My whole life, I have been called an “old soul.” I was brought up on old music and movies, and it was sometimes hard to relate to other kids my age. Despite some of these nuisances, I have always been proud of this unique upbringing. Personally, I find it crucial for people to know about things of the past, especially during this modern age. 

While there are many things I love from the late 20th century, I am most interested in dissecting why I feel so much nostalgia for the earlier part of the century. It’s obvious that I didn’t live through that time period, and I barely have any elder family who did, but somehow I feel a figurative tie to the early 20th century. My childhood consisted of things like old movies and musicals, big band music, and an overall appreciation for the past. Obviously, there are many things wrong with that time period- prejudice, a lack of rights for many people, and the absence of helpful modern innovations. But with the soft, crooning music, the delicate fashion, and the innocent, lighthearted movies, it’s easy to feel nostalgic for those seemingly simpler times. 

In addition, I have always loved to imagine my ancestors during the 1920s-1950s. From then on, I have grandparents that I can ask about stories and trends of the time, but everything before that is basically a mystery except for what I’ve learned in history class. I imagine my great-great grandparents coming to New York for a better life, and how the city must’ve looked and felt at a time like that. But thankfully, my Nanny is also an old soul, and although she grew up in the 60s, she shares my love for old movies and music. This was passed on from my GG, who loved listening to music and old Jewish comics on vinyl. My Nanny passed this down to my Mom, who finally passed it down to me. It’s nice to have a sense of tradition and history in the family, something that I can relate to and feel like it’s in my blood. 

Movies especially, spark nostalgia in me. From Singin’ In the Rain, a 1952 musical based in the 1920s, to A Christmas Story, a classic 1940s-set movie, to Radio Days, a film based on a Jewish family in the late 1930s-early 1940s, I feel nostalgia for times I haven’t lived through. I always wish I could go back to the time when musicals were at their prime, instead of everyone now thinking that they’re embarrassing and annoying. I wish I could’ve seen The Thin Man with William Powell and Myrna Loy in theaters, and listened to Frank Sinatra’s new song on the radio. I long for the time when jazz and crooners were the biggest genres of music. Additionally, I feel like it’s nice when shows from later on in the century mention that time period because it is the evolution of people who grew up during that time. For example, a lot of the references in the iconic sitcom The Golden Girls, are ones from the early 20th century because that was the childhood of the main characters. The show Brooklyn Bridge also tells the story of a Jewish American family living in 1950s Brooklyn, and makes the time period seem homey and nostalgic. It’s cool to see the evolution of history and how people connected to it. I’ve also become obsessed with listening to curated videos on Youtube, like “1940s music playing on the radio downstairs,” and names like that. Videos like that are an easy way to transport yourself to a different time. 

I think I feel so nostalgic for the early 20th century because I was meant for a time like that. To be fulfilled by music, and interaction, and heartwarming, simple media, is such a wonderful thing. Not the inundation of media, followers, and overwhelming opinions, but just a simpler time. Again, it is realized that privilege is apparent during those times, and also the present, but it is just the media and artistic aspects of those times that are nostalgic. 

To be dancing to a live band playing “It’s Been a Long, Long Time” with your partner on the dance floor, in a flowy dress and heels, in a crowded room, seems like such a special thing that I believe, would provide people with positivity in this day and age. It’s the simpler time that might be so beneficial to incorporate into current life. Past trends and decades are always coming back in style it seems, so maybe the early 20th century will be having a style resurgence sometime soon.