old songs
Music from before
Old songs is a nostalgic category rather than a fixed time period—songs from an earlier era, typically meaning before the speaker's youth or the current generation.
What counts as old shifts constantly: My kids think anything from the 2000s is old songs.
The phrase often carries affection: We danced to old songs at the wedding.
Compare oldies, which usually refers specifically to popular music from the 1950s through 1970s.
Synthetic resin plastic
- phonographGrooved disc audio player
- gramophoneDisc-playing sound machine
- jukeboxCoin-operated music player
- 78rpmEarly record speed
turntable · record player · shellac · mono · hi-fi · cassette · 8-track · reel-to-reel
Musical sequence of notes
- chorusSingers performing together
- verseMetered poetic passage
- refrainAbstain from acting
- bridgeStructure spanning an obstacle
hook · humming · singalong · earworm · lullaby · jingle · motif · catchy
Stored past experiences
- reminisceRecall past experiences fondly
- yesteryearTime not long past
- sentimentalExcessively emotional about memories
- throwbackReturn to ancestral type
timeless · bygone · wistful · longing · flashback · retrospective · heartfelt · fondness
Narrative poem or song
- anthemOfficial song of praise
- croonerSoft-voiced romantic vocalist
- big bandLarge jazz ensemble
- swingSuspended recreational seat
jazz standard · show tune · torch singer · evergreen · cover version · songbook · Tin Pan Alley · Great American Songbook
vinyl
Synthetic resin plastic
- phonographGrooved disc audio player
- gramophoneDisc-playing sound machine
- jukeboxCoin-operated music player
78rpm · turntable · record player · shellac · mono · hi-fi · cassette · 8-track · reel-to-reel · AM radio
tune
Musical sequence of notes
bridge · hook · humming · singalong · earworm · lullaby · jingle · motif · catchy · memorable
memories
Stored past experiences
- reminisceRecall past experiences fondly
- yesteryearTime not long past
- sentimentalExcessively emotional about memories
throwback · timeless · bygone · wistful · longing · flashback · retrospective · heartfelt · fondness · recollect
ballad
Narrative poem or song
swing · jazz standard · show tune · torch singer · evergreen · cover version · songbook · Tin Pan Alley · Great American Songbook · chanteuse
sonata
Multi-movement instrumental composition
- concertoSolo-and-orchestra composition
- fugueContrapuntal musical form
- nocturneContemplative keyboard piece
prelude · etude · minuet · aria · overture · oratorio · motet · lied · chanson · rhapsody
- old musicclassical music, traditional tunes, hymns, waltzes, marches
- memoriesmemories, remember, recollections, childhood memory, childhood memories
- nostalgic romancefirst love, lost love, summer romance, high school sweetheart, love letters
- nostalgianostalgia, nostalgic, memories, memory, remember