“Wouldn’t it Be Nice” by the Beach Boys is featured in the band’s acclaimed album Pet Sounds and is beloved by older generations. While the song sounds upbeat, it delves into the singers’ loneliness and feelings of isolation. It is not a happy song, but it is hopeful, which is why it connected with audiences during its release in the mid 1960’s. The song spoke to people’s hopefulness of the future. There was a higher demand for positivity and hopeful music, being released in the middle of the Vietnam War.
Also from Pet Sounds, “I Just Wasn’t Made for These Times” has begun to connect with Gen Z audiences. Both are about loneliness and trying to find one’s place in the world, but each generation gravitates towards a different song. Generation Z is more receptive regarding mental health struggles, and the songs they enjoy often reflect that. Modern audiences tend to lean towards artists who demonstrate vulnerability, such as Chappell Roan, who connects with fans with her open and honest music.
In “I Just Wasn’t Made for These Times,” Beach Boy Brian Wilson says, “I keep looking for a place to fit in where I can speak my mind / and I’ve been trying hard to find the people that I won’t leave behind.”
Margo Guryan, a jazz and then pop composer of the 1960s, wrote her only album in 1968 titled Take a Picture. Although it did not top the charts at the time, people have started to popularize her music since her passing. Her demo “Why Do I Cry” has over 14k videos on TikTok, and a tribute to her album Someone I Know came out in Nov. 2024, featuring artists like Clairo and Margo Price.
“Why Do I Cry” is attracting a Gen Z audience to her music. In the song, Guryan describes having a lot of fun on a Saturday night, then feeling empty on Sunday morning, an experience that seems to have captured the attention of Gen Z listeners. Sophomore Amalia Foster of Fairhaven believes the song connects with young people because of their emotional instability.
“It makes sense for teenagers because we don’t exactly have the most stable set of emotions,” said Foster. “Sometimes you have a really good night and a really bad next day.”