When I was a kid there were only two FM radio stations I could have on when my parents were driving me around: oldies or classical. I chose oldies.
I've found myself listening to the oldies channel on Pandora when hanging out with the baby, based on nostalgia and the songs' basic sing-a-long formation. Maybe it's been a while since I listened to these tunes, because I'm a little shocked now by some of the old songs that have always been my favorites.
Obviously with pinning, going steady and sock hops, oldies evoke charmingly retro, bygone era. I used to see these as innocent tunes, ideal to listen to as you and your main squeeze drank a milkshake via two straws. But now I realize the tableaus these songs paint aren't always so rosy, at least if you're a woman. To wit:
Runaround Sue is about slut-shaming:
Dion's cautionary tale about a cheating girl is certainly enjoyable, with its nonsense word chorus. But what's the theme, exactly? Telling everyone on earth that not only did his ex-girlfriend cheat on him, she did it with "every single guy in town." Hyperbole much? Later on in the song Dion sings, "Sue goes out with other guys." Well, that makes things more complicated.
Larsen was the featured blogger at Condé Nast's now-defunct 
