Radio Oldies Boomers Wish Their Grandchildren Knew

Boomers turning their grandchildren onto the music they loved is akin to elders handing down crucial knowledge to the new guard. With so many musical movements spanning the era, the boomer jukebox is chock full of ballads and bangers that sing of the complexities of life. Choose the right songs, and you can lead your grandkids down a tuneful path from boomer youth to young adulthood to parenthood, with each age providing a literal record of milestones, monumental occasions, and memorable moments.

Many of these classic radio tunes have gotten buried in the motherlode of modern sounds. But it's easy enough for boomers to circle back to the songs they love the most and show their grandchildren how music was back in their day. It's a chance for older music fans to introduce tech-savvy whippersnappers to the music that shaped them. Some of it even echoes through today, showing up in contemporary tunes that younger listeners flip for, from songwriters who influenced some of their favorite acts.

In the multifaceted age of radio, boomers shed tears for Harry Chapin's lapsed fatherhood tale in "Cat's in the Cradle," shimmied along to the Beach Boys' surfer-chic sounds with "Good Vibrations," and wondered who the mystery man was at the heart of Carly Simon's "You're So Vain." Revisiting these and other treasured radio oldies that boomers wish their grandkids knew is an easy way to build a musical bridge spanning the gap between generations.

One of the most tear-jerking songs ever written, "Cat's in the Cradle" is Harry Chapin's most emotional contribution to the boomer generation and makes a perfect gift for them to share with their grandchildren. It gives insight into a generation that chased the American dream at the expense of being present with their families. Chapin's lyrics offer no excuses for the loss of moments; the songwriter merely explains the situation to the listener and allows them to draw their own conclusions — all of which are bound to be heartbreaking.

The simple description in the four lines of the first verse delivers a gut punch: "My child arrived just the other day, he came to the world in the usual way, but there were planes to catch and bills to pay, he learned to walk while I was away." There's no avoiding the throat-lumping or the tear-welling that arises from the implications. How many boomers have felt the same sense of loss due to their professional commitments?

In a sad twist, the tragic 1981 death of Harry Chapin at age 38 left his five children without a father, though they've described him as a much more devoted dad than the character in his song. With so few musicians writing about parenthood these days, boomers have a perfect opportunity to show their grandkids the priorities of songwriters in their era. 

What baby boomer grandparent wouldn't want their grandchildren to tap into the wavelength of this timeless feel-good tune? And "Good Vibrations" makes a perfect introduction for the younger crowd to the feel-good surf music that came out of the '60s but doesn't seem to have traveled very well into the 21st century. It's an audio time machine that helps boomers explain that this was the pinnacle of innovative pop music at the time.

The cheesy circus organ chirping behind Brian Wilson's voice as he sings, "I love the colorful clothes she wears, and the way the sunlight plays upon her hair," gives an immediate throwback sensation. The dreamy vocals portraying a lovestruck sap that lead to a major-key chorus of "I'm picking up good vibrations" sung like a walking bass line feel a bit kitschy this far down the line. But the charm is undeniable and invites a conversation about the surf movement of the '60s.

It may sound highly dated to ears that are used to more synthesized and simplified songs, but despite the tragic real-life story of the Beach Boys, their music remains an ageless source of joy. Let a boomer grandparent drop a digital needle on this danceable bop and see if their grandchildren can resist twirling around the kitchen. 

Few protest songs wrap up the tense, conflicted feelings of the boomer generation better than "For What It's Worth" by Buffalo Springfield. This is one of those tricky songs with a title that never appears in the lyrics. You may know it better by its iconic chorus, "It's time we stop, hey — what's that sound? Everybody look what's goin' down."

Listening to the musical arrangement, it may seem like this is a boomer protest song locked in a bygone generation. But when you dissect the situations portrayed in the lyrics, you realize this song applies to any generation where social change has been met with resistance from the system. Lines like "There's a man with a gun over there, telling me I've got to beware" and "Nobody's right if everybody's wrong" are as relevant today as they were in the '60s and '70s.

This song offers a connection between generations, allowing boomers to remind their grandchildren that social unrest didn't start in the 21st century. It's a simplified road map of human struggle made into a tuneful song that illustrates what we all have in common with one another, whether we're part of the boomer crowd or the "okay, boomer" crowd.

Before Kenny Loggins became the soundtrack king, the singer-songwriter sweetly captured the tender joy of learning there's a baby on the way in the lullaby-esque "Danny's Song." Loggins wrote the tune as a gift for his brother, Danny, and though the lyrics are from the perspective of a father-to-be, the sentiment is easily applied to a boomer grandparent showering their grandchildren with a similar all-encompassing love.

The melody and pacing feel like a pop-friendly lullaby, with nothing but sweet joy in lines like "People smile and tell me I'm the lucky one, and we've only just begun, think I'm gonna have a son." Plenty of boomer parents tapped into the sentiment when they were expecting children of their own. And the chorus, "Even though we ain't got money, I'm so in love with you honey," is a sweet summation of the grandparent-grandchild bond, almost like an archaic folk song in its simplicity.

But boomers don't have to be new grandparents to get their grandkids wrapped up in this soft rock radio classic. It's one of those memory-making tunes that strums the heartstrings at any age as a reminder of just how much love the little ones have brought into their lives.

The younger crowd may think Taylor Swift invented the cryptic diss song, but she has Carly Simon and "You're So Vain" to thank for establishing the blueprint. This bouncy pop-rock favorite with the sing-along chorus (featuring backing vocals from none other than Mick Jagger) that never gets old introduced a mystery that has yet to be solved. Though Simon drops details about a suave lothario who led her down a path to romantic ruin, she keeps things vague enough for the figure to stay cloaked in shadow.

Boomers would love for grandchildren who adore the current wave of confessional songwriters to acknowledge their musical ancestor. Sure, lyrics like, "You had one eye in the mirror as you watched yourself gavotte" and "I hear you went up to Saratoga and your horse naturally won" are antiquated references to high living that might go over some of the youngsters' heads. But who better than a boomer grandparent to explain that Simon was describing someone who moved in elite circles where yacht parties and private jets were far less common than they are today? 

As for that mystery figure, the name Warren Beatty comes up quite frequently when listeners try to decipher the code, though a lost verse in "You're So Vain" revealed in 2017 hints otherwise. Boomer grandparents could spend an entire afternoon explaining why a ladies' man like that would deserve to be written into a put-down tune — if he's really the one Simon is singing about.