As you have all learned from my former posts, particular songs and artists serve as bookmarks for me when I yearn to turn the pages back to certain times in my life that remind me of significant memories. Music for me is a way that I can express myself. Artists like the Backstreet Boys and The Spice Girls bring me back memories of my goofy younger years, while artists like John Mayer bring me back to my senior year at Byram Hills High School. However, I would like to shift the focus of this blog to explore music in a different light.
Now that my bloggers understand the way that I identify with music; the question now becomes, how does the rest of the world interpret music? How do you, my bloggers, perceive music? When other people scroll through their i-tunes libraries, what do they feel? These questions, in my mind, will never be able to be answered because although I can ask my peers, I will never be able to jump into their bodies and feel if their hearts, too, speed up when the introduction to the song Viva La Vida by Coldplay blares out of a set of speakers. The appeal to a song like this, to me, is the way that the way that the steady, fast beat makes me want to bob my head like they do in the movie Night at the Roxbury. However, for all I know it could draw emotions of frustration or anger from the stranger sitting next to me at the library due to a memory of a horrible time in his life that is instantly brought back whenever this song starts to play.
What brings forth these strong emotions? Is it the lyrics of the music we listen to? The melody? Both? Neither? I know that whenever I am feeling lonely and upset, I automatically go to my "sad" playlist on i-tunes. Though this sounds depressing, the lyrics to the songs on this playlist bring me comfort. I can't help but wonder if my feeling of comfort is the same feeling of comfort that athletes feel when their "pump-up" playlist permeates a field or arena on a game day.
My best friend, Liza, was captain of the varsity soccer team at our high school and she took it very seriously (a little too seriously if you ask me). Anyway, when it was our senior year, the girls varsity soccer team made it to sectional finals, which is an extremely big deal. The opposing team warmed up to the song "Let it Rock" by Kevin Rudolf ft. Lil Wayne. They repeated the song over and over again for the duration of the half hour warm up session prior to the game because they believed that this song would bring them good luck and help them win the game. Sure enough, the game went into double overtime and our team lost. Although the song probably had nothing to do with the reason why we lost the game, Liza refuses to listen to the song "Let it Rock" ever again. If we are driving in a car and it begins to play on the radio, she will immediately change the station. If it begins to play at a party, she will cover her ears and run out of the room.
Liza epitomizes the idea that music has different meanings for different people. The meaning of music is defined and tailored specifically to each person. There are endless types of music whether it be punk, rock, pop, classical, show tunes...etc, there are countless songs and artists who's messages are delivered, yet received differently by each individual person.
I plan to take the time in between this post and my next one to explore different genres of music that I do not typically listen to and see if it sparks any emotions or interests. I think it is essential for people to find their comfort zone when it comes to music, which I clearly have; however, I think that in order for me to fully understand all dimensions of the way that music affects my life, it is necessary to experiment with different types of music to see what impact that they have on me.
I hope that you, my readers, will set aside some time to think about the music that reaches into your soul, the music that makes you want to jump and scream, the music that makes you want to break down and cry, the music that makes you angry. How do you value music and how does it play a role in your life? What's your tune?
I love music and I cannot imagine my life without it! Personally, I perceive music to be a stress reliever. No matter how I am a feeling, there is always a song to enhance my mood. Usually because the lyrics allude to my similar emotions or the beat puts me in a certain mind frame. Primarily, I listen to two genres of music: Rhythm & Blues (R&B) and Rap (also referred to as Hip-Hop). Each genre enhances a different mood in a different way.
ReplyDeleteFor me, R&B enhances my feelings of loneliness, sadness, and short-term depression. For instance, when I have been single for a long period of time. R&B, a derivative of soul music, relaxes and calms my mind. Usually the beat is slow, mellow, and soothing. Subsequently, the lyrics are meaningful and have messages behind them, usually in reference to love and relationships. When male R&B artists sing, it sends chills through my body and gives me hope that there are potentially good men out there that will treat me like I deserved to be treated. Conversely, when female R&B artists sing, it has more of a motivational appeal; it assures me that I am not the only female experiencing these emotions and that pain fosters growth. Essentially, listening to R&B music turns my feelings of depression into optimism and assures me that I am actually not alone.
