Twitter Is Reworking Classic Rock Songs for Millennials
Social media is abuzz with the hashtag #millennialclassicrock, a game in which Twitter users update the lyrics of famous classic rock songs to reflect the sensibilities of a younger generation.
Fans got clever, with puns, rhymes and other modern twists on classic rock lyrics that ran the gamut but focused largely on topics like technology, the economy and social interactions. The tweets put bands like Queen, Blue Oyster Cult and the Police in the spotlight.
Tweets abounded with updates to Queen's "We Are the Champions," their mega-hit from 1977's News of the World, with a variety of stabs on the same idea. @mellowturtle suggested "We All Are the Champions," while @jdarlenem wrote "We aren't the champions but we still deserve a trophy."
Others updated Freddie Mercury's lyrics to "We Will Rock You," from the same album -- like @shakersquared who went techy when she wrote "We Will Hack You," and @eczemaitsfine, who had feelings about millennial hair trends set to "Bohemian Rhapsody" from 1975's A Night At the Opera.
Those giving their lyrical updates a financial twist spread the love among artists. @4colorcrack didn't beat around the bush with his update to Blue Oyster Cult's 1976 hit "(Don't Fear) The Reaper." "Don't fear the reaper, fear that you'll never be [able] to retire," he wrote. @unblinkingear and @imdrakeez expressed housing-specific woes, going with the simplicity of what could have been an alternative Bruce Springsteen song, "Born to rent," and the more elaborate take on Kansas' "Carry On Wayward Son, "Carry on living in our basement rent free into your mid 30s our wayward gender-neutral child," respectively.
@hoeyhimself is telling it like it is when he updated the Police's creepy stalker song from 1983's Synchronicity, "Every Breath You Take," to reflect online tracking. "Every click you make, every Pinterest recipe you bake, I'll be tracking you," he wrote.
It's hard to say who qualifies as a millennial, but they are generally considered to be those born between the early '80s and the mid-'90s to 2000.
Check out a few of our other favorites below, and visit the #millennialclassicrock for more.
100 Classic Rock Artists