Tom Ewing doesn't care whether its a timeless classic:
Here's Dave Marsh, circa 1984, on the Smiths: "You can take all those sad cafe ballads, and I'll take [Lionel Richie's] 'Penny Lover'. Meet you on the corner of the centuries, and we'll see which one has lasted." While tinkering with my own end-of-year lists this winter I spent some time reading other people chat about how they were making their own choices. I kept noticing this line of argument, though rarely phrased as boldly as the Marsh quote. Even so it stood out because it annoys me. "I think people will still be listening to this in 20 years time," or conversely, "I don't think it will stand the test of time." Whenever I encountered that phrase I couldn't help think of my friend Mark Sinker, who gave a paper at last year's Experience Music Project conference called "B-but what about the test of SPACE?"
Tom Ewing is wrong because he simplifies the idea of the "test of time" down to mere personal music appreciation. He seems to be saying that we are beyond judgement if we like something and it works for us.
But our musical choices reflect something about our basic nature. If I am the person who constantly says that Britney Spears is one of our best singers, and only eclipsed by Ashley Simpson, then that says something.
It says that either 1) I am stubborn as hell and willing to redefine language to fit my personal tastes or 2) that I am ignorant of experience and depth and have no familiarity with the long list of distinguished female singers.
In either case we can assume that those attitudes probably carry over to the rest of the person's life.
It's akin to someone who has lived on the same block saying, "Well this is the best place in the whole world. Bayside Queens totally kicks butt!". Or like those people who say, "Oh no, Olive Garden is THE BEST for Italian, The BEST Jerry!".
It very well might be true, but probably not, and believing such might show the limitations of your imagination, experience, or life as a whole.
And if you cannot recognize the difference in quality between Andy Palacio and Miley Cyrus, or between Ah Ha and Morrissey, then one is probably not the great visionary who will distinguish between such questions as "Do I keep my job or quit before getting a new one", "Do I max out my Roth or keep the money for entertainment, "Do I charge it or pay cash," "Do I buy that land in Arkansas from Eric Estada on the infomercial or do I build a diversified portfolio" "Do I eat the Bar-S $1.00 franks or the $7 Boars Head franks," "Do I lower interest rates to the point of no return and toss in fiscal stimulus or do I let the chips fall where they may to work out excess."
Delusional perception in music probably carry over to other parts of people's personalities, so recognizing quality and what stands the test of time is important.
The Smith's "How soon is now?" was the perfect anthem of my teenage and college life.
"Freewill" from Rush is the perfect encapsulation of my metaphysical beliefs.
Will either "stand the test of time?" I doubt it. But in MY time, they are the music that best expresses ME. Obsessing over what music will still be "important" 100 years from now is pretty much a waste of time; only from the perspective of history will that answer truly be knowable. Most likely both Morrissey and Lionel Richie will be forgotten. Really, who cares? People like what they like.
My little sister had one of those music-box record players! I think she got it for her birthday one year. I had forgotten all about it until I saw the image over the article.
Though my sister and I both have very similar and eclectic musical tastes, she surprised me when she said that if she were stuck on a desert island, the one album she'd want to have would be Wham! Make It Big. I love that album too, and it conjurs many a wonderful memory, but I wouldn't accord it that status. I think I would choose The Pharcyde's Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde. I think in both cases, we attach a certain emotional weight to the choice that's informed by more than the music itself. For that reason, I don't see how any music can be seen as universally timeless.