The Roaring 20’s?

As 1999 rolled to the year 2000 the future was uncertain.  Tales of the impending apocalypse were everywhere.

Obviously we survived the transition into the 21st century.  Are we in the midst of another roaring 20’s?  Music is an important part of the history of our culture and entering 2020 encourages us to take a look back musically to see how we got here and then let’s peak into the future.

The roaring 20’s of  the 1920’s certainly had it’s own cultural vibe.  With World War 1 ending in 1918 there was a sense of relief and optimism.  The world had survived it’s first world war and people ready for a new start.  There was a mix of deep conservatism (prohibition became a U.S. law in 1920 banning the production and sales of alcohol) and a liberal freedom that mocked prohibition with speakeasy’s and private clubs.  Dancing was popular and the era of “flappers” had begun.

Flappers were women who loved to dance, wear short skirts and wore short bobbed hair and rebelled against the conservative norm.  The music of the roaring 20’s was fast and fun.  Stylistically the music was essentially jazz, similar to the big band sound that became popular as World War 2 loomed.    Ironically, in a time of deep racial division, the music of this era was driven by African-Americans.  Artists like Louis Armstrong, Jelly Roll Martin, and Fletcher Martin were the standard bearers.

Their influence was wide and deep.  Benny Goodman and later Glenn Miller turned this music into what was eventually called Big Band music.

As 2020 arrived I am interested  in looking back at the artists and music of the 2000’s through 2019.  1999 was indeed a year of change, tension and uncertainties and the music reflected that.  Racial division was still a major issue.  Some things never change.  Dance music seemed to reflect these various issues.  Cher topped the charts with “Believe”.

TLC had hits like “No Scrubs”.  Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera had break out hits with “….Baby One More Time” and “Genie in a Bottle”.  Ricky Martin encouraged us to be “Livin’ la Vida Loca”.

There were songs that seemed to be more contemplative like “Hands” by Jewel and “I Will Remember You” by Sarah McLachlan.  There were a few rockers like “Smooth” that paired the un-ageing Carlos Santana with Matchbox 20’s Rob Thomas and “Fly Away” by Lenny Kravitz.

Jay-Z gave us “Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem) reminding us of reality.  On the other side of reality R. Kelly and Celine Dion teamed up for “I’m Your Angel”.  A bit ironic isn’t it?

Would the music and musicians of 1999 set the stage for the 2000’s?  The answer is both yes and no.  Jay-Z  came into the 21st century as a man on fire with much to say.  His influence is still heard and stretches  beyond race and the ghetto.  With his wife Beyoncé, they have become musical royalty.

Britney Spears became a bit of a spectacle and is now in Vegas.  Seems appropriate.  Ricky Martin settled down and apparently is no longer living the Vida Loca.

Trying to pin down the top selling musical artists since 2000 is difficult.  The Rolling Stone and Billboard Magazine don’t exactly agree.  Other sites such as Wikipedia also have their own data.  Looking at the data does show some overall agreement.  Adele has been huge with multiple albums that have totaled over $50 million in sales.

Taylor Swift, who started the century as a country/pop star and is now pretty much 100% pop, also has sold around $50 million.

The Beatles still mean business.  Even with no new music in fifty plus years, their reissues and compilations like LOVE have kept them near the top of the charts with over $65 million dollars in sales.

The top music sales producer since 2000 is Eminem.  With sales totaling over $100 million dollars he has dominated.  With a combination of social and personal issues fueling his creative fire, Eminem continues to sell his music to a wide audience.  His latest release, Kamikaze, was released in 2018, has sold well with over 400,000 total unit sales.

Who will be the best selling artists over the next decade?  Certainly a strong argument can be made for Post Malone.  2019 was a break out year for him.  Does he have staying power?                                                  

Ariana Grande and Billie Eilish were big in 2019.  Billie Eilish scored heavily at The Grammy’s winning 5 awards.  The last artists to win 5 Grammy awards with a debut album was Christopher Cross in 1981.  Although Christopher Cross had some success after 1981, his popularity soon waned.  Will the same happen to Eilish?

Ed Sheeran and Drake will likely be strong sellers.  Of course there is still Taylor Swift.  It would be wise to never underestimate her drive and talent.  Finally, I wouldn’t bet against The Beatles.  With the release of the 50th Anniversary of Abbey Road dropping in late 2019 they continue with the formula that has kept them in the sales race long after the life of the band.  One thing is for certain, there will be new artists that make their stamp on the music and culture of the 2020’s.  Whether or not these 20’s will roar remains to be seen.