In Let’s Talk About Love, Carl Wilson scripted his opinions on people’s tastes in music. Quoting the French philosopher and poet Paul Valéry, Wilson elucidated, “Tastes … are composed of a thousand distastes” (11). I disagree with Wilson; I believe that he portrayed the creation of taste backwards by arguing that a person’s likes in music are composed of the music he dislikes. Alternatively, my hypothesis is that a person’s dislikes in music are fashioned from the music he likes; the music he dislikes being the music that lacks traits of the music that he likes.
There are many different genres of music that I like because their musical traits. For example, I adore rock music; rock is my favorite music because of its complex rhythm, chromatic
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Bethany Bryson’s landmark empirical study of symbolic exclusion and music dislikes was not about the creation of music taste. She cited numerous sociological theorists, such as Weber, Parkin, and Bourdieu when she explained the basis of her study, “Taste is theorized to act as a basis for exclusion” (884). Music was theorized to symbolically distinguish a person from other people; for example, for Bourdieu a person’s aesthetic disposition separated that person from lower groups. This theory saw children using such dispositions as a guide towards the behaviors that were suitable for them and fostering an aversion towards other …show more content…
Considering his experience, Wilson took the position that his dislike of some music was because it was different from the music he liked. Writing about Elliott Smith, he stated, “Smith was a hero of mine and of the late-90s indie subculture, one of those ‘literate’ bedroom-recording songwriters” (7). Elliot Smith wrote and performed a type of music that Wilson acclaimed. “As a former bullied kid,” Wilson said that he found sustenance in Smith’s music (7). Wilson also enjoyed listening to avant-garde music, “I championed experimentalists and the kinds of unpopular-song writers I was prone to calling ‘literate” (5-6). Accordingly, mainstream pop music sounded very different from the music that Wilson enjoyed; therefore, he not only disliked pop music, he refused to listen to it. “I hadn’t listened regularly to pop radio since I was eleven” (5). Wilson’s dislike of pop music such as Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On” was because it did not sound similar to the music he enjoyed; this also agreed with my
Daniel Felsenfeld reveals a positive, impactful significance — one that has completely changed his life — in his literacy narrative “Rebel Music” by drawing upon what his early adolescent years of music were like before his shift into a new taste for music, how this new taste of music precisely, yet strangely appealed to him, and what this new music inspired him to ultimately become. Near the beginning of his narrative, Felsenfeld described his primal time with music in Orange County, Calif. He had developed his musical skills enough to jumpstart a career around music — working in piano bars and in community theater orchestra pits. However, Felsenfeld stated that the music he worked with “... was dull, or at least had a dulling effect on me — it didn’t sparkle, or ask questions,” and that “I [he] took a lot of gigs, but at 17 I was already pretty detached” (pg. 625). Felsenfeld easily
Elliot Smith would imagine music, lyrics and story’s during the day and play the guitar mostly at nigh. He would not pay too much attention to what his hands were doing, he did this because he believed that it gained an unconscious connection to his music. Smith also had a liking to writing songs in bars , he believed that a bar was a half way point to being in public and being alone. He also enjoyed the background noise and music because it allowed him to switch off to his inner critic – his own worst enemy. “Playing safe is the best way to fail” Elliot Smith.
The story of the birth of rock ‘n’ roll has a mythical quality to it. It speaks of racial barriers bridged through the fusion of Afro-American musical styles with white popular music in 1950s America. Not only did white record producers and radio disc jockeys market Afro-American artists, but white artists began to cover their songs, as well as incorporate Afro-American style into their own song writing. The musical style was so powerful that the white audience was infected by it, despite the social stigma that listening to “race music” possessed. The common view of teenagers’ participation in the creation of rock ‘n’ roll as an act of rebellion runs parallel with the music’s legendary origins. Through rock ‘n’ roll, the teenagers of the United States created a generational gap that angered their parents’ generation. Teenagers rejected kitchy Tin Pan Alley, “Sing Along with Mitch,” and the sleepy crooning of Perry Como in favour of sexually charged race music. Historians have taken different approaches to the question of teen rebellion. While some consider their love of rock ‘n’ roll revolutionary, others argue that the music cemented teenagers within the conformity and materialism of the 1950s; what cars were to adults, rock ‘n’ roll was to teens.[1]
Artists write about what they know; they pull feelings from their heart and their songs relay what the artists’ emotions, whether it be of their hometown, their high school crush, or their experiences. Many artists that came to fame during the twentieth century have a fair share of experiences they share with us in the form of their songs. The twentieth century is comprised of the institution of slavery and its effects, war, gender norms, discrimination based on nationality, sex, race, etc., and countless events that sparked protests and uproars in the United States. Music at this time was a phenomenon, and artists could use it to their advantage. Artists used their music to spread awareness about their cause, influence their listeners, and
“Together the matrices of race and music occupied similar position and shared the same spaces in the works of some of the most lasting texts of Enlightenment thought..., by the end of the eighteenth century, music could embody differences and exhibit race…. Just as nature gave birth and form to race, so music exhibited remarkable affinities to nature” (Radano and Bohlman 2000: 14). Radano and Bohlman pointed out that nature is a source of differences that give rise to the different racial identities. As music embodies the physical differences of human, racial differences are not only confined to the differences in physical appearances, but also the differences in many musical features, including language, tonality and vocal expression. Nonetheless, music is the common ground of different racial identities. “In the racial imagination, music also occupies a position that bridges or overlaps with racial differences. Music fills in the spaces between racial distinctiveness….” (Radano and Bohlman 2000:8) Even though music serves as a medium through which different racial identities are voiced and celebrated individually, it establishes the common ground and glues the differences
In conclusion, many people have different opinions on the large variety of music. There are many to choose from. Most people would greatly prefer some music over others. I am not one to judge for this subject. I like many types. I think music has the same effect on everybody. No matter the
In this essay I will attempt to decipher how Frank Sinatra changed music. I will try to understand what made his music so different, unique, and genuine that we still worship him like a god today. In addition, I expect to discover how he changed as a person over his five decade career. I want to analyze who he associated himself with, assuming the possibility that these people had an effect on his music and persona. I believe that while his music changed as did his personality. I trust that when Sinatra originally started singing with the glee club of Demarest High School, he had no idea of where his life was heading, nor the legend he was going to become. Thus, as his fame progressed and evolved so did his music and disposition. In my own opinion, there is no one archetypal Sinatra song or album; honestly I don’t even believe that there is even one true Frank Sinatra style. His five decade career seemed to divide into three distinctive eras. Nonetheless, in order to reflect on one’s life we must start from the beginning.
