Fight The Power

Since the beginning of time people have used music as an outsource for different reasons. Most of us can’t remember life without phonograph records, cassette tapes or Compact Discs and the artists we all have listened to on them. The great majority of radio stations exist to play music, and there is hardly a minute on TV other than news shows that doesn’t have theme music, background music or commercial music. From the times of ritual drum beatings to Woodstock, music has affected millions worldwide. This is why I believe in the power of music.

Whether it was Janice Ian singing of Society’s Child or Nas rapping about the “n” word jargon music has played a significant role in my life. In my younger years, I was not able to appreciate music’s aesthetics. Listening to the likes of Nas, Frank Sinatra, Common, Marvin Gaye, and many other artist I evolved into a music savant. Music has the ability to affect me mentally and physically. There are numerous days some good and some bad that I come home from school and listen to music with one ultimate goal, entertainment relief.

Many researchers use fancy tools of all sorts to prove that music affects peoples moods but I don’t think that is necessary when a simple smile will suffice. Out nations history should be enough evidence of music’s’ power. An entire portion of our history is allotted to it, Woodstock. During this time many artist used the strings of guitars, lyrics to songs, and the beats of drums to get their message known worldwide. Music has produced various emotional responses in myself and even different responses in the same person at different times. Music may produce expressions of various emotions – peaceful, relaxing, exciting, festive, boring, unsettling, unstimulating, invigorating … and so on. Nonetheless, its effect on myself and my nation is eminent.

Different people listen to music for different things but one thing that does not vary is the reason behind it; entertainment. Music is known to endow the listener with aesthetic or intellectual pleasure. It can be simple, complex, subtle, overt and these features may reside in one of the different aspects of the music i.e. rhythm, melody. Some of the greatness of music however, lies in its holistic nature that all the elements form a unique wholeness, which may not be understood by studying the parts separately. However complex, music is readily appreciated by the mind without the need for formal knowledge. This I believe, music has and will continue to fight the power.