Life

Teens Fail At Identifying '90s Music

by Lara Rutherford-Morrison

'90s music is — how should I put this? — very important. In the latest installment of their always riotous “Teens React” series, the Fine Brothers continue their mission to make every person over the age of 25 feel completely, overwhelmingly ancient. Their trick? Sit a bunch of teenagers down with some headphones and try to get them to identify the major hit songs of the '90s. Guess what? (Spoilers!) They barely know any of them, because the '90s were so very, very long ago, and they are so very, very young, and the rest of us are no more than the hoary, decaying remnants of human beings. I’m just going to go sit in the corner and listen to Jagged Little Pill until the wind finally blows my aged husk away, okay?

Do I sound bitter? OK, maybe I am, just a little. I am surprised, however, that these kids haven’t heard so many of these songs. Maybe I’m remembering my teenaged self as more aware than I actually was, but, as someone born in the '80s (I KNOW. The '80s, aka, the dark, terrifying time back before there were computers or electricity.), I feel like I knew a fair amount of '80s music when I was a teenager. Is the problem now simply that people don’t listen to the radio that much anymore, so they don’t have hits of the past randomly playing in their cars? Someone should do a study. Science, get on that!

The teens begin by struggling to identify Ace of Base’s 1993 hit “The Sign” which is clearly a song that every human who breathes oxygen on earth should know, and then one of them utters the worst two sentences I have ever heard:

OH MY GOD.

Wondering song got them all the most excited?

“Tubthumping” by Chumbawumba. I don’t know if that’s hilarious or depressing.

Watch the whole thing and weep:

Images: YouTube (3)