You have asked (or have been asked) the following question in your lifetime; What kind of music do you listen to? The response is often "A little bit of everything." You ask for clarification and get something along the lines of "Pop, rock, country...but not rap, classical, opera." Is that really all there is? What about J-pop, soul, r&b, jazz, indie, folk, metal, swing, electro-pop, dance, reggae, ska, alternative, punk, new age, goth, middle eastern, latin, and on and on? Are you really as musically submerged as you claim to be? The music industry carries with it a million albums released a year.
I had a discussion with a friend about playing the guitar. I guessed that so many people are able to play today's music on guitar because there is nothing complicated or special about what's on the radio. It is said that playing classical music for babies will help their brain activity (though that study has been argued). The question is "Is dumb music helping support dumb people?"
Obviously, not every smart person listens to Mozart and Tchaikovsky, but I think the music that leads the charts is directly related to where education and intelligence falls in our society's priorities. Let's face it, Joseph Haydn created complex music that a symphony of over 100 musicians must rehearse to play well, meanwhile Icona Pop gave us lyrics like "I crashed my car into a bridge!" or Kei$ha's "Blah, blah, blah." Yeah, that's how I feel about you, too. We have the almost forgotten Alanis Morisette who throws together a lyrical jumbo such as "How crass you stand before me with no blood to fuel your flame / How dare you wield such flippancy without requisite shame / Your very existence becomes my sacred mission's bane" from her song I Remain versus Robin Thicke's Blurred Lines' "Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, If you can't hear what I'm trying to say / If you can't read from the same page / Maybe I'm going deaf / Maybe I'm going blind". Not only does that make no sense, but it's laid over a track that pretty much ripped off the late, great Marvin Gaye. I don't even need brilliant use of the English language in my music, but tell me Miley Cyrus, Rihanna, or is a good singer and then listen to Jill Scott, Florence Welch, or even Gladys Knight. How can people not see the difference in quality between early Aretha Franklin and Selena Gomez?
Let us look at this differently. There are singers, like Adele, Celine Dion, Whitney Houston, Kathleen Battle, Sam Cooke, and Josh Grobin. Those in the "singer" group are gifted with beautiful voices that are good even without good music or lyrics. We also have artists; Alanis Morrisette, Lady Gaga, Florence & The Machine, and Michael Jackson...who are reaching a little deeper to bring us unique lyrics, sounds, and/or sights. Another group is the "performers"; Madonna, Black Eyed Peas, Nicki Minaj who don't have particular good voices or anything "artistic" to contribute, but they can put on a show (full of imagery and catchy tunes). Last, we have the "money holes"...the celebrities who have been so manufactured by the industry that they have been made to look as if they are talented or deep. In actuality, they have made it because they look good. Think Creed, Rihanna, Selina Gomez, Lena Del Ray. We should be giving ourselves to the first two groups, but we are whores to the last two instead...just following whatever is popular.
The current problem is that so many (not all) younger people have more money to spend than they did 40 years ago and easier access to songs. Throw in the visual media and you have a bunch of financially irresponsible hormones who haven't been around long enough to develop a taste in music. They end up dumping their attention on "money holes." The radio or tv tells them to like a song and they feel they need to spend money on it.
I am certain that bad music has been around since the moment we started adding lyrics, however, I think we are starting to embrace this musical stupidity with both arms. Why does it matter? The music industry is a multi-billion dollar industry. We feed it money for downloads, concerts, and merchandise. It matters because our environment plays a part in who we are and music is an unavoidable part of our environment. I'm not saying that "fun" music doesn't have its place, but it should not be dominating our minds and our pocket books over quality songs and artists. We choose stupid and simple because it is easy. It doesn't challenge the deeper regions of our brain.
How do we grow? Do a search for "top 100". Go see local artists. Stop spending money on Nicki Minaj and find an up and coming "Janis Joplin" or "Ray Charles." Play classical music when you're cleaning the house instead of Kesha. Yes, life is a party...but every party doesn't have to be at a drunken frat house. Some can be refined and serve something other than your social needs. Desire to be smarter. Strive to bring new music to your friends' lives. Pick apart your favorite songs. If the artists can sing live, but sounds great on a cd, stop buying their music. Look for the "real deals" that you can appreciate even more at a concert than you do on the radio. If you can't close your eyes and still feel something from that singer's vocals (not the lyrics), then stop listening. Go for emotion and go for something unheard of.
Look, I've got my moments where I need a Christina Aquilera (sp?) fix or run across an Demi Lavato song that makes me want to dance. Yet we are neglecting another part of our mind and soul by not seeking more. If we want to be better, we have to demand better. If we want to be smarter or more meaningful, then we should surround ourselves with more meaningful things. Music is powerful and right now, it's being manipulated into something ugly because we don't want to take the time to help it, help us...to be better people.
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