Some songs are clearly products of their time. They might have reflected trends and sounds that are now strongly attached to a specific era and unlikely to make a comeback. They might have featured artists whose careers were short-lived. Or, when talking about hit singles, they might have simply not had much staying power and become throwbacks.

 

This thread is dedicated to those outdated songs you still unapologetically love, either because of the nostalgia or because of personal appreciation for the dated elements they represent.

 

Here are my picks:

 

This is the quintessential late 80s cheesy ballad, with a very distinct dated sound that I'm usually not big on, but here it's just perfect.  Add the cheesiness of this being a love duet from two singers who were simultaneously playing a beloved couple on Australian TV soap "Neighbours", and you have a product of its time I unapologetically adore.

 

 

"We Belong Together" has stood the test of time, but its spiritual successor, despite also hitting #1, ultimately ended up as a mere footnote when discussing Mariah Carey's iconic comeback with "The Emancipation Of Mimi". And it's understandable, given its typical mid-2000s R&B midtempo sound. But as someone who adores this era and vibe, the song still holds a soft spot for me, and I love those melodies.

 

 

 

Part of the rather short-lived trend of brass riffs (especially from saxophones) incorporated in pop production - think Jason Derulo's "Talk Dirty" and Fifth Harmony's "Worth It". But "Problem" also has the added bonus of an Iggy Azalea feature, which firmly dates it to 2014. Not to mention Ariana Grande's career trajectory and multitude of other hits ultimately eclipsing this song to the point its omission on the "Sweetener World Tour" barely caused any outrage - and that was five years ago. Nostalgia's strong with this one, as someone who became a fan of Ariana during the "My Everything" era, but it's genuinely really fun too for all its dated elements. 

 

Feel free to include the most beautifully outdated deep cuts as well as singles - hits or otherwise.

 

Anything from the Mafia 2 Empire Central Radio playlist

I dated Glitch. Kinda still dating it.

 

Lean On.

 

 

All of Headstrong by Ashley Tisdale 

 

Headstrong, So Much For You, He Said She Said, Positivity, Goin' Crazy, Over It… This is this pop I signed up for as a gay child 

 

14 minutes ago, Moonlight Nation said:

an Iggy Azalea feature, which firmly dates it to 2014

let's give the boy a hand

 

 

Who's That Chick? for me 

The whole album has dubstep influences and screams 2013.

 

It's soooo good

 

Edited May 13, 20242 yr by ShadeIena

I have the perfect example.

 

I still bop to this ring.

 

Even the MV is a mess to today's standard.
 

@Sheep @Odette Violet 

Nations Girl group had Autotune, 144 Pixel camera and a Dream 

 

likeeee

 

 

Avicii was such a legend tbh

 

Edited May 14, 20242 yr by theoghon

 

these divas

27 minutes ago, Zeferino said:

this actually sounds more current now than songs from 2011-2017.

Also this pop-rock perfection sound needs to come back, but yea its dated.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This was actually dated on arrival but it's just something about it  Timeless for me!

 

 

 

 

Migrate by Mariah and that THIS IS THE PART WHERE I SAY I DON'T WANT YOU, I'M STRONGER THAN I'VE BEEN BEFORE joint by Ariana. 

37 minutes ago, Mandalore said:

 

 

This was actually dated on arrival but it's just something about it  Timeless for me!

Still waiting for the "explicit" ***** version