Music is what feelings sound like

            "Music is what feelings sound like" is an unknown quote but all I know is that whoever said or wrote it, is a pure genius. Feelings are unreachable without music and the thought of no music makes the world seem dull, boring and lifeless. Feelings are surrounded with music and if music is not associated with feelings than someone is doing something wrong.

            I look at music as a gift from the universe to let us express our feelings, no matter what they may be, and to help other people express those same feelings that they could not put into words until then. Many artists are very good at this and many are known for appealing so well to people's feelings which is why this quote makes so much sense. When a person is feeling sad, they go and listen to a song that shows that same emotion. People can be read easily on what they listen to when it comes to that. It's easy to tell a person is mad if he or she is listening to a screamo band or that they are depressed listening to a band like Nirvana for one of Cobain's "I'm going to kill myself" kind of songs. Feelings are expressed through songs in many ways such as tone of the singer, notes in the music and lyrics. The lyrics or the way the singer sings the lyrics can effect one's feelings when he or she listens to it because they feel that emotion that the singer feels and it seems as a source of empathy. The beat of songs can surprisingly also effect one by the vibration he or she feels.

            Music is a strong thing and with it feelings can be expressed and shown. Music is not bad and without it people should not be able to feel much except boredom and depression. Music definitely is what feelings are made of.

Music

            Music is a big part of my life. Even now as I write this, I have my Pandora running and Eric Clapton is wailing away on his guitar. No matter where I am, or what I'm doing, I have some song in my head that I'm playing back and forth. I even wake up some days with a song already in my head even if I haven't heard that song for two weeks. It's something my father and I have in common, waking up with a song. Whenever I'm in an area that is very quiet and I can hear everyone moving around, I just wish some music would come on, anything that I can tap my foot to.

            Friedrich Nietzsche, supposedly, was a big believer in music being superior in a humans life because he once said "Without music, life would be a mistake." The literal meaning of this quote shows how strongly he feels what music does in daily life. Without music he states that life is a "mistake". He thinks there is no use for life if there is no music. This is true in my eyes because I believe music is a connection to superior beings in the universe. When I listen to those few songs that I just get goose bumps from, I believe it's a connection to the universe that no one can experience without listening to this music. I feel it now listening to a certain virtuoso by the name of Jimi Hendrix. The way he plays the guitar not only makes me wonder how he came up with this stuff but also how he stayed alive, even for how long he did, knowing how great he was and how the music he plays lets people like me experience the superior universe in ways unexplainable.

            Music IS life and without it, there is no reason to live. So take the stairway that music is and walk it up and experience for yourself the extraterrestrial and unexplainable good nature that is, what we call, music.

There is a controversy about the aspect of peace. People think that peace is hopeless because people want war and war will always be in the world. Others, including many musicians and flower children of the sixties, just want people to "give peace a chance".
          Famous musician Jimi Hendrix once said " When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace". His point of view on this subject, based on this quote, is that love will achieve peace in the world. He uses this clever word choice when he shows the opposite of the negative aspect can achieve peace. He says that the power of love, being a timely delicacy for the people of the sixties wanting "flower power", overcomes the love of power being the big egos of the government thinking they are the best and anytime there is opposition to this, force is used- mostly on other countries.
           In the sixties, when Hendrix was playing, the music society was inclined to make peace spread. Musicians spread the word through peace driven songs and antiwar songs. The Vietnam war was big and there was a split in society with the people who liked the war or supported it versus the people strongly against it, so peace was hard to achieve with such a support for war crowd was still around.
        This is a strong quote except for the requirements for peace are more complicated than what the quote states. Jimi states that "all you need is love" to get peace in the world. Both sides have to be in mutual agreement just to end a war so just imagine what it is like to end all wars and have peace. It was attempted by Woodrow Wilson with his formation of the league of nations, from his 14 points, to "end all wars" but was futile anyways. Two major conflicts, that America was involved with, later and there still is no peace just because mutual agreement cant be made.
        Love is a big factor because the quote "love thy brother" and the idea of love for the sake of mankind can achieve peace but I do not think this quote really hits the mark with good philosophical meaning. it was a quick quote by a musician who's songs were inspirational and poetic. It is, however, a good quote and makes a good starting point to work on eventual worlwide peace.

You dig?

Music is a comentary on society

 

            Born and raised in Lancaster, Ca, Frank Zappa is most know for his musical ability and his band. His legacy holds true to the musicians of the AV and people who played with him can truly say that he was an inspirational man.  Frank Zappa once said, "music is always a commentary on society". Who knows if he is the original person who said this or not but either way, I think it holds very true. 

            Whether it be jazz in the twenties, to rock and roll in the fifties and sixties to even punk in the nineties, music has become the force used to resist  conformity and propriety of the status quo. 

            In the twenties, African American started playing jazz during the Harlem renaissance. They enjoyed this music because it was different, It reflected their struggles in society, and it made them use whatever they had on hand to come up with, which is how they lived in the first place. they were able to talk about their lives within the music. It sprung into blues that let them explore even more in the lyrics. This music to them was more than music. It was a way to get away from the problems of life. The fact that they had to do this just to be happy shows how messed up the society was towards them.

During the sixties, many people were resisting the Vietnam War and so the music of this time reflected this rebellion of the man and the government who were all in support of this war. John Lennon's "Give Peace a Chance"  played as a national anthem to the antiwar society for many years while resisting the war, and Country Joe's song "I-Feel-Like-I’m-Fixin’-to-Die Rag", put up a good chanting song with its chorus,                                                                                       

"And it's one, two, three,
What are we fighting for ?
Don't ask me, I don't give a damn,
Next stop is Vietnam;
And it's five, six, seven,
Open up the pearly gates,
Well there ain't no time to wonder why,
Whoopee! we're all gonna die."                                                                                                           

The rebellious society was followed everywhere and this part of history was full of it, from Civil Rights Activists like Martin Luther King JR. and Malcolm X, to College sit-ins and of course, the music.

            Nirvana played a big role in the teen movement towards punk rock and depression. Their music were fantastic anthem for teens not knowing what to do. Their way out was to listen to this band who seemed like they were experiencing the same problems they did. The problem was, the lead singer Kurt Cobain killed himself and left people to also  think that's what they had to do. The influence music has on generations is extremely strong and it effects everyone whether parents of generation or generation themselves.

            Just from looking at these three influential time periods of society related to music, it makes me believe in Frank Zappa's quote even more. Past "Smoke on the Water", Frank Zappa did so much more influential and innovative things and he is a musical Genius.

            So say what you will, but the question is: what is today's society like where the very music that people enjoy has the F word, and the words rape, sex and bust-a-cap, every ten seconds in it?