Emotional Stages '90s Kids Had Over A New CD

Remember how excited you were when a new CD came out in the '90s? If you were anything like me, you spent the second part of the '90s with your Discman at the ready (at the beginning/middle of the '90s you were probably still on your Walkman), and then playing the classics like the Romeo + Juliet soundtrack on repeat when they were released. When your favorite artist released a new CD in the '90s, you were likely filled with a concoction of emotions, ranging from anxiety to excitement. I mean, those things cost around $30 a pop, and chances are you weren't exactly rolling in the Benjamins as a 10-year-old.

CD collections were an important part of the '90s. They were part of your identity. Generations before us remember the first record they ever bought or received. Some of us who are a little older remember our first tape. And all of us remember our first CD. Mine was a CD single (remember CD singles! One song! With a cool B-side too! What a world we lived in!) of "Just A Girl" by No Doubt. And a whole range of Disney movie soundtracks to follow, of course. Here are the emotional stages '90s kids had when a new CD from their favorite artist came out.

1. FOMO Anxiety

Not to be muddled with general anxiety, FOMO anxiety was the fear of missing the CD's release date. In the '90s, we didn't have Twitter or Instagram to be constantly reminded about the release date of a CD, and we couldn't just instantly have new music (bought legally) from the Internet for a time either. So we relied on the record stores' printed flyers that listed all the release dates. And we always worried we were going to miss an important one, and be irreparably late to the party of our favorite artist.

2. Rationality

But then you slap yourself back to it, and get rational. It's time to start planning! Where is the money coming from? How will you get to the store? What order will you lend your new CD to your friends in? Will the CD be out in time to be a birthday present? No one plans like a '90s kid awaiting a new release CD.

3. Fear

With all the planning, came your fears. Like what if you can't get the money together in time? How would you listen to all the sweet Ace of Base jams then?

4. Desperation

You get desperate. You start negotiating with your parents for an advance on your allowance. For an advance on Christmas. To do more chores for money. You look around your room: what can you sell? Desperation sets in.

5. Excitement

But once you finally get it together and the day is arriving, there's nothing but unbridled excitement. This is the best day of your life. At least until the next CD from your other favorite artist is released.

6. Actual Anxiety

When you finally got to the store to purchase your shiny new CD, there's a new anxiety: WHAT IF IT HAS A PARENTAL ADVISORY STICKER ON IT?

7. Nausea

You'd be emotionally ill, walking through the store. A mix of giddiness and anxiety, not unlike the feeling you get the night before Christmas.

8. Impatience

And then everything would take so long wouldn't it? Going to the register and paying. The sales clerk would always move to slowly! Then the car ride home would be excruciating, too. The impatience you felt between the first time you picked up that CD in your hand to finally getting home to listen to it alone in your room was painful.

9. Trepidation

You might have heard one single from the album playing on the radio, but you'd have no idea what the rest of the album would be like. As excited as you were to listen, you were also a little hesitant. It was, after all, your favorite artist, and you didn't want to have to pretend to like a whole album if it was dumb...

10. Critique

Finally listening to the album, your inner critic would set in. You'd listen to songs over and over again, trying to figure out which you like best, making a mental ranking in your head.

11. Joy

And finally joy. Joy for your new CD. Joy for your favorite artist. Joy to record your favorite songs from this CD and all your other favorite songs onto a tape. Joy that you'd listen to nothing else, relentlessly on repeat, for the whole next week, or month, or however long it took to do this entire process again.

Images: Warner Bros.; Giphy (5)