84 Years Old and Proud: Embracing the Classics
Published on February 24, 2026
By Kara V.
Until recently, I had not heard of “Wrapped,” which is the year-in-review playlist offered through a popular music streaming service.
In 2024, Michael Bublé topped my charts; I even got a “private” message from him, thanking me for making him my number one artist. Needless to say, I was very excited to see what my listening habits were for 2025.
To say I was surprised is an understatement. I was shocked! How could this app have gotten it so wrong? It had the audacity to tell me that my listening age was 84!
Certainly my music tastes changed last year. I have always enjoyed a variety of music—everything from Frank Sinatra to the Bee Gees, and Debbie Gibson to Matchbox Twenty. However, none of those should have totaled to the listening age of 84.
Then, I realized: I also love Beethoven, Bach, and Chopin. By adding these stress-relieving artists to my listening routine, I have aged several decades. At first, that brought me down. Then I started to look at it from a different angle.
I am not old—I am a classic.
I consider my 84 music years a point of pride. I have experience, knowledge, and wisdom, some might say. I am embracing this revelation and letting it carry me into 2026.
In the spirit of embracing my old soul, here are some books that have been honored as a classic.
The Tenant at Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë
A friendship sparks between neighbors, while secrets are revealed about a disastrous marriage and a woman's fight for creative freedom.
Northanger Abby by Jane Austen
Austen’s first published novel, this gothic story depicts a young woman who falls in love with a young man while visiting him at the family castle. Once there, she lets the thrill of her gothic novels ignite her imagination and arouse suspicion throughout the estate.
A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf
This book is based on two lectures Woolf gave at women’s college in 1928. Her topics include women writers and women in fiction.
On the Origin of Species by Charles Darwin
Although it took Darwin 20 years to publish this book, it ignited controversy and influenced the future of science. His work has had an undeniable impact on biology, philosophy, and theology—and it continues to spark conversation today.
North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell
After leaving her home in the country, Margaret Hale realizes the extent of the poverty and suffering in the city. As she becomes an advocate for social justice, her relationship with a wealthy self-made man throws everything off.
For your listening pleasure, here are my top artists from 2025 and a song recommendation from each.
Nina Simone, “My Baby Just Cares for Me”
Michael Bublé, “Home”
Whitney Houston, “I Want to Dance with Somebody”
Billy Joel, “Uptown Girl” (A favorite of mine ever since I could walk.)
Johann Sebastian Bach, “Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major”
Gabriel Faure, “Dolly Suite, Op 56: 1. Berceuse” (My number one song for 2025. I listened to it 7 times.)