Last night, my husband played Words by Missing Persons, and it was a blast from the past. I honestly feel like I haven’t heard it in forever. But this time, instead of just bobbing my head to Dale Bozzio’s wild vocals and new wave synth, I actually listened to the lyrics.

And it hit me—forty-plus years later, nothing has changed.

The hippie boomers felt like their parents didn’t hear them. Gen Xers felt drowned out by the noise of consumerism and the “greed is good” ‘80s. Millennials have been called entitled when they’ve simply been asking to be understood in a world that feels stacked against them. And now Gen Z is navigating a digital existence where they have the biggest microphones ever (social media) and yet, ironically, maybe the smallest chance of truly being heard.

The more the world changes, the more some things stay the same.

Do you hear me?
Do you care?

Those questions from the chorus still echo today, maybe louder than ever.

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The Song That Spoke Ahead of Its Time

When Dale Bozzio sang “What are words for, when no one listens anymore?” it was more than a catchy hook; it was a generational cry. A frustration that all the talking, the shouting, the pleading, wasn’t moving the needle. It was the sound of disconnection, a voice bouncing off walls.

Now, in 2025, we live in an endless loop of words. Social media feeds scroll infinitely. Comment sections are battlegrounds. Tweets (or X’s…whatever we’re calling them) spark culture wars. And yet, how often are people truly listening?

Most of the time, we’re not.

We’re scanning for the hot take that confirms what we already believe. We follow those who echo our own opinions back to us in a perfectly polished reel or TikTok. We “like” and “share” more than we pause, sit with, and understand.

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The Echo Chamber Effect

Maybe that’s the real tragedy. The louder we get, the less we actually hear.

Words were supposed to be the bridge between generations, between cultures, between neighbors across the fence. Instead, they’ve too often become weapons, walls, or just background noise.

And still, somewhere deep down, most of us are just hoping for someone to look us in the eye and say:
I hear you. I care.

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Why This Still Matters

So yeah, Dale Bozzio might have been wearing plastic bras and rocking neon wigs before Lady Gaga made it mainstream, but she was also preaching a truth that still resonates.

Words only matter if we stop long enough to listen.

And maybe that’s the real Throwback Thursday lesson:
It’s not about nostalgia for the song, or even the era. It’s about realizing that the struggle to be heard is timeless. Every generation wants the same thing—to matter. To be understood.

So let me ask you again:

Do you hear me?
Do you care?