Good old days – commonly stylized as "good ol' days" – is a cliché in popular culture used to reference a time considered by the speaker to be better than the current era. It is a form of nostalgia that can reflect homesickness or yearning for long-gone moments.[1]

There is a predisposition, caused by cognitive biases such as rosy retrospection, a form of survivorship bias, for people to view the past more favourably and future more negatively.[2][3][4]

Notable uses

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In literature

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In 1726, John Henley used this phrase in his book The Primitive Liturgy: "to all honest Admirers of the good old Days of their best and wisest Fore-fathers, this first Part of the Primitive Liturgy Is most humbly dedicated".[5]

In 1727, Daniel Defoe wrote in The Complete English Tradesman: "In the good old days of Trade, which our Fore-fathers plodded on in."[6] In this part of his book, Defoe talks about how in 'the good old days' tradesmen were better off than in Defoe's time.

In music

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In 2015, musical duo Twenty One Pilots released "Stressed Out", a song that pinpointed the return to the 'good old days'. It won the Grammy for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance in February 2017.[7] As of August 2021, the official music video on YouTube has been viewed 2.3 billion times.[8] In 2022, The Reklaws released the studio album Good Ol' Days.[9]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Nostalgic". www.vocabulary.com. Retrieved September 16, 2018.
  2. ^ The Oxford Dictionary of American Political Slang edited by Grant Barrett, p. 90.
  3. ^ Etchells, Pete (January 16, 2015). "Declinism: is the world actually getting worse?". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 December 2016.
  4. ^ Steven R. Quartz, The State Of The World Isn't Nearly As Bad As You Think, Edge Foundation, Inc., retrieved 2016-02-17
  5. ^ Multiple., Contributors (2010). Primitive liturgy : for the use of the oratory. part 1. being a form of morning and evening. [Place of publication not identified]: Gale Ecco, Print Editions. ISBN 9781170253939. OCLC 945379031. {{cite book}}: |first= has generic name (help)
  6. ^ Defoe, Daniel (2008). The Complete English Tradesman. Charleston, South Carolina: BiblioLife. pp. 156–157. ISBN 978-0554343099.
  7. ^ "2016 Grammy Winners". The Recording Academy. Retrieved April 29, 2024.
  8. ^ twenty one pilots: Stressed Out (Official Video). Retrieved August 22, 2021 – via YouTube.
  9. ^ Daykin, James (November 4, 2022). "The Reklaws – 'Good Ol' Days' Review". Entertainment Focus. Retrieved July 28, 2023.