Why?
Why do we all do it? Why are we all here? We are all us moggers so obsessed with music? Why can a simple collection of notes mean so much to people?
Countless sociologists, psychologist and marketing men have tried to solve this question. Music might be some evolutional biproduct of human socialisation, some bizarre bonding ritual born from banging a tune on saber-tooth tiger bones. Our desire to collect ever expanding supplies of tunes might be some latent food-hoarding instinct. Or it might be linked to childhood fascination with faeces. I don't know, and frankly I'm not quite bothered. What I have is a more pressing matter. Right now, I don't care about how music came to be. I'm just thinking about a modern predicament, about how we can love some shitty piece of pop music so much. About how some little three-minute blast of music can mean so much. How music can be an that emotional crutch, that thing we come to rely on. And I think I have some theories.
I hope this doesn't sound too insulting, but I guess us moggers are all a little incomplete. We keep searching for something and try to find it in music. Whether its money troubles, failed loves or some other lacking necessity, the desire to find that missing thing is what drives us to those songs. You might disagree, but I've always argued this: only miserable people listen to music. If you were happy, if your life was fucking sorted, you'd have far too much going to bother with bands. But instead you look for escape. A place to hide from your fucked-up emotions, a little piece liberation from daily drudgery and failure. Please don't take this the wrong guys, I am not accusing you. I am one of you.
And I think I know why we listen music. It's a twofold thing. First we are sick of being fucked-around. We relish have something we can have faith in. Music never you asks you questions, music never gets pissed off with you, misunderstands you. Music is safe, it's never going to let you down. You throw all you emotions at it, and it will never disappoint you. A band will never play power-games with you. A record cannot lie to you. It will support you when you need it, and will always be there for you. But it is more than that. By surrendering yourself to some silly awesome you can let yourself go. You can bask in the euphoria of artistic creation. The chance to join with something beautiful, to step outside yourself and bathe in sound is cathartic, liberating almost redemptive. And it this duality, the idea of something you can love without risk, and some idea of joining yourself with beauty which makes us love music so much.
But I'm rambling. And after a bottle of wine and a messy disagreement I end up veering towards the emo. And I've gone off silly fringes for the time being. All I know is that music makes it feel better, and so does some weird sort of cathartic blogposts. Hurling my drunken viewpoints into cyberspace like a monkey throwing shit in a zoo. Anyway, you all know the drill after all these years, agree or disagree in the comments.
And here's a decent song to keep you entertained. Even if it is referencing a shite, c*nt filled football team...
Locating MOG account...
Comments (18)
I Think....ah, no...I mean ah yes, but its all wrong....that is i think i disagree, on several points. I've known many happy people who love music. There are many happy people making mucho happy music....your choice is to listen or not.
But i sure liked reading your post.
Art is an expression of longing to know the unknown - what could be a better pursuit?
gb2 - I'm happy to have someone disagree, that's what makes debates worth having. But I'm glad you liked the post.
Oatmeal - brilliant, I wish I could put it that well myself.
I've always characterized my love affair with music this way. I'm a graphic artist (sometimes cartoonist) who really wants to be able to play an instrument. I think it's a grass is greener situation, for a lot of us.
We should be happy with what we have, but we wouldn't be miserable than, would we?
Cheers to this though, I think you've encapsulated our own personal conundrum very well. I could only take offense if you weren't so damn right.
One thing you missed is that we are a bit self righteous and arrogant about our misery. If only people would listen to the songs we tell them best represent the situation they (or we) are in, they wouldn't fuck up so bad either.
thank you for your post. it's an interesting question for all of us to think about. i do have to disagree with you though :)
i think one appeal of music is that it is universal. i say this as i'm living in another country. although i don't speak the language and don't understand the lyrics, i still get the general feeling of the song. vice versa, when i go into stores here, they play american pop music. they might not understand ANYTHING being said (which becomes obvious when they play a slur-slinging, cuss-saturated rap song!) but they still "get" the music part of it.
ultimately, music is an expression and i think you're right to a degree - some people use music as their 'saviour', a crutch, a comfort, an idol of sorts. however, music to me is worship, a way to draw us closer to the Saviour, Jesus Christ. music is largely spiritual underneath - that's why people like us have a hard time connecting to shallow pop music :) - and that is a beautiful thing.
