We all have an opinion on what is the best year for music. Some people say it was 1824 because Beethoven first performed his Symphony No. 9. Other people say it was 1969 because of hit songs by The Beatles and Elvis Presley. A UK radio station conducted a survey and found the best year for music was 1991. This is because of bands like the Red Hot Chili Peppers, R.E.M. and Nirvana. The reason for 1991 being the best year could be the average age of the listeners of the station. Many of the listeners were teenagers in 1991 and have great memories of that year.
A scientist thinks we still like the songs we heard when we were teenagers. She told the BBC why we still like these songs. She said: "It is during these...years that we make many crucial life-changing decisions. We start significant long-term relationships and establish the...beliefs which form our identity." She added that music has the capacity to regulate our emotions so songs we hear in our teens stick in our memories. The scientist said: "People in their 80s and 90s show a better memory for things that they first experienced between the ages of 10 and 30."