Anemoia: Or why the young are yearning for memories they never had

I just wanna go back to 1999… in those days, it was so much better,” sang Charli XCX and Troye Sivan in their 2018 hit 1999, where they pine for simpler, smartphone-free times. 

The video sees them referencing 90s pop culture: Trinity and Neo from The Matrix. Troye as Eminem. Jack and Rose from Titanic. Charli writhing in red rose petals à la American Beauty. 

But let’s back up and do some maths: 1999 saw Troye celebrating his fourth birthday, while Charli would have hit a much more worldly seven. Meanwhile, Finneas, brother and musical collaborator of Billie Eilish, would have been going through the terrible twos in 1999. Yet 22 years later, in 2021, he released a song called The 90s where he longs for an analogue world. 

The 90s feel like a secret garden of authenticity and rebellion, untouched by today’s digital distortion.

It’s worth remembering that the 90s weren’t singularly defined by being largely pre-digital; it was also an era of optimism. The Berlin Wall had come down in 1989 and 9/11 wouldn’t happen until the new millennium. As Harjot Singh, Global Chief Strategy Officer, McCann Worldgroup, describes it: “The 90s feel like a secret garden of authenticity and rebellion, untouched by today’s digital distortion.” 

Above: Charli XCX and Troye Sivan pine for simpler, smartphone-free times. 

So, it's no wonder Troye, Charli, and Finneas want to channel some 90s vibes. And they’re not alone: they form part of a bigger trend among millennial and Gen Z folk experiencing anemoia. This word, created in 2012, describes a feeling of nostalgia for a time or place you’ve not experienced first hand. 

The obsession for all things 90s reached fever pitch with the blockbuster reunion of Oasis. This 41-show, five-continent, tickets-sold-out-in-seconds-so-tough-luck tour has been a huge cultural moment. So brands have wanted to join in. Glass of Aldi’s Supernova Champagne, anyone?

[The stills from Knebworth are] a really pure representation of what youth culture was before the internet ruined everything.

One brand has every right to claim its place in Oasis history: adidas. Ever since the Gallagher brothers became part of Britpop in 1994, the three stripes have been there too, as much a part of their culture as watching football on a Saturday. 

To mark the occasion, adidas unveiled a special collection, Originals x Oasis. Leigh Powis, through ProdCo, shot a three-minute film, Original Forever, for Johannes Leonardo in New York. It combines evocative moments from the audience’s point of view at seminal gigs like 1996’s Knebworth. Reflecting on that particular performance, Noel Gallagher told MOJO magazine in 2021: “I’ve seen stills from Knebworth. No camera phones. It’s amazing. It’s a really pure representation of what youth culture was before the internet ruined everything.”

Above: adidas got involved with the Oasis reunion with a campaign that captured the ‘feeling’ of 90s nostalgia.

Powis adopted an approach to the shoot that he felt suited the Gallaghers. Speaking from Los Angeles, he says: “I wanted a sense of chaos: a loud show to highlight the mythology and history of Oasis. I wanted to capture a feeling about that band.” He adds: “We had all these cameras set up to get rippling shots by using the camera through water and into a mirror, so it feels lost in time: you’re more in the feeling of that moment rather than in the moment.”

What else could the soundtrack be but Live Forever? Watch for the full three glorious minutes and you’re rewarded with shots of Liam and Noel, resplendent in the new gear.

The danger comes when nostalgia becomes a decoration. If you can’t make the past feel authentic and ownable, you risk irrelevance or ridicule.

Powis says: “adidas had its product in there as a confident and vital part of the story because it was part of the history of Oasis: you put the three stripes on and you could feel as cool as Noel and Liam.” He elaborates: “adidas is cool and has a massive place in culture. It’s like the Eiffel Tower in Paris: it belongs there and doesn’t stick out.”

Not every brand enjoys such a symbiotic relationship with an enduring cultural juggernaut like Oasis. Brands may want to insert themselves into the past, but need to pause before jumping into the Delorean: they could do more harm than good.

Above: Oasis' Live '25 Tour, opening night in Cardiff.

McCann’s Singh says: “The UK’s centre of gravity is in Britpop, football culture and fashion. Whether it’s grunge, rave or analogue culture, the 90s represents emotional rebellion, belonging, and youth culture. The danger comes when nostalgia becomes a decoration. If you can’t make the past feel authentic and ownable, you risk irrelevance or ridicule. For brands whose link to an era is tenuous, it can feel like a pale imitation — almost like a tribute band.”

Speaking of tribute bands, for those who couldn’t access or afford at least £150 for this year’s golden ticket and consoled themselves with the likes of Oasish, Definitely Oasis or Noasis, it would have been with a heavy heart. Because the Gallaghers’ appeal to those who look back in yearning to the 90s is their sparky authenticity. 

Miranda Sawyer, journalist and author of Uncommon People, a book about 90s music, hosts a new podcast called Talk ‘90s To Me. She describes Noel and Liam as “really good pop stars. Liam is always 100 per cent Liam and that’s the genius of being a frontman. Noel is always incredibly funny. Whenever they’re interviewed, they’re hilarious. Even when they had an obvious falling out and Liam spent years calling his brother a potato, they were always well-liked. Every great band has got an argument or a love affair at the centre of it, and if it’s a genuine family one, it’s even more intense.” 

Sawyer believes that Oasis songs have become unofficial national anthems. “These are now our folk songs,” she says. “I don’t play Oasis to my kids because I don’t need to: the songs are always on the radio, buskers sing them and they get sung in moments of national difficulty.” After the Manchester Arena bombing in 2017, there was a heart-breaking rendition of Don’t Look Back In Anger. 

Above: Footage of the moving Don’t Look Back In Anger singalong; a response to the Manchester Arena bombing in 2017.

Such is the power of Britpop. But is this love of Oasis, and the other 90s bands who are taking to the road (Pulp this year and last, Blur in 2023 and Radiohead this autumn) confined to the UK?

It’s the energy of the 90s that has prompted so much anemoia, when community meant something more visceral than chatting on social media or yet another WhatsApp group.

Better In Denim, the recent film for The Gap featuring K-pop-inspired global girl group KATSEYE, suggests that obsession with the 90s and early 00s is global. 

The film, an echo of Gap’s advertising from the era soundtracked to the 2003 Kelis track Milkshake, presents an evocative take on that time (one of KATSEYE is even wearing a bodysuit for extra authenticity points).