Oh yeah, you weren’t cool unless you had one of these things! It was the iPod before the iPod.
Walkmans were created by in the late ’70s by Sony and transformed the way teens listened to music. You could end up getting an AM/FM only one, Cassette one and then eventually a CD based one. In addition, they came with headphones that went over your ear, not in them (although they later came out with those, too). What was especially cool is if you were playing your mix tape in your Walkman!
I remember specifically when I saved up enough money in high school to get Sony’s CD Walkman. I then played my Joshua Tree and Achtung Baby CDs in them constantly. I needed that Walkman because it was a status symbol. Any other knockoff “walkman” would not do (just like today with iPods). Teens knew that your Walkman was the “cool” thing to have and it upped your cool effect. Even teachers, educators and youth ministers would all see students with those Walkmans (and their Jean Jackets) as the “cool” kids.
But oh have the times changed! These days Walkmans are still around but definitely not what they used to be. After a variety of changes to the Walkman, it ultimately gave way to the iPod which has become the “it” item of todays teens. In fact, kids these days don’t have a clue what a Walkman is. Check out this video…it’s actually sad to be honest.
So, what do you remember about Walkmans? When did you get yours and what do you use now? Share your memories so we can all look back fondly on these former “it” items!]]>