Nice post Jox. It is interesting to read, and I do think that many of us often turn to music for the reasons you mention. I also think that everyone is incomplete, though some people might not realize it, and that emotions of hope, fear, anxiety, and insecurity can often be comforted by music.
I also think that, despite being incomplete, you can also be happy. I don't believe one cancels out the other all the time. Sometimes I'm happy, though I'm always incomplete. Gives food for thought this late night rambling of yours. :)
I got 2 cents, can I play? Science telss us that we are hard-wired to create & enjoy music....as a species. (sorry contrabandwidth, we weren't all created equal at all. I need a U-haul to carry a tune). Now, is this innate trait a result of intelligent design, or a random act of biological response to environmental conditions. It depends on where you put your FAITH
Wait. I got more. We respond to any art by bringing our sense & sensibilities to it. It is not a question of being incomplete within ourselves. Rather it is the artwork itself that is necessarily incomplete. The artist must allow room for the critical element....the perspective, however shaped, of the audience. Music is used to express the whole range of human emotion....and that range sometimes is in that inarticulate space where words are useless, as good friend musikfriend's post so often remind us.
Interesting post, interesting comments. I have been crazy about music in many genres since I was a kid. At best, music can transport and be a profound spiritual experience. (I saw Nusrat Khan on his last tour; I cried and lost my voice and felt at one with the entire contents of the Greek Theater.) I have too much music, am exposing myself to too much music, and concede there is something quite compulsive about my buying more. (My other compulsions, thank you very much, are waning with age and sobriety.) At best, music can still get me to shake my ass. But I think I am generally a happy person and I do think music is a part of my spiritual path...
I agree and disagree. I, like many, do use music to try to fill the places where I feel incompete and to sooth my anxiety (of which there is much). But I also use it to amplify my joy. There are days when I am truly happy, and i just put on my favorite album of the moment and sing along at the top of my lungs. I'd like to think that no one is completely miserable (including you!) and that music can fit into all of the moods and emotions we experience.
"amplify my joy", I like that, that's nice. :)
Who wants to be happy? Like seriously utterly happy? It would be boring and you'd have nothing to look forward to.
Music has let me down quite often; it's just that I can move on. I'm strong, I'm telling ya :)
I use music to intensify what I'm feeling, whether it's good or bad, not hide from what's going on. But hey, different strokes for different folks.
Excellent post, dear. Food for thought is always welcome :)
I dream of being this lucid; it's really not fair that you can be so after a full bottle of wine.
Well, minus the profanity perhaps. ;)
Great post.
Two things:
Trying to figure why it has such a hold on me is one thing (I think you hit on some good points too-emptyness) and letting go and being in it is the other (fullness).
I try to keep it simple..my obsession just is..but another part of me wants to know why.
I can't imagine a time or circumstance that'll make me stop looking for the perfect beat though.
I don't want to find out why. It's like life is all about the search for the meaning of life.
...But there is an interesting tangent from Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, that The Beatles made all those great songs about love but their greatest hit is I Wanna Hold Your Hand, that the idea behind relationships (music, in this case) is not love but wanting to hold the other's hand. It's one answer.
There is definitely a conversation between me and the record..I guess that's why I need help.
Great, I have been sharing music since middle school, and now you make me ask myself why.... this one is going to make my head hurt I just know it. Wonderful post and comments though.
Ian Love - Hear A Song
Nice essay, Jox, even if I don't completely buy the premise. Toot, whistle, plunk, and boom. It makes me happy when I'm not. It makes me happier when I'm happy. It offers commiseration when I need it. Heaven knows, I'm not miserable now (thanks, Mozzer), and that cracked doll Amanda juiced up my night with that (well-picked) viddy.