What Goes Around Comes Back Around

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has on several occasions confirmed herself to be a fashion icon by using only one simple accessory: a scrunchie. There it was, bright and blue, holding back her ponytail as she accepted the nomination for Supreme Court Justice in 1993. At the 2000 black-tie gala, Ginsburg wore a silver-striped variation: one that reappeared eight years later when she and former President Barack Obama spent time at the Capitol. No matter the color, size, or pattern, scrunchies have continued making appearances throughout her sedulous career. And thanks to many of today’s popular celebrities, including Selena Gomez and Bella Hadid, scrunchies have also become increasingly popular with post-millennials. But it was Ginsburg who proved that regardless of the occasion, a scrunchie is always appropriate.

When Bruno Mars and producer Mark Ronson released their iconic hit, “Uptown Funk,” the upbeat song resembled something the modern music industry had never heard before. Its retro sound resulted in a record-breaking number of streams in the US—4.8 million in just one week—as well as countless award nominations. Looking deeper into the recording/writing process, it’s clear that the song was heavily influenced by different funk and R&B artists of the 1980s, including Zapp, Earth, Wind & Fire, and The Sequence. But Bruno Mars isn’t the only artist finding inspiration from the past. Whether you love the smooth guitar of the 1970s or upbeat pop of the 1980s, many of today’s artists are drawing inspiration from all different decades to create retro-sounding music with a modern twist. Singer Ray LaMontagne’s smooth, 60s inspired voice, is truly a hidden treasure. His music has been rightfully compared to that of Van Morrison and Otis Redding with hints of 70s rock. Other artists with retro influences include Leon Bridges, Chris Stapleton, and Chromeo.

CD’s have now been replaced with making music playlists on Youtube, listening to albums on Spotify, and surprisingly, also with vinyl records. People are falling back in love with the quality audio that a vinyl record provides. There’s also something magical about buying records; it’s the type of experience that got lost in the iTunes generation. It’s when you can spend hours aimlessly searching for music, getting lost in the concept of time. This is something a growing number of people are taking note of and ultimately experiencing themselves.

As our photography has moved from film-filled cameras to app-filled phones, a surprising, yet wonderful thing has happened. Film has made a reappearance—in the form of instant cameras. Companies such as Polaroid, Fujifilm, and Lomography have entered or re-entered the space over the past few years, all of which have gained much success. Despite cementing itself as a household name over its 75-year history, the iconic camera company, Polaroid, filed for bankruptcy twice in the early 2000s. Nonetheless, the company invested in other arms of the business (TVs and tablets, for example, the latter of which is their fastest growing category) and released a new version of their Polaroid instant camera in 2010, much to the delight of die-hard fans.

 

Although rock music is no longer the preferred genre like it used to be, many musical icons of the 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s, including Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, Guns ‘N Roses, Metallica, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and U2, have gained some popularity throughout today’s younger generations. This music has made a prominent reappearance. “It’s not that rock’s popularity has necessarily waned, but it’s had growing pains as consumption shifted from an owned, album-based economy to a track-based economy,” says Dylan Lewis, head of digital sales for record company Glassnote. Many Vietnam/Woodstock Era bands have also been coming back, some including The Rolling Stones, The Animals, The Beatles, The Doors and Fleetwood Mac.