Well, being one of those kids, I prefer music from the 60's (my earliest musical preferences are 1960's and up) because I honestly appreciate that music for what it is and everything about it. An example being that I can say I like the Beatles because they were revolutionaries and had a huge impact on music and they had a pertinent message. A lot of that music is coming back, I'm not really sure why. That's not all I listen to, however. I have a weird taste in music... so it may be just me. If you one of those people who are going to down rate my opinion, I'd at least like to know why.

One reason I think is that music (not all but quite a bit) has gotten really angry in the last few years. Today's songs have meaning too, but they seem to be leaning more toward the negative. I think people are turning to the old songs to find something more uplifting and positve. I have always used music as a way to feel better about life, and I think a lot of the kids today want to do that too.

My theory is that because, and this was the way I felt, when I was about 17 to 19 years old {yes, that will date me if anyone takes the time to figure that out} about the music of the 1950's and 1960's (especially the 1960's), in the early/mid-1980's (shortly after the untimely and unfortunate death of John Lennon) when the first wave of nostalgia over 1960's music and culture first broke is that perhaps it is the fact that during the 1950's and 1960's there was more of a promise of how the music could develop in different and unique ways (especially rock, but this also applies to general overall pop, country, r&b, jazz and soul of that time -- even some of the classical music of the time had this) in the future. Also the country of the U.S. and the world was generally much more younger (don't forget this was after the post WWII baby boom) and there seemed to be a general overall feeling of being able to change the world for the better (despite some problems during that time). I also think the 1960's music, especially after the Beatles' ushered in the first wave of the British invasion in 1964, had great promise that almost any young guy (and some gals) could have their own successful garage bands. And some of those did become successful on both sides of the pond, and even if they didn't at least the record industy executives back in those days was always hunting for the next "BIG THING" to follow the Beatles. Also the 1960's pop and rock music was much more eclectic. I mean besides the Beatles it's always amazes me that during the decade sharing the charts with them were such deverse musicians as Dusty Springfield, the Animals, Lesley Gore, Herman's Hermits, the Rolling Stones, Aretha Franklin, the Supremes, the Monkees, Frank and Nancy Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, Herb Alpert, the Yardbirds, the Byrds, Cream, Sonny & Cher, Jefferson Airplane, Jimi Hendrix, the Doors, Carla Thomas, Otis Redding, Janis Joplin, Mamas & The Papas, Simon & Garfunkel, Bob Dylan, the Righteous Brothers, the Isley Brothers, Johnny Rivers, the Fifth Dimension, and this list could just go on and on (but that listing alone shows how diverse and experimental music was in the 1960's, and just how much the record buying public {as well as the record industry executives, themselves} allowed and even encouraged such diversity and experimentation). And finally, perhaps one other reason why the 1960's music is so appreciated by many young people (and even in the 1950's this was true, by maybe a smaller amount, with such acts as Lavern Baker, Dinah Washington, Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers, the Drifters, the Platters, Johnny Mathis, Little Richard and then Elvis Presley, Bill Haley & His Comets, Paul Anka, Bobby Darin, Frankie Avalon, Ricky Nelson, etc.) is that there was so much more diversity and acceptance and perhaps breaking down of barriers (especially true of Motown and then Stax/Volt and Atlantic records in the 1960's -- all the way up to the introduction of Led Zeppelin in the last year of the 1960's, 1969) between ethnic (especially black & white, but take a look at the group the Association -- which had a really diverse lineup of ethnic musicians), social-economic and finally the great barrier in the middle/late-1960's, sexual (meaning more equality in record buying and what was released and sold for/by women artists) than ever before this time period and much of this music was done by these artists, in many ways on their own terms and not just because some corporate elite told them just what they should be doing (well, except for a few such as Berry Gordy on Motown or what Ike did to Tina, or the early years with the Beatles and Brian Epstein). And all of those barriers were in great need of being broken down (and not just in music), especially if the U.S. and other western countries were to continue calling themselves democracies.

Also being one of those kids, and also listening to other styles of music, I started to get more and more interested in the oldies when I realized all my favorite modern "rockstars" were interested in the oldies. The music of decades before has had so much influence on modern rock; it's undeniable. In essence, listening to oldies gives me a better context for the background of music now. Also, it is cool to be a music nerd, if you hang out with the right people. That is, there's a certain strange reverence that goes out to anyone who listens to so much music or cares so much about music that they have to back up a few decades. Being identified with one scene (i.e., the "emo" kids who listen to emo music, the grunge rockers who, you guessed it, listen to grunge rock) is no longer cool. More and more people are getting sick of repeat radio and are trying to broaden their listening as far and wide as possible. For those who don't belong to a scene, more respect is given to those who open-mindedly appreciate a variety of music, who don't follow the Billboard charts' commercial mold, who can bring us "new" songs that could be our new joy. Another of the many reasons, in my opinion, is that it simply offers a break from the angsty, redundant drone that makes up radioplay today. And while oldies are "foreign" enough to separate us from the stuff we've gotten sick of, traces of their music have influenced the music that came after, and that's enough to keep it comfortable. But, come on, when it all comes down to it, the music just sounds good. It makes you feel good. We all float to music for different reasons.

Please do not slag off my answer, I have just tried to be honest about my feelings! I am 32 (not exactly a kid I know), but could not name one song from the 50's or 60's that I like. There is nothing I dislike about it, but nothing I like about it either. The oldest stuff in my collection are probably: Jeff Wayne's The War Of The Worlds (1978) A Night at the Opera by Queen (1975) I also like Don't Fear The Reaper which is from a 1976 album My daughter is 8 and hates anything pre 90's, maybe its different in the US, but most kids I know in the UK would never listen to stuff from the 50's and 60's.

For me, I am just tired tired tired tired. of bad news tunes other than oldies I swithed to Country Music. All of which makes me feel younger than I am, which is only 22.

Dick Clark's American Bandstand had a great feature, "Rate the Records", to become hits, songs had to have the following critira, A Good Beat, You Can Dance to it, You can sing along to it. There are some good songs out today, but most you can't sing them to Grandma or in most mixed company.

WHICH kids?!

I am indeed one of these kids also (isn't there a lot of us) and I just have one thing to say really. Have you heard most of the rubbish around today?!

for me this answer is simplicity itself. it's not whether the music is old or not, it's whether it's good, this has nothing to do with taste or opinion. Lately, people (namely young people) have noticed this truth, and the reason they listen to oldies is because the ones that have survived the test of time are the great ones, therefore they listen to a greater amount of them.

I think older music has always been around us, whether its been on ads or in movies. With todays technology, its easy to hear a song you like, look up the lyrics and find a whole new world of appreciation for many new artists. I don't particullary like the music of today, nor have I since I was about 9, because the last few years have basically focused on gangsta, hip hop, r&b, emo, screamo, goth...all that nasty stuff that is popular enough to get on the radio. I like some of the stuff, but theres heaps of old songs that are absolute classics. I love listening to ABBA, Bryan Adams, the Monkeys etc etc

I did'nt know some of what I hear is rap from the 50's and 60's :)