Est-ce Que Quelqu'un Écoute ?
I'm spending my Birthday my-spacing and chilling out. *sigh* Such a relief to just be with myself and play. Um. Not like that. Anyway...
I'm currently watching Madonna's 'Confessions' Tour which I acquired today as a 'gift-to-self'. It's beautifully orchestrated, with a stunning 'Confessions' interlude being a highlight for me so far. Watching her, thinking of the quality of her tours, and thinking of an upcoming Janet world tour, makes me wonder about popular music.
Performers of the 80's presented us with such strong views on human interaction, human interface. They made us analyse ourselves. The way we enjoyed, the way we experienced pain, our self-love, our self-worth. We were pushed to find a better self.
As I look at the TV screen now, a quotation is displayed on screens in front of thousands of Madonna fans. 'Is Anyone Listening?'
Are they? Is there anyone out there who is taking notice of the messages Madonna is presenting? Her concerns about AIDS orphans? The Israeli conflict? Of course, media outlets pick up this information when it's a slow news day just to push that star wagon a little further, but is this music generation blinded by the glitter and the fashion?
These days, it seems so much more common that young musical artists follow fashion instead of reinvent it. Their sound reverberates a lack of understanding even a caring, for world issues. Instead of making message records, we over-indulge in light and fluffy tracks about love. I guess that's fine, if our generation were still listening to Diana Ross & The Supremes. But I want more from music. And I'd hope that so would others.
Where are our veterans of tomorrow? And what message will they present us? How will they enrich our lives and make the popular music generation of today, be remembered tomorrow for what they changed, for how they grew? It scares me to think that Lindsay Lohan's deepest message is about her relationship to her father. That Rihanna is being unfaithful at the age of 17. That Ciara can only teach us a few basic dance steps.
I guess Beyonce and Christina are holding down the generation fort with their performances, more so Christina with her snapshots of historical influence, but again, no boundaries are really being pushed. Nothing new is being seen. I pray for the day an artist comes out with a real message, and a knack for learning from the past (taking influence) and truly reinventing it to create something totally different.
Janet's 'Control' album, gave light not only to black women in America, but also an entire generation of people who realised that no longer did they need people to make choices for them. A simple thing, sure, but one that had not ever really been done by a young African American woman.
Not only do we need lyrics to inspire and to challenge, but we need the energy in an artist to compel and captivate their audience, so much so that they transpire a voice. A voice that can carry through to influence society. To change society. To educate society. I feel like I'm pleading with my own passion for music, in hope...
Music needs to change. In two ways. It needs to take a metamorphosis. It needs to change lives. It may be entertaining, it may be disposable pop music. But great pop music lives forever.
I'm currently watching Madonna's 'Confessions' Tour which I acquired today as a 'gift-to-self'. It's beautifully orchestrated, with a stunning 'Confessions' interlude being a highlight for me so far. Watching her, thinking of the quality of her tours, and thinking of an upcoming Janet world tour, makes me wonder about popular music.
Performers of the 80's presented us with such strong views on human interaction, human interface. They made us analyse ourselves. The way we enjoyed, the way we experienced pain, our self-love, our self-worth. We were pushed to find a better self.
As I look at the TV screen now, a quotation is displayed on screens in front of thousands of Madonna fans. 'Is Anyone Listening?'
Are they? Is there anyone out there who is taking notice of the messages Madonna is presenting? Her concerns about AIDS orphans? The Israeli conflict? Of course, media outlets pick up this information when it's a slow news day just to push that star wagon a little further, but is this music generation blinded by the glitter and the fashion?
These days, it seems so much more common that young musical artists follow fashion instead of reinvent it. Their sound reverberates a lack of understanding even a caring, for world issues. Instead of making message records, we over-indulge in light and fluffy tracks about love. I guess that's fine, if our generation were still listening to Diana Ross & The Supremes. But I want more from music. And I'd hope that so would others.
Where are our veterans of tomorrow? And what message will they present us? How will they enrich our lives and make the popular music generation of today, be remembered tomorrow for what they changed, for how they grew? It scares me to think that Lindsay Lohan's deepest message is about her relationship to her father. That Rihanna is being unfaithful at the age of 17. That Ciara can only teach us a few basic dance steps.
I guess Beyonce and Christina are holding down the generation fort with their performances, more so Christina with her snapshots of historical influence, but again, no boundaries are really being pushed. Nothing new is being seen. I pray for the day an artist comes out with a real message, and a knack for learning from the past (taking influence) and truly reinventing it to create something totally different.
Janet's 'Control' album, gave light not only to black women in America, but also an entire generation of people who realised that no longer did they need people to make choices for them. A simple thing, sure, but one that had not ever really been done by a young African American woman.
Not only do we need lyrics to inspire and to challenge, but we need the energy in an artist to compel and captivate their audience, so much so that they transpire a voice. A voice that can carry through to influence society. To change society. To educate society. I feel like I'm pleading with my own passion for music, in hope...
Music needs to change. In two ways. It needs to take a metamorphosis. It needs to change lives. It may be entertaining, it may be disposable pop music. But great pop music lives forever.
posted by Christopher at 1:36 PM
4 Comments:
well they say that this generation will never offer anything new. we do nothing but take bits and pieces of previous eras - the 60s, the 80s, 90s etc - from fashion to art to architecture, and just adapt them and rename them '2000'-whatevers.
If you look at art, there were big jumps from Renaissance to Impressionism to this to that and to Modern in the 90s. Massive changes in every form of aethetic life - in fashion even. There were revolutionary leaps and bounds that generations called theirs and theirs only.
The years we live now will offer nothing but copies from the past, tweaked in one way or another to make it seem different but the origin and foundation is still so very the same. We cant call anything ours. Originality is dead.
And so i reckon music is the same. We do nothing nowadays but herald 'comebacks'. Because there's nothing new to offer. Everything are covers. Everything's repeated. Oh my god thats so sad.
Pop music is about making money, kids buy the cds because the songs are catchy and that's it. There is plenty of music out there with real messages and decent lyrics.. but you won't find it on MTV.
I think pop music became about making money when the messages were lost. It became all about the packaging, the aesthetic appeal, because there was a need to cover what music was lacking.
We did find real messages on MTV. MTV originally preached of a revolution. They expressed their interest in making a change in the generation.
