Can song lyrics change your life? Does listening to music have the potential to alter the world? Yes, it does. But the changes still have to start with you. If you learn how to listen to music very honestly, you can learn the secrets of the ages by listening to song lyrics.
"I've been cheated. Been mistreated. When will I be Loved?" This set of lyrics written by Linda Rondstadt years ago gave rise to my understanding of the tansformative power of listening to song lyrics. I was in college, studying the book Beloved, by Toni Morrison. I had a paper due in one day;' I was completely stressed out; and I had no clue what to write about.
I took a nap and woke to the lyrics of Ms. Rondstadts song. It was buzzing in my ears, and I had the sudden feeling that I should pay close attention. I intuitively felt the lyrics were important.
They were.
Although I do not recall the precise details, the few lines from that song gave me all the insight I needed to write my paper in a very short time. The line
"When will I be loved?" was a doorway into my understanding of the book Beloved. I realized that the central character just wanted to be loved, and that was all I needed to know to access enough creativity to write a terrific paper. From that moment on I never doubted the pure potentiality of song lyrics.
The above is just one illustration of the power of song lyrics. Many more are possible. For instance, always pay close attention to any song lyrics that run through your head.
When lyrics run though your head, they stop being "out there." For all practical purposes, if you are singing the song lyrics, then you might as well have written them in the first place. You are imbuing them with meaning, and they are now "in" you, so to speak.
So, how so you benefit from this knowledge? By understanding that what you are singing about is about you. You can gain great self-awreness and wisdom by looking carefully at what you are singing. Do not assume that these are just random song lyrics running though you mind. They are not random. You are choosing to sing them and they have a message.
The message is usually about something you wish you had or about something you are fearful of. The song you are singing offers you clues as to what your deepest values and bleifs are. These deep attitudes are what you need to uncover in order to become more self-aware and powerful. So next time song lyrics run thourhg your head or come onto the radio at an odd time, pay very close attention. They just might change your life or give you an answer you needed.
Monday, April 28, 2008
Album Music
Album Music
There has always been something of a divide between album sales and singles sales. I have always preferred album music, which tends to be less commercial, to the more mainstream pop-dominated singles charts. This is a sweeping generalization of course. From being a teenager, when I first started to collect records, I have saved up to buy the albums of the artists I like. There are few singles in my collection. Today, singles have three or four tracks on them and are quite expensive. Some of these tracks are fillers and different mixes of the one song. I will only buy a single if I'm certain that I'll never want to buy the album.
The nature of how we obtain our music has changed so much. With the coming of Internet downloading, we can compile our own albums by selecting the tracks we want. Traditional album music bought in the record stores may contain tracks we'd rather not have. This is becoming more and more influential, as download sales are being included now in record charts. Some songs are becoming big hits on the strength of their downloads alone, as in UK band, the Arctic Monkeys. Will album music, as we've always known it, continue to sell? It's difficult to say, as fans take more control over what they listen to. Everyone is their own DJ, with their ipods glued to their ears.
Albums give performers the chance to experiment in ways they wouldn't consider when producing a single. They can try out different kinds of music which fans may not be familiar with. In the 1970s, concept albums were in fashion, with arty gatefold sleeves and poetic lyrics. It was a far cry from the three-minute single. A lot of artists, then and now, rely on album music sales and don't bother to promote singles much. Singer songwriters are an example of this. Artists such as Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell and Neil Young have made little impact with their single releases. Bands like Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and Deep Purple could fill big stadiums without good singles success. They shifted tons of albums instead.
I always look at the album charts first to see what's happening. It's more interesting to me than the singles charts, which feature a lot of one hit wonders and passing trends. Another reason for buying albums is to hear a good band captured live. A sustained stereo blast of live rock for forty minutes is just what the doctor ordered.
There has always been something of a divide between album sales and singles sales. I have always preferred album music, which tends to be less commercial, to the more mainstream pop-dominated singles charts. This is a sweeping generalization of course. From being a teenager, when I first started to collect records, I have saved up to buy the albums of the artists I like. There are few singles in my collection. Today, singles have three or four tracks on them and are quite expensive. Some of these tracks are fillers and different mixes of the one song. I will only buy a single if I'm certain that I'll never want to buy the album.
The nature of how we obtain our music has changed so much. With the coming of Internet downloading, we can compile our own albums by selecting the tracks we want. Traditional album music bought in the record stores may contain tracks we'd rather not have. This is becoming more and more influential, as download sales are being included now in record charts. Some songs are becoming big hits on the strength of their downloads alone, as in UK band, the Arctic Monkeys. Will album music, as we've always known it, continue to sell? It's difficult to say, as fans take more control over what they listen to. Everyone is their own DJ, with their ipods glued to their ears.
Albums give performers the chance to experiment in ways they wouldn't consider when producing a single. They can try out different kinds of music which fans may not be familiar with. In the 1970s, concept albums were in fashion, with arty gatefold sleeves and poetic lyrics. It was a far cry from the three-minute single. A lot of artists, then and now, rely on album music sales and don't bother to promote singles much. Singer songwriters are an example of this. Artists such as Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell and Neil Young have made little impact with their single releases. Bands like Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and Deep Purple could fill big stadiums without good singles success. They shifted tons of albums instead.
I always look at the album charts first to see what's happening. It's more interesting to me than the singles charts, which feature a lot of one hit wonders and passing trends. Another reason for buying albums is to hear a good band captured live. A sustained stereo blast of live rock for forty minutes is just what the doctor ordered.
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