Upon watching The Voice’s semifinals, my mother and I where flipping through the channels and came across a long, repetitive ad advertising ’50s and ’60s music collection. We listened because my mom has a soft spot for Elvis Presley and his burning love. The next thing I knew I was smiling and signing along to Louie Armstrong and Johnny Cash.

It donned on me that I was totally relaxed and at peace when I was singing along with these timeless and poetic songs that rocked and rolled music history. And realized, for a long time, that music in our generation has totally lost the art and the magic that was in our parents and grandparents’ generations.

Every time I listen to rap, I get a headache and I want to punch the nearest wall. With all that cussing and loud tunes blaring my ears so hard that I can’t even enjoy it. It’s hard for me to seriously call rap art, no matter what big Kanye’s ego tells you otherwise.

But listening to the soft record hum and crackle, the voices of the most talented people, and the poetic melody makes me cry a river. The hypnotic magic found in “old timey music” is rich compared to today’s music. It was pure talent with no lip syncing or auto tune. There were songs that actually meant something rather than drinking, fame, brake up songs, or lust.

I envy my parents for the icons that they listened to when they were growing up. Michel Jackson, Billy Idol, Beth Leopard, Prince, the Doobie Brothers, and Journey. All of these artists will never die away. I guaranty it if I can still know who they are, then people will still know in the next 20 years as well. I knew I’m forever theirs, faithfully.

Good quality and timeless music is slowly, and literally, dying away with the deaths of the talented David Bowe and the iconic Prince earlier on this year. And with the hit ’80s rock band Journey recently performing  at the Circuit of Americas (they are still amazing even after 35 years and Neal Schon and still rip any guitar), music legacy has been on my mind recently. But our pop culture icons shouldn’t be as legendary as we make them. It’s a wonderful world, so let’s bring back the wonderful music that starts the jailhouse rock.