has artists and songs that defined a time in their life in some form or another, this is not exclusive to 2008. However, even if it’s not your own playlist, it can be assured that when going out on a Friday, or to your monthly karaoke night you will experience the time capsule of nostalgia that is a song from 2008.
