A new song by Kesha contains the following lyrics: “Am I dead? Or is this one of those dreams, those horrible dreams that seem like they last forever? Please, just let me die, being alive hurts too much.”

How sad some of today’s pop singers sound.

How different from the carefree songs of the 1950s and 1960s such as Little Eva’s The locomotion: “Everybody’s doing a brand new dance, now (come on baby, do the loco-motion)... Do it nice and easy, now, don’t lose control, a little bit of rhythm and a lot of soul... There’s never been a dance that’s so easy to do, it even makes you happy when you’re feeling blue.”

The melody was by Carole King, aged 19; the lyrics by her husband, Gerry Goffin.

Here are some comments regarding The locomotion video on YouTube: “I’m an egg that got fertilised yesterday and this is my favourite song.” “I am 12 years old and I love this song.” “I am 84 years old and I love this song.” “This was the time when music sounded like music.”

The music of the 1950s and 1660s will live forever.

Who can forget Chubby Checker in the early 1960s inviting his fans to “Let’s twist again, like we did last summer”? If you want to know what the Twist dance craze was all about, you can watch a video featuring Chubby Checker and Little Richard. Incredible energy and great fun - and sexy too.

If you were not yet born in the 1950s and 1960s, you’ve missed a lot of great times!