Out of time

I heard "Losing My Religion" twice today, once on the way to work and once coming home, on the local "hits of the 1980s and beyond" radio station. I hadn't heard the song in a while and was pleasantly encouraged that it didn't sound dated as some songs do. That's probably because that R.E.M. track was "out of time" for its day, with its mandolins and string sections set against Michael Stipe's typically twisted view of love.

Then I thought about how much time has gone by since its release in 1991. Yes, it's 15 years later.

In 1991, I would have told you that 1976 was ages ago, a completely different epoch that I was a part of but one that had no real bearing on our current place in time. But now, think about it: 1991 — the summer of the Dullards Across America road trip, which included repeated listenings of "Out of Time" as well as samba mix tapes — doesn't seem so long ago, does it? That was just yesterday. It still matters, right?

This must mean I'm old.