This is a little gem of a song that unexpectedly makes me cry, or at least tear up. On the surface that’s an unexpected response; after all, this song is basically a “We Didn’t Start the Fire”-style recitation of a bunch of ’80s bands (The Cars, Joan Jett, Bryan Adams, etc.). For the singers that don’t get name dropped, and there are over 80 of them, the lyrics contain winking references to other hits: “Who doesn’t want to rule the world?”

And yet there’s a heart to this song that gets me: it’s the story of a teenage boy living on the “mean streets [of] Westport, Connecticut” and all the New Wave that he loves. He runs through New York City and dreams of making it big someday. Dreams are what “Young & Free” is all about: the soundtrack to a decade that was big and experimental and would influence generations of artists to come. And indeed, in the description of the song, singer Jack O’Neill says that he was raised on the New Wave radio station WLIR and the brand-new channel MTV.

It’s clever, too, because the beat of the song is a tight drum machine mixed with electronic sound effects. How much more ’80s can you get?

There’s much to be made of the ’80s resurgence in the music world: funky beats and electronic bombast have definitely ruled the day and the airwaves recently. But trends are cyclical and we’re nostalgic by nature. In times like these where most of us might not have the energy to come up with something new or groundbreaking, it’s no wonder that we’re looking back only, say, 15 years for musical inspiration rather than 40.

This is particularly prevalent in the song I’m reviewing today, “Maybe It’s Time” by Sixx:A.M. Sixx:A.M. gets its name from Mötley Crüe bassist Nikki Sixx, who started the spinoff project in 2007.

“Maybe It’s Time” has that hard-driving guitar and guttural growl that instantly brings to mind “Lips of an Angel”, Nickleback, or “Light On” by American Idol contestant David Cook. What was it about the aughts that made male singers so…raspy? Sixx:A.M. also shares lyrical themes with its congested brethren, such as an odd kind of self-awareness and a desire for a better life (maybe even a better relationship). After all, maybe it’s time to take another look at your life.

It’s almost the grownup version of hair metal: you’ve still got the big guitar lines but they’ve hardened, focused into something new. That’s what happens with trend nostalgia. The essence remains while the outside evolves.