The greeting of the New Year is always something that I view with some trepidation as it inevitably never really lives up to any of the grossly over-inflated expectations. The fanfare that goes into the revelry is usually fairly forced, with most disagreeing as to the best manner, and place, to see the ending of another bracket of time. But, it must be admitted, it is a pleasing distraction from the burdens of the working life, and one can generally embrace the feeling of "refreshment" for the rigours ahead. The problem, however, arises in the slump that promises the month of February as one realises that the year has very much begun...and has a long way to go. Valentines Day is all but upon us already, and although I suppose it has not quite sunk to the depths of Christmas advertising (which can be enjoyed as early as October...), as ever, it will likely come and disappear as a minor blip on the yearly calendar.
If any have realised, and perhaps some have, I don't particularly have anything in mind to speak of at present. It is with a sense of duty and a general insistence on tending to nurture some minor success enjoyed on this site of late, that I feel compelled to share some thoughts, and so some shall have to excuse me if this particular entry does not quite reach the high esteem that some of my more lucid and irreverant compilations have.
And for those that did get this far, thank you. There is at least a mix-tape for this month.
I have been attempting to mold some sort of a coherent pattern of thought on the concept of the universality of music. This is a broad topic, and one that I have certainly tried to tackle previously in various guises. But the thought did cross my mind that one of the most intriguing things about music lies in its intangible connection to emotion. I have always been curious by the idea that almost all people, to a lesser or greater extent, can be inextricably bound through music, almost as if it is a necessary component to unpacking emotional responses. Consider a certain song that happened to be playing a particularly poignant moment in your life, and it almost acts like a trigger to those feelings, releasing a time capsule to be re-examined, experienced, or reminisced over. Of course, there will be many for whom a song is too pointed a query, with the consequence that it is remembered with some embarassment, pain, or some other emotion which is not sought to be relived.
But even more curious is that there are so many people for whom music does not quite attain the same level of fascination, and yet they will still have "a song". Of course, the stereotype dicates that this should remind them of an old lover (probably childhood)- a first kiss or first dance, depending on the age, and your social experience (or perhaps, exposure would be more accurate...) It can be the most derivative song, as generic as is possible, and yet, for that person, it really does mean something. The question becomes one in which we don't question that people are attracted to music, but rather as to how inextricable that connection is. Before my cup runneth over, however, I suppose one does need to take a step away from this, and look at least as to whether this entire line of thought is merely a product of the social revolution of the mid-twentieth century. Music was suddenly elevated far beyond that of a certain band of persons, and was suddenly integrated into the very fabric of society.
Now, the question is whether this was merely the industrial revolution of the music industry, in the sense that production was simply stepped up and the physical item was sent in to flood the marketplace. What one would need to know is whether the market was already there, awaiting the technology, or is this attitude that I am referring to one that is a manifestation of the birth of the popular "scene". I guess that it may be a silly observation to make, as certainly gramophones were widely available before the birth of the"LP" as we know it, and certainly, recorded music was not uncommon at that time. My knowledge extends only as far as the late 19th century in this regard, but in any event, it was there. But the focus is actually on people's attitude to music at that time. Common sense would seem to dictate that it did not have the same level of saturation in the psyche of society as it does today, as people lived quieter and slower lives. The world was just not as noisy. But I would be intrigued to know as to what extent live music filled the role of social entertainment- as the common view would perhaps suggest that our current obsessions would be derided as the sole pursuits of the young and baudy.
I suppose the question that I am trying to pose is whether our current obsession with music is something that has been instilled through our societal proclivities, and not necessarily as an innate attraction that we have inherited as a species. The obvious answer to this, of course, is to say that we have risen to the level of obsession through the teenage instillation of music into the very fabric of our formative years. But the innate attraction was already there, even if it is now a hyped up, steroid induced version.In any event, I am becoming sidetracked as I think it can be generally accepted that people do have an age old attraction to music, and that if one takes into consideration the prominence it occupies in our lives today, that we have developed emotional tendrils to the artists whom we turn to during momentous incidents in our lives. I do not mean this in the sense of the artist themself, but rather refer to the sense of connection one has to a song. I have often wondered as to whether I have become a soley internalised fan, in the sense that I derive such personal satisfaction from the music I love, that the actual meaning of the song, or the character of the artist(s) who created it can almost become irrelevant. I have no real interest in what the artist is doing with his time, what his private life is, and honestly, I can say that for the most part, I am only ever really interested in the basic geographical origins, and adopted home of the artist. I say this as often the geographical location can be integral in placing musicians and their sound within a musical lexicon.
But there is something to be said for the fact that sometimes one can play a song, and just feel "cool" upon hearing it. Things just seem to click into place, and the veils of illusion are momentarily lifted across one's world. It is absurd, really, but nonetheless, it happens, irrespective of age or gender. It can act as a guilty pleasure (for those that are wondering, consider somone still dancing to the Spice Girls? I know you're out there...) as physically, and rhythmically, inept people shudder and grind to the beat of their favourite song.
I suppose one should consider whether we have simply become accustomed to utilizing music as a device through which to prompt memory. In other words, its connection to emotion is only through its use as a gateway to a re-experience of a moment in life. The emotion lies in the events, whilst the music simply happened to be playing. This may be a self-defeating question, of course, as one may take the view that the events and the music become inextricably linked, the emotion being dependant upon the music, and vice versa. This could be a rather simplistic view, however, as I think often one can subscribe meaning to a song prior, or subsequent, to the event that is often unclouded by history, and solely based upon emotion. In other words, the terrible break-up is forgotten, and all that is remembered is that beautiful moment when you were actually happy, or, perhaps, miserable. Rose tinted glasses, certainly, but nonetheless the prompt is to a specific moment (usually) or even to a silver-lined period. It may be true to point to the triggering element of music, although I suppose one cannot truly generalize as to the level of importance that each specific song may have for each person. For example, there can be songs that people don't actually listen to during the course of the everyday lives, but in the event that it is played on the radio, it can evoke such strong emotions that are recalled with a smile (or a grimace). But the point is that it can trigger these responses, which one has to believe has something remarkably profound to our sense of self. And furthermore, the event is usually (and if you're an indie kid, it is likely wholly unrelated) to the particular song that you happen to be listening to.
I wonder whether we are sufficiently Pavlovian as to imprint events on the strength of a song playing. The song, at a specific moment, seems to "perfectly embue" a state of mind, a series of events, to the extent that it derives meaning from the events, whilst also conferring meaning. This may be cynical, but the question stands.
In certain respects, I watch with dismay as to how little we actually know about ourselves, and as to how poor our faculty of self-reflection can actually be, but in other respects, it is exciting to consider the possibilities, and to infer as to what still may be revealed. The attraction that music holds for almost everyone is something that remains to be explained, even if only to be run through the gamut of the nature vs nurture debate. I know that there are far better informed persons conducting studies into this precise field, and yet I cannot help but feel that in a manner akin to the neurologist, whilst it is impressive to be able to reduce brain function to chemicals, I am not sure that that totally captures the essence of thought or emotion. Similarly, a psychologist attempting to unpack ideas through reliance solely on a patient's expression, on a certain level, also seems unsatisfying. The fact that people "like" music cannot simply be explained, if in fact at all.
In any event, I shall continue to at least enjoy being transported to simpler times, and jerking and bobbing in my uniquely uncoordinated manner to those specific songs that are near and dear to me. And I can assure you, it isn't the Spice Girls...
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