I’ve been thinking a lot about music lately. In my reality, music plays a daily part of my life, so I guess it wouldn’t be too much of stretch to say I’m just about always thinking about it. But lately, I’ve been thinking about music not from a creative point of view as one would expect of a musician but more from the listener’s perspective.
What is it about music that causes displays of passionate emotion even in a listener? I’m not referring to little emo boys or girls, but full-grown, football loving, beer drinking macho men who end up hugging and shedding tears when their favourite songs are played. Yeah, sure, there are songs that we consider to be particularly poignant or that remind us of better/worse/happier/sadder days. It still doesn’t explain the unexpected outpourings of someone who usually has the emotions of a brick. But it does highlight just how elementally important music is to all of us, that we all move to a rhythm, a beat of life we can’t hear but know like the backs of our hands.
The magic of music is undeniable. I am still amazed by the fact that, despite its mostly unchanged line up since the fifties of two guitars, bass and drums, there is still so much unique sounding music being created. Who would have thought the instrument line up that produced Rock Around The Clock or Johnny B Goode was also capable of producing Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds or Money, let alone some of the awesome music written in the last 30 years.
If you think about it, the guitar has a limited number of chords and notes, as does the bass. Most contemporary music is in 4/4 timing, which means there is a limited number of drum patterns too. Yet the depth and breadth of variety in contemporary music is staggering. It never ceases to amaze me. (Please note: I am not implying popular music doesn’t use or rely on other instruments such as piano, synths, horns or computers. But pop music, in its rawest form, is always thought of as 2 guitars, bass and drums.)
So it brings me to a particular question I think needs to be asked: why are we consistently bombarded by rubbish songs that somehow become hits. I must be missing something because I don’t understand how crap like the fucking Frog Song or whatever the hell it’s called is a number one hit. It is not even a good ring tone. Sure, ring tones are supposedly the new ‘singles’ but as I recall, singles were released as one of the best examples of an artist.
That the Frog Song has become successful is a travesty against all good music and the talented people who make it. It is also an insult to thinking individuals who, in my limited experience anyway, are amazed by the very fact a piece of crap (and not even an original piece at that) can make so much money and command such attention. Sure, I might be coming off as sounding like I’m bitter or jealous. And maybe I am, just a little bit. But I think I’m justified and I know I’m certainly not alone in my opinion. Even knowing this doesn’t help. I just can’t understand the machinations that enable the Frog Song or any other rubbish to become popular. You’d think by now I might have a clue, but I don’t. Maybe somebody out there can help.