Music can be traced back into human history to prehistoric eras. To this day archeologists uncover fragments of ancient instruments as well as tablets with carved lyrics buried alongside prominent leaders and highly influential people. This serves as a testament to the importance and power of music, as well as its influence in society. Over its many years of existence, music’s powerful invocation of feelings has allowed it to evolve and serve many purposes, one being inspiring change. American journalist and author Hunter S. Thompson once said, “Music has always been a matter of energy to me, a question of fuel. Sentimental people call it inspiration, but what they really mean is fuel.” This fuel is the very things that powers the influence of Rock ‘n’ Roll on American society, that author Glenn C. Altschuler writes about in his book, “All Shook Up – How Rock ‘n’ Roll Changed America.” Between 1945 and 1965 Rock ‘n’ Roll transformed American society and culture by helping to ease racial integration and launch a sexual revolution while most importantly developing an intergenerational identity.
...ath to dominate their field and branch off into other dominating sub-genres. Those genres, especially in the 1920’s, created the foundation of what we see today in the 21st century. The genres and the creativity produced in these decades were accompanied by entertaining dance and shows that provided the people with a comfortable diversion from their outward life. In addition, music remained a way of spiritual and fun release of the mind and energy. With the radio acting as a distribution center for music, it became a national pastime in which it still ranks number one today for it’s easy access and reaching fields. In conclusion, although the 1920’s saw the birthplace of what is generally known today as the foundation of modern music, the 1970’s matched innovation and creation in the industry which is why music is still a staple in the lives of many people today.
..., D. (1993). Music and the Mind. MENC, Retrieved August 25, 2003 from MENC, Academic Achievement and Music database.
It’s also interesting to think about how music plays a role in someone’s identity. Many articles found discuss the Social Identity Theory, and the people who conduct these experiments always keep this in mind, “Social identity theory (SIT; Tajfel, 1978; Tajfel & Turner, 1979) maintains that individuals gain a social identity from the groups to which they belong. The theorists claim that members have a desire to evaluate their own group positively and that they achieve positive evaluations through social comparisons with relevant other groups along valued dimensions. One maintains positive social identity and self-esteem through in-group favoritism, positive distinction from the out-group, and, occasionally, out-group derogation (e.g., Noel, Wann, & Branscombe, 1995)” (Tarrant, North, Hargreaves, 2001). Towson’s online database is an excellent place to research what has been found on music’s effects on psychology, and ...
The idea that music leads its listeners to participate in deviant acts can be left up to each individual’s opinion. The truth is, is that there is not sufficient research to prove or disprove whether music has a strong influence, if any, on the listener’s choices to engage in deviant behaviors. One thing for certain is that music can influence a population’s appearance and culture. Whether or not music causes listeners to be deviant, music will continue to be produced and played around the world.
Zadie Smith grew up listening to black “soul voices”, so she didn’t grasp the appeal of blonde singer Joni Mitchell and her “bloody piping” (Smith, 2012, p. 190) until a decade after her friends used to rave about her. Suddenly on a drive to Tinten Abbey a decade later, Smith changes her mind about Mitchell and writes, “How is it possible to hate something so completely and then suddenly love it so unreasonably?” (Smith, 2012, p. 191-2). Even though on the surface this essay may seem like a story of how a woman started to love an artist she previously hated, this event represents her realizing her ignorance and discovering a personal deficiency. Smith considered herself a “connoisseur of novels” (Smith, 2012, p. 191-2), but recognizes her anxiety when she converses with people who are just as much of an expert as she is- but also knowledgeable...
taste of music, people still like to listen to it and enjoy it. My own personal experiences and attitudes to music have stemmed from my own life and relationships.
Levitin, Daniel J. “This is your Brain on music: The Science of a Human Obsession.” Print