do a little dance

The day I agreed that it was about time I got a life (which, according to the version I was agreeing to could mean anything from ‘job’ to ‘real degree’, ‘gym’ or ‘prawns’) was when Anu told me about this entire generation that exists with no knowledge about the Macarena, for the only reason that the phenomenon took place before their time.

“It’s a real generation,’” she insisted, “not just babies born last week.”

I thought about it and a horrifying moment later, realized Anu was right. There are teenagers out there, and not just a few, but thousands of them, dancing at clubs, listening to music and probably making some of their own, who wouldn’t be able to coordinate dance moves to the song. For all I know, the Macarena according to them might be

1. more manly than macaroni
2. a careless spelling of the Scottish boxing ring MacArena
3. pizza topping
4. a Goan folk song

I guess I’ve never noticed the songs I listen to becoming part of retro hour, because by the time I discovered the music I like, it was 30 years since it had been recorded. The guys I listen to, now just sit back on the shelf at music stores, grooving with the others from classic rock, occasionally making an appearance as themes for tribute shows or inspiration for Jet and Franz Ferdinand.

Besides, I’ve always thought (with what I believed to be good reason) that 21 is not old enough to have listened to retro music as new singles just out on the charts.

Maybe it’s the age in which we live, with its notoriously quick pace of life. Considering that fast food and technological advances share similar time spans between production and best before dates, this particular Macarena update shouldn’t have come as such a shock.

Maybe I was wrong and 21 is old enough. After all everyone else my age is going through the same thing... aren’t they?

Maybe it doesn’t really matter, the Macarena already got more attention than it deserved, and I should probably take my agreeing to ‘get a life’ more seriously.