Music

I believe that music is an important part of our culture. Even before we had CDs, Tapes, or even records, music has always been important. Beethoven, Bach, and Mozart, are only a few examples of countless other musicians who were appreciated for their work. I personally don’t enjoy listening to Classical music, but I can appreciate that they were great artists.

But ever since Rock, music has become even more important to our culture. The Beatles, Journey, U2. Rock artists who affected the world around them. Why is it that these artists live on, while others from their same period, possibly with an equal amount of talent, were forgotten?

Well, one reason is Band Hero. People between the ages of 11 and 16 have discovered some of their favorite music because they played it through a video game. But I think another reason is that these artists not only had talent, but their songs had meaning. When you listen to a song by Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, or Miley Cyrus, regardless of whether or not you enjoy it, there’s no meaning. Now maybe they have some good songs, but when you get down to what the song is telling you, there’s no substance. Now don’t get me wrong, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Taylor Swift is my favorite singer. I love her songs, but that’s not the point. Like I said, they have no substance.

When you listen to a Journey song, it makes you think. Maybe in their love songs, it makes you think about the true meaning of love. Eternal love. Faithfully, Open Arms, and Send Her my Love are just a few examples of song about love that lasts. True love. Or they have songs like Wheel in the Sky that expresses musician’s feelings about always traveling and never knowing where they’ll be tomorrow. I wouldn’t be able to sympathize with that because I’m not a musician. However, I still feel like I have an understanding of how they feel because of songs like that. They’re written so well, I can feel what the artist is feeling. It’s like reading a good book.

Whereas Taylor Swift’s love songs are about breaking up, or even if they’re not, it’s teen-love. It’s not true love. Again, it has no substance. And that’s all she sings about. At some point it kind of seems like it’s the same story over and over.

Now, Taylor Swift may still live on, because she’s a country singer. They typically stay popular longer. Miley Cyrus, however, will be forgotten as soon as all of today’s pre-schoolers are 30 years old. Lady Gaga may be remembered longer, but if she is it will be because, like Britney Spears, her life will be a train wreck. People won’t love her for her music, but because they like a juicy story.

So why is music so important to our culture? Well, Why are books important? Or movies? Or really any other type of media? It’s because it’s an art form. When you look at the history of literature, it’s the same story. William Shakespeare and Jane Austen lived on. Him because of his poetry, and her because of her excellent writing and, once again, her books had substance.

Now I’m not saying that substance is the only good stuff out there. I enjoy reading formula fiction and watching things like I Love Lucy. I also listen to Taylor Swift. But those things are fluff, and not important to our culture. The kind of music you listen to says a lot about you. And the culture you live in.