IMHO, it's the people's art, social commentary and reflection that is accessible to all. People find refuge and relation in music, and it would influence opinions and attitudes.
If that's the case, I really have to wonder about the music of the day. I don't mean to knock anybody's particular taste in music. It's a personal experience for everybody. But having said that, I find it shocking how much of the music over the last half of my life has been completely empty and devoid of meaning. And this does not appear in one particular area, the popular music of the day spanning across genres all have been equally shallow. From Britney to Diddy to Limp Bizkit to Nickleback to Black Eyed Peas (post Fergie), the list goes on and on.
I find lately music's been filled with the following subjects, either isolated or in combination:
- how much money they've got
- how many girls they can get
- alcohol consumption
- how hard people can party
- how attractive they are
- love songs or songs of heartache that are not genuine at all that has been so methodically put together by some management/marketing force.
Tom Hanks, in an interview, clearly stated with no hesitation that the 1960s were the pinnacle of music. His opinion may be biased as that time is somewhat linked, if not a tad earlier than his coming of age, but I have to agree with him. The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Motown, older Elvis Prestley, Janis Joplin, Mamas and the Papas, Beach Boys, Bob Dylan, and tons of other artists of that era are timeless. Popular music had something to say.
What happened to music that actually meant something and had some meaning? When did lyrics give way to the amount of bass in a song? When did vocal talent give way to auto-tune? What happened to actual ability and talent?
In the end it would appear that video really did kill the radio star.
But I do hope that the internet will kill the video star. If it hasn't happened already...
That was a good read!
ReplyDeleteI'd say every era has their gems and their trash, but regardless of which side they belong too, it's incredibly easy to slip under the radar. And unfortunately it takes time to prove that anyone's timeless!
It felt like the rise of hip pop fluff first came about as a vacation from angsty grunge-land, but in post 9/11 America everyone just settled down there as a more permanent escape.
To me, the 2000s was all about that contrast: the "escapists" versus the "real artists" who became more politically charged (or relentlessly aligned themselves with charities.) It was interesting! And frustrating at times haha.