Research has shown that people tend to choose their favorite musical styles during their teen years, and hold on to that style for life. There are any number of reasons for this — memories of good times with friends, sexual awakening, encountering adult situations for the first time — all of which can help to lodge that music in the brain. Rock, pop, rap, and many other styles are directed towards young people and the experiences of youth, after all. (Aside: it would be interesting to read research on people whose appreciation for music continues to grow and change, or who abandon earlier styles for later ones). With that in mind, here’s a song from my pre-teens that was in my head today. It’s actually a little “old” for me — it was no longer popular in my prime teen years, and I didn’t even listen to this group much in high school and college. They were the first rock band that I really loved, though. It’s from 1977, a period when even rockers like the Stones put out disco records to capitalize on the all-conquering popularity of that style. Turn to Stone doesn’t have the full commitment to dancing that good disco records had, but the racing motor of its beat, the use of the flanger to alter the timbre in the intro, the super-fast singing in the bridge, and the memorable image of “turning to stone” (with its references to Medusa and other mythological ossifiers) all combine to cement this song in my memory. Oh, and I was present in Wembley Stadium with all of the other 50-somethings where this video was recorded. More proof of the power of nostalgia: concerts by classic rock groups bring in huge paying crowds. You can’t download the concert experience, and for many this is a quick and reliable time machine.