Whether you are a Gen Xer holding onto your Nirvana CD, a Millennial discovering Queen on YouTube, or a Boomer still cranking The Who, the music of the 70s, 80s, and 90s was the undisputed soundtrack of 2019.
It is impossible to talk about 80s rock in 2019 without mentioning the cultural behemoth Stranger Things . While Season 3 premiered in July 2019, the soundtrack dominated the Billboard Rock charts all year. The show didn't just resurrect The Police ("Every Breath You Take") or The Clash; it turned (a 60s/70s band, but massive in the 80s) and Journey into streaming sensations.
Specifically, Journey’s "Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)"—that iconic, cheesy 1983 synth-rock anthem—became a villainous theme song for a new generation. Meanwhile, saw a 250% increase in streams following the announcement of The Dirt biopic. Suddenly, the decadence of 1987 felt like the wild alternative to the sanitized pop of 2019.
The 1970s are widely regarded as the peak of rock’s cultural and creative dominance. This decade saw rock branch into diverse, ambitious subgenres:
Where was rock in 2019? While the keyword focuses on the past, the year did produce future classics that tried to channel the spirit of those three decades.
Whether you are a Gen Xer holding onto your Nirvana CD, a Millennial discovering Queen on YouTube, or a Boomer still cranking The Who, the music of the 70s, 80s, and 90s was the undisputed soundtrack of 2019.
It is impossible to talk about 80s rock in 2019 without mentioning the cultural behemoth Stranger Things . While Season 3 premiered in July 2019, the soundtrack dominated the Billboard Rock charts all year. The show didn't just resurrect The Police ("Every Breath You Take") or The Clash; it turned (a 60s/70s band, but massive in the 80s) and Journey into streaming sensations.
Specifically, Journey’s "Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)"—that iconic, cheesy 1983 synth-rock anthem—became a villainous theme song for a new generation. Meanwhile, saw a 250% increase in streams following the announcement of The Dirt biopic. Suddenly, the decadence of 1987 felt like the wild alternative to the sanitized pop of 2019.
The 1970s are widely regarded as the peak of rock’s cultural and creative dominance. This decade saw rock branch into diverse, ambitious subgenres:
Where was rock in 2019? While the keyword focuses on the past, the year did produce future classics that tried to channel the spirit of those three decades.
