I'm trying to figure out what a late '80s revival might ensue...maybe a revival of pop-metal, "glossy" dance pop and power ballads like Paula Abdul and earlier Janet Jackson, and in fashion, a continuation of the overall '80s revival, including shapely angularity and femininity.

The end of retro-'80s?  :(

The end of retro-'80s?  :(


To use retro-'70s as a template...it probably began c. 1992, though there were presages of it there from like 1987.  It went overtime with Dazed and Confused, the Quentin Tarantino movies that revived '70s kung fu and blaxploitation flicks, the return of intelligent sitcoms, the return of Philly-styled soul pop like Boyz II Men and Mariah Carey, pop-punk, the funk-rock and early metal/prog rock revival. It peaked 1996-1998, with the techno (disco) revival, peak of the stadium rock revival, Boogie Nights, bubblegum pop, The Virgin Suicides, That '70s Show...and started going downhill about 2000 or so, noticeably. I know there was still that blaxploitation parody c. 2001 and MAD TV constantly parodied blaxploitation in the late '70s, but '70s nostalgia is almost dead by now.

To use retro-'70s as a template...it probably began c. 1992, though there were presages of it there from like 1987.  It went overtime with Dazed and Confused, the Quentin Tarantino movies that revived '70s kung fu and blaxploitation flicks, the return of intelligent sitcoms, the return of Philly-styled soul pop like Boyz II Men and Mariah Carey, pop-punk, the funk-rock and early metal/prog rock revival. It peaked 1996-1998, with the techno (disco) revival, peak of the stadium rock revival, Boogie Nights, bubblegum pop, The Virgin Suicides, That '70s Show...and started going downhill about 2000 or so, noticeably. I know there was still that blaxploitation parody c. 2001 and MAD TV constantly parodied blaxploitation in the late '70s, but '70s nostalgia is almost dead by now.


Retro '70s was huge.  There was so much '70s (and '60s) nostalgia in the '90s it was crazy.  '80s nostalgia in the '00s is much more under the surface.

Retro '70s was huge.  There was so much '70s (and '60s) nostalgia in the '90s it was crazy.  '80s nostalgia in the '00s is much more under the surface.


Yeah, the retro influence of the late '60s and '70s on the '90s was immense. From rereleases to subtle imitation to influence to covers to revival of styles, it was massive and quite direct. The '80s (in some ways, very late '70s) influence on the '00s is less, and more subtle. It's heavily influential upon the fashion of this time, the affection for scripted dramas about the rich and/or country folk comes from the '80s, and most contemporary music has heavy '80s influence, ranging from direct imitation to more subtle influence (listen to Rihanna's "S.O.S" to get this...). And there's something about the very silly, hairspray-cheesy, materialistic, "anything for the money" feel of both decades that is kindred. Also, there are some '80s things that are popular now (obviously early-mid '80s synthpop and new wave, John Hughes movies, sitcoms like Full House, etc.) But nowhere near as much as the '60s/'70s revival in the '90s in terms of comebacks, with all the Rod Stewart/Elton John/Eric Clapton-type comebacks....The big '80s comebacks of the '00s have been Bon Jovi, Madonna, Prince, and Kate Bush, but I think Janet Jackson will also make a comeback. The '80s retro movement is probably starting to peak right now, but will peak starting in the summer of 2006 and ending sometime in 2007. The Miami Vice movie is the sign of a brief heavy-duty movement starting...

I was just watching an episode of The Simpsons where Bart and Lisa were watching "School House Rock" and Bart asked Lisa about it, and she said, frowning, "This is one of those campy '70s throwbacks that appeals to Generation Xers." I've always wondered exactly who the target audience for '70s nostalgia was in the '90s. Some of it was definitely the group of people who were "peak Gen Xers" born in the late '60s and early '70s period '80s teens, who had childhood memories of the '70s and wanted to know more about it and have a very rose-tinted view of the period. Some was certainly aging '70s-generation boomers born in the mid-late '50s for whom an idealized view of their decade suited them. And the third group was the XY group born from about 1975-1983 who couldn't remember the '70s but were "on the verge" of them.

I would say there are also three primary groups involved in the current '80s retro movement. The aforementioned first group I mentioned who have golden teen memories of the '80s (or at least idealized ones) are definitely part of the driving force behind it. There's also the same group of people born maybe from 1975-1983 who have alot of '80s childhood memories, and so idealize it even moreso. Then there's the group of people who are curious about the '80s like myself, born from maybe 1984-1992, for whom it was on the verge of our existence but still before our time, slightly, driving our curiosity.

The '90s nostalgia movement will probably also include three groups, the teen, childhood, and "verge." The teen group will be the aging mid '70s-mid '80s born adults, centering around those born in the late '70s and early '80s, who were '90s teens. The child group will be more mid '80s-early '90s, probably centering around those about my age, born c. 1990. And then the the curious group will be those born from like 1994-2004, for whom it was on the verge of their existence, the YZ/Z grouping.

I hope we have a few years before 1990s nostalgia hits!