Contrarily, Rap enhances my feelings of bliss and happiness, even when other stresses have not been completely resolved. Perhaps after I ace one exam, but fail another. Rap music gets my juices flowing and my body pumping. For me, the up-beat and fast tempo makes me feel cool and hip. Meanwhile, the rhyming and witty lyrics, usually on political, social, or personal issues, make me smile and chuckle. [Although, many opponents find rap music derogatory and demeaning, I find pleasure in it.] Particularly, when female rappers rap, I feel on top of the world, because generally rapping is for males. In essence, Rap music fosters my glee and keeps me in a content mood.
Life is too short to be stressed constantly. Thus, I listen to music daily. Depending on the genre, the lyrics and or beat usually appeal to me and put me in a better mood!
I really like where you decided to focus your blog this week. I completely agree with what you're saying... one person can never really know the effects of a certain song on another person without getting inside their head. It is so interesting, at least to me, to think about one song having one meaning to me and a completely different meaning to someone else.
ReplyDeleteThe example you provide about your friend Liza is perfect for your argument. You did a great job explaining the reasoning behind her opinions on the song, as well as the effects hearing that song has on her. I can think of countless situations (between me and my friends) that reflect this same idea. There is a particular song by Coldplay that makes me cry every time I listen to it... I won't go into particular reasoning, but every time I hear it I'm reminded of memories of my past. When my roommate hears the song, she shudders, because it just happens to be the song we both wake up to every day as an alarm! It's simple, she hates the song, I love it. But we have such complex and interesting reasoning behind our opinions... I just find it so intriguing to hear stories such as these.
One thing I stress in my blog is to, essentially, not just a book by its cover. Just because one person is passionate about a particular thing, doesn't mean they should be judged. I think, in relation to your blog's topic, this is applicable here as well. We cannot place unfair assessments on people based on their playlist choices, because the songs we listen to have very intimate and particular meanings to each of us individually.
Do the songs we listen to have meaning given to us, or do we apply meaning to the songs we listen to? Maybe a little bit of both I suppose. I would have went crazy without music in those prison walls from time to time, but music had many roles to play for me. Some played my heart, some songs played my mind, some grasped a vision, and even others helped me muscle out a rep I was not going to do during a workout.
ReplyDeleteReading this blog makes me review my favorite songs and why they had an effect on me or why I had an effect on them. The love song of all time for me, or my marriage song if I ever find the person to be with for the rest of my life would be by Shai. The song..."Together Forever." The young woman who took my virginity introduced me to the song which I missed on the album, because until that point, it had no meaning.
Then there are songs I love the tune to, and the lyrics take a backdoor. Songs like "Only When You're Lonely" by Genuine take me places the song probably didn't intend to. I still can listen to that song as soon as I get up in the morning, and it has the power to transport me where I want to go.
At times I can listen to Evenessence in the car or rock my head to T.I. speaking of game and manipulation distilled in hope in himself and the world. The Star Spangled Banner has two different meanings at the Olympics/Sports Events vs. a National Affair on TV by Politicians/Millitary.
So we agree on music having intimate meanings to us individually, collectively, or as songs by themselves. We just have to apply which, where, and when we do to each song for us.
I think that everyone can relate to te idea that certain songs invoke in their minds memories of specific people, times, places, etc. whether these memories be good or bad. A friend of mine recently told me that he can't listen to the song Tik Tok by Kesha anymore due to the fact that recently, while pledging his fraternity, his pledge class was confined to a small room and assigned a tedious task, but that the worst part was that Tik Tok was blasting on repeat for the entire four hour period.
ReplyDeleteFor me, I try to only keep songs associated with positive memories. There is this techno song called "Shine On" which I associate with the year I spent in Israel last year, as it was constantly blaring from the speakers of every nightclub in Jerusalem. I associate Simon and Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Troubled Water" will always remind me of my high school graduation, as my class performed the song for our friends and families to close the ceremony.
But of course, not all songs can be associated with happy memories. As much as I hate to admit it, Jack Johnson's "Better Together" always strikes a chord in my heart as it was a song of significane between myself and an ex-girlfriend. Immediately following our break-up, I could hardly bare to hear the song without it ruining my day. It then evolved into a song that I listened to often to remind me of what we had. Now, it has developed into a song that helps me look back fondly on a wonderful time in my life.
It is really interesting to me that songs can have such specific effects on the individuals whose ears they penetrate. It is really cool to analyze memories through the scope of the songs that invoke them.
How do your blog readers feel? Well I'll start by giving you my top ten songs on my ITUNES.
ReplyDelete1) Hang On - Illinois
2) Song for no one- Miike Snow
3) Kellum - Bayside
4) Orange Shirt -Discovery
5) Mystery of the Brain - Great big pile of leaves
6)Cuddle Fuddle - Passion Pit
7) I will follow you into the dark - Death cab for cutie
8)Banana Pancakes- Jack Johnson
9) My Girls- Animal Collective
10) Self Taught - Brother Ali
While this doesn't directly reflect my music taste, it certainly is indicative of what I listen too. I find that there is kind of difference between the two.
I like how you emphasize how different songs have different meanings, and I think it applies to different people as well.
I tend to think that I have great taste in music, but a horrible appetite for it. Where I appreciate more the lyrics, style, and beats of underground hip-hop... You'll find more Tupac and Biggie on my most played list than anything else.
It's interesting that sometimes too, you don't listen to a particular type of music until you've found a particular kind of person. I know personally there has been more than one occasion where I've dismissed music as crap, hung out with people that thought differently, and completely changed my perspective on it.
Since your trying to open up to different genres, I'd recommend a few bands that I've gotten into recently... that have jumped the traditional boundaries I'm used to.
1) Is an old-school band that everyone knows about, but I can't stress how great it is to chill out to them during nice weather. Break out the best Creedance Clearwater Revival and a 12 pack of Natty B'oh. It's brilliant. Afterwords watch the Big Lebowski.
2) Discovery - It's a weird, kind of electronic, synch pop band that's really really good. I've always hated electronic stuff, but there album is amazing.
3) The Kooks. It's really catch it. Whatever album has the song Naive on it...listen to it.
At any rate, Love the blog, keep up the good work.
First off, the association between music and memories has always been strong, for both me and the people I've read about. Music is so intertwined into our lives that most of the time we're hardly aware it's there: from the simple songs we heard as babies to help us sleep, to the latest hip-hop tunes heard attached to an ad. What girl didn't have a Spice Girls phase? (I even know some boys who also participated in the phase!) I completely agree that music defines our society.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I perceive music as a personification of my mood – my emotions and my feelings. Then again, as a person who enjoys to create random music videos in their spare time, I'm well aware of how certain tunes and compositions speak to certain feelings. When I want to be happy, I play something funky and upbeat, while, when I'm pensive, I trend towards classical music. With the increased importance of “playlists” (as opposed to mix-tapes) and the creation of the mp3 (combined with the greater memory storage available) combining songs to fit our moods has never been so easy!
I also feel that people can be conditioned to either hate or like a song (such as your friend Liza). For example, I read a post earlier today that people who set their favorite song as their alarm clock every morning are often doomed to hate it. If something plays too often, or is used in association with something we dislike, we come to dislike the song. This can be especially true of ad songs, or movie soundtracks. After having seen “Watchmen”, I for one know that I will never be able to hear the song “Hallelujah” the same way again.
I will conclude with a question: can you find a song that you like in every category and every type of music (be it bluegrass, techno, death-metal, etc)?
I feel most people actually do like songs in most categories, but that some categories (such as country, etc) have such social stigmatas attached to them that said person would refuse to admit it.
(Awesome blog post!)