Music has been apart of our lives since the moment we were born. Family members singing us to sleep with lullabies, learning our ABC’s, watching educational cartoons growing up, to that first song we listen to in our first car. Music has an impact our emotions and memories. According to an article on PychCentral,”More than any other stimulus, music has the ability to conjure up images and feelings that need not necessarily be directly reflected in memory.” This may be the answer as to why we can feel the message that the singer is delivering with certain songs. For example, the video that I am about to link is about losing a loved one. I know I have posted this song in one of my previous blogs, but the message is just so meaningful to me and it works perfectly with my thesis.
One More Light sung by Linkin Park. Written by Mike Shinoda and Eg White. Released May 19, 2017. USA.
An article on Thought Economics quoted Schopenhauer who said, “The inexpressible depth of music… easy to understand and yet so inexplicable, is due to the fact that it reproduces all of the emotions of our innermost being, but entirely without reality and remote from its pain… Music expresses only the quintessence of life and of its events, never these themselves.” One More Light always gives me goosebumps when I listen to it. I can also hear and feel Chester Bennington’s pain over his loss of a loved one while he was singing this song. The first time I heard this, it was at a funeral for a friend that took his life. Sometimes, the best way to express how you’re feeling is through music, and Chester Bennington gave the perfect depiction of how I felt that day.
Another example for influential music:
Confident sung by Demi Lovato. Written by Demi Lovato, Ilya Salmanzadeh, Max Martin, and Savan Kotecha. Released September 18, 2015. USA.
From the moment the song starts, the beat has got me sucked in and tapping my hands against the steering wheel. Confident by Demi Lovato undeniably puts a pep in my step and I am ready for the day. I feel like I could run a couple miles or lift some weights at the gym for a few hours.
As reported by The Emory Wheel, “Confident is Demi’s musical middle finger to critics, haters and anyone who ever doubted her throughout her career.” It’s amazing to feel her passion through the song and her ability to share some of her confidence to those that are listening.
Music is such a powerful tool to let others know that you are not alone; you are not the only one who is feeling like this. There is music for everything. No matter the emotion or event, there is music that will match it’s surroundings. The next time you are at an event, just stop and listen to the music that is playing. How is it making you feel?
My relationship to music has changed drastically over this summer semester. I have learned about the elements of music, which some of them, I learned for the first time. I have never sat down and picked apart songs or looked into the “hidden” meanings for them. This has all been eye opening and challenging for me. I knew that I have always loved music and the effects that it has on me and my everyday life, but I truly did not know how complex music can be. I have had a blast reading my classmates’ blogs and reading their interpretation of the songs that they picked. I like seeing other people’s perspective. It’s educational and enlightening.
Sources:
“The Role of Music in Human Culture.” Thought Economics, 29 Aug. 2017, thoughteconomics.com/the-role-of-music-in-human-culture/.
“Music & How It Impacts Your Brain, Emotions.” Psych Central, 17 July 2016, psychcentral.com/lib/music-how-it-impacts-your-brain-emotions/.
“Demi Lovato’s ‘Confidence’ Shines: A Track by Track Analysis.” The Emory Wheel, 12 Nov. 2015, emorywheel.com/demi-lovatos-confidence-shines-a-track-by-track-analysis/.
Music 200x 