I have always loved music. Songs allow us to transport to another world and connect us emotionally. While lyrics might not always be understood by everyone, we all can connect to the mood, tone, and feeling embedded in music. I have never really understood just how long songs have been around until Dr. Bezio stated her belief that humans could have been singing before they were talking/writing. While it seems weird to think about them like this, it makes sense. As I already stated, music is a way to connect us. I think this the exact reasons that certain songs have become known for their impact on movements. One thing that I could not stop thinking about is how pop culture and social media have made huge impacts on this. I am sure that we all (or at least those of us who actively use the social media app TikTok) remember the trend of making videos on the BLM protests using a handful of songs (one being a “This Is America” remix, etc.). In any sense, those sound clips are instantly recognizable and deeply tied to the movement. Songs convey messages and allow us to understand each other’s pain. They also connect us to other emotions, like joy and love. I think you can tell a lot about what is important in a time period by the music that was popular (aka a subset of pop culture). Like Bezio mentioned about “It Don’t Mean a Thing” by Ellington, there is a lot of history that goes along with songs, instead of just what the song is literally saying. To understand a song is to understand why it was written and what about it made/makes it so popular.
Critical Thinking
This brings back to the idea of close reading. Understanding the context of the music brings another dimension to it. For example, J. Cole’s ATM. ATM sounds like a catchy trendy song, but it’s mainly about mankind’s crazy obsession with making money. The music industry is constantly filled with people exploiting artists for financial gains, he raps “process with caution, I heard if you chase it only results in a hole in your heart, fuck it, ill take the whole cake and I won’t leave a portion”. J Cole is rapping about the exploitation of young artists by big lables.
I really like the reflection you made about how songs are a way for us to share pain. I think theres a barrier that spoken words have, and it’s one I hadn’t even fully understood until rewatching the video for This is America. Although the rhetoric that Gambino uses is not new, there was something about the way he displayed it that really resonated with our society.
I really like how you brought up the ‘remixing’ of popular songs. While so much music is influenced by each other, it is something else to remix a song, and use it either for a new purpose or a new context. People are able to then relate to not only the original version of the song, but also a contemporary altered interpretation of it, and other people are able to remix the remixes and the cycle continues. TikTok has made it really easy to mix and match sounds in small soundbytes and distribute them easily which I am curious about the impact this shortened form has.
I had never considered this and you’re totally right. Music is so popular in many forms of social media like Tik Tok because it can convey so much over such a short period of time. Music carries a feeling in a way that is condensed but powerful.