As I have gotten older I have observed an interesting habit amongst older folks; we like to complain. First, I must clarify, I am categorizing anyone over 35 as old. I know, 35 is a young age to call old but for my discussion on the current state of music I am looking at the age demographic that moves popular music taste which is well, under 30 so anyone over 35 is...old.
Old people complain; I stand by my statement. They complain about the government, they complain about the traffic, they complain about how things used to be, they complain about the younger generation, and they complain about music. It is almost universally acknowledged that older people have something to complain about when it comes to the current state of music.
Some of the common complains that older folks have about music today is that, “contemporary music lacks creativity, melody, interest, and is only about making money.”
True and false.
Music lacks creativity. Popular music has always been sparse on creativity; what can you really do with a I, IV, V or a I, ii, V progression? Actually...you can a lot with the limited harmonic language of popular music but there are only so many directions a three to five minute pop song can go. Even if you listen to a the wonderful song, “Mama, He Treats Your Daughter Mean” performed by Ruth Brown the music is simple, a basic blues progression that is made memorable by a dynamic performance by Ruth Brown. Is there creativity in this piece? Well, it follows the blues progression so musically no, but the performance and instrumentation is creative. A group that is creative today is Pomplamoose. They are extremely creative musically, with the songs they cover, with their instrumentation, and the videos they produce as demonstrated by their cover of “Happy”.
Music lacks melody. I have heard many a time that music today lacks melody but has popular music ever had great melodies. Actually yes! There are melodic gems every year that have beautiful, long melodies, and then there are songs that have terrible melodies that for some reason are extremely popular. “Hound Dog” as performed by Elvis has a terrible melody but his performance and rendition has been popular for half a century. One song that has a wonderful melody is “Open Arms” by Journey. Today, Journey is viewed as a pop band that created hit after hit and is remembered fondly by its fans or is discounted as a hit factory by others. The reality is that many of Journey’s songs have great melodies of which “Open Arms” is just one of them. A recent song that has a great melody is “Crave You” by Flight Facilities. This song has a great melody that is interesting throughout and never lacks interest or melodic movement. Daniela Andrade covers this song and in my opinion, does a much better job than the original.
Music lacks interest. Many songs that make it big are just not that interesting. Why do songs make it big when in reality they just s**k? Who knows; a good beat, catchy lyrics, a good riff, an attractive performer? One of the least interesting songs recently is “Work B**ch” by Britney. I am not criticising Britney for producing a bad song, it works; it has millions of views on YouTube and made a lot of money. But it is not interesting, the vocals are non-existent, and the video is forgettable. Now if this song was just for the club then it is perfect but for four-months it was repeatedly played on the radio where its beats were lost on the FM airwaves. A recent song that is very interesting is “The One that Got Away” by the Civil Wars. Excellent melody, intriguing lyrics, perfect accompaniment, and a build-up that is the definition of musical tension.
Music is only about making money. Yes, people who become or try to become musicians want to make money with their craft as does everyone else who works for a living. The problem with popular music is that musicians can make mi$$ions selling their music, being on TV, or touring. For the last 120+ years the public part of the music business has been about making money; sheet music during the 1890s, popular songs and vaudeville of the early 20th century, Paul Whiteman in the 20s, Bing Crosby in the 30s, Frank Sinatra in the 40s, and many, many examples in the 50s, 60s, 70s, et cetera. Katy Perry is probably the poster child today of making tons of money. I have no problem with Katy Perry; she produces okay songs that are catchy and fun to listen to. My favorite thing about her is that she does not take herself too seriously which some pop musicians sometimes do (again, how much can you really do with a I, IV, V progression in four minutes).
So what have we learned? We have learned that I mainly listen to singer songwriters who try to buck the music business establishment; true. But, you can find amazing and talented artists no matter what genre you listen to: country, R&B, rap, rock, world, et cetera.
Do not just consume what radio, MTV, Pandora, satellite radio, or YouTube tells you to listen to. Find artists that you like and support them. Use the internet to find amazing music that will moves your hips, allow you to contemplate, and swells your heart with satisfaction and contentment.
Accept nothing less.
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