Everything is a 90s song
Everything is a 90s song. I’m stuck in time, in a time where I am young and 18 till I die. I’m stuck in a time of boybands and me pining after them, singing back their lyrics: whatever I said, whatever I did, I didn’t mean it. I just want you back for good. Take That. Backstreet Boys.
I’m 18, and I’m listening to all the songs that boys listen to in the common room at school. I develop a taste for Pearl Jam, for Creed. Years later, that seems to impress the boys.
Years later, I’m at a party, playing DJ, taking requests. I know all those songs from the 80s and 90s, except this one that someone has just asked me to play. I’m embarrassed to admit I do not know it, but the search bar in Spotify has recognised it.
Why are we embarrassed not to know? Why do we embarrass others when they do not know? I remember my breath stopping when someone I knew from Delhi asked: Who is Ghalib? I remember when people have asked me if I live under a rock.
I do live under a rock. It’s cool and comfortable here. In fact, people like my rock - it’s non-judgmental, it’s inclusive, it rocks. My rock is a rock-and-roll song: 18 till I die, I’m gonna be 18 till I die.
Ah! Those were the days :)
Well, people like to take the upper hand. They take delight when you're a bit behind. What they don't know is the high you get when you introduce something new to someone and their face lights up. They miss out on the opportunity of sharing a story about their discovery. And watch that being paid forward.
Simply said, one could choose to be trivial or one could share trivia. The latter builds bonds one will cherish for a long time.