The Soundtrack to Forever: Why a Few Notes Can Unlock a Lifetime of Memory

For listeners of a certain age, especially those grappling with the realities of adulthood, Bowling for Soup’s pop-punk anthem “1985” perfectly captures the struggle with a mid-life nostalgic episode. The song paints a picture of a woman who is "still preoccupied / With 1985," a year that represents her youth, when she was "cool" and her identity felt whole. The music and lyrics become a wry commentary on the act of looking back itself, acknowledging that the decade a person comes of age in will likely forever hold an unshakeable, idealised position in their mind.