FINDING STORIES THROUGH MUSIC
Have you gone a day without listening to music of any sort ? Be it the catchy advertisement tunes on TV , or your friend or colleague humming a tune or even the ringtone on your phone . Music has always been a part of most of our lives , even more than we realise . As new-borns , we were spoken to in a musical tone and before that we thrive on the rhythmical beat of our mothers ’ hearts . We are taught alphabets through a song ; we learn our first lessons through rhymes and the list could go on . Music has brought meaning to so many of our lives , but do we really try to find the meaning behind it when it has adopted us under its gracious wings ?
Many might say songs don ’ t need to have deep meanings or eloquent lyrics to be enjoyable , that songs do not require to be understood by its listener , that it transcends barriers . While this is what is uniquely beautiful about music , it is only acceptable that we think of songs as a form of expression . Afterall , music is art and art if not anything is a form of expression . How to perceive and accept it is up to the listener but the need to acknowledge the emotion and message it tries to convey surely does exist . The wonderous instrumental pieces of Tchaikovsky , Bach and Beethoven and the relatable lyrics of Bruno Mars are all amazing examples of what music is and has become . While most of us can jam to 24K magic , many of us won ’ t have the same zest when it comes to The Song of the Swans . This is exactly why a song with lyrics makes it more widely appreciated than one which conveys the message through instrumentals . Though both are music , we cannot ignore the power of words accompanied with it .
When we listen to a song with lyrics , we can find a connection to it easier than we would otherwise which means we do give the meaning of a song some importance even if it might seem insignificant . This little attention can go a long way and sometimes even leave us with completely contrasting perspectives to the song . In my opinion , a song writer plays as equal or even more so of a role as the voice of the song . It is quite interesting to be a part of the process of the realisation that hits when a song becomes something more upon reading its lyrics , how it becomes closer to our hearts now that it has found its purpose .
It was a huge epiphany when the hidden message behind one of the most unique tracks of Queen , “ The Bohemian Rhapsody ” was theorised and deciphered by fans taking it a whole another realm of relatability and understanding . The perception of the song and the band itself was different and their credibility in emoting something that difficult in a song was applauded . The lyrics that didn ’ t mean much previously now meant the struggles of a man who had been trying to find his true self , adding more story to the song , making it more artistic . There is a plethora of songs that have to go through the ears of listeners eager enough to know their true stories and end up giving us an antechamber to the artistic message it was meant to deliver .
Of course with the commercialisation of every industry , music also falls into its clutches . There seems to be more songs with haphazard lyrics that do not really carry a valuable message to be deciphered and are to be heard on a platonic level which seems fair in today ’ s fast-moving world . A good beat paired with a trendy dance move seem to make songs enjoyable as time passes but the happiness of finding your true relationship with a song and enjoying it in your own way will never be of an equal .
The Score Magazine
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