Song

noun: a usually short piece of music with words that are sung; the act of singing, or singing when considered generally; the musical sound that a bird makes

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How many times have you heard a familiar tune and exclaimed “I love this song!” before you’re even aware you’ve said anything? What about “ugh, I hate this song”? One thing you can almost guarantee about songs – and music in general – is that it will evoke a reaction. There are always those who can’t help but get up and dance or sing along to the right music, and I’m sure you’ve seen people moved to tears when a particular song plays…

Songs have been a substantial part of human culture since time immemorial, and each culture has developed its own unique style of music. They differ in theme, tone, pitch, rhythm, structure, instruments used and style of singing; but they all have an impact – often a profound one – on those who hear them. The act of singing can be cathartic, as well. Perhaps the feelings are simply transferred? Could that be why it’s such a release of emotion?

People sing to prepare for battle, to soothe a baby, to memorise something, or because they just feel like it. And, of course, something as universally moving as a song is extremely marketable. I dread to think how much money is involved in the music industry. This inevitably leads to songs being produced with financial gain being the primary objective…

While there is, in my opinion, nothing wrong in earning money from one’s talents, when money becomes the motivation behind – therefore the inspiration for – art in any form, doesn’t it seem to somehow lose some of its depth? I’m not saying that commercially produced music, films, or novels aren’t enjoyable – they certainly can be – but they invariably lack the degree of passion their more (for want of a better term) “authentic” counterparts possess. Unless the emotional connection we have with a song is actually in the mind?

What if the idea that something was created for money makes it seem less authentic – less honest? What if that perception colours our view? Maybe it just seems colder or lighter, whether because that’s what we expect or just that we’re less engaged. Or maybe it’s all empty noise that we just perceive as more? Perhaps the vision of music as some sort of mystical, soul-level communication is simply too appealing to ignore…

After all, everyone craves understanding, don’t they? We’re programmed to seek connections with our fellow man (or woman, or whatever you prefer to be called), and emotions are one of the most difficult things to convey through language, in my experience. As emotion is extremely subjective, there’s no common frame of reference, or certainly not a reliable one. Yes, you can have a pretty good guess based on your own emotions, but you never really know what someone else is feeling: not unless you can get into their head and feel it with them! But when a song makes you feel, it’s a pretty natural assumption that other listeners will feel what you feel: whether or not that’s true. And, knowing full well that emotions can be conveyed through song, when we sing with feeling, we feel we’re passing it on.

After all that, dear reader, I think what I’m trying to say is that song is one of the most beautiful and heartfelt ways we’ve discovered of connecting with each other, and that by attempting to quantify its value, we risk cheapening it. I’ll leave now until next week, before falling into the trap of thinking too much!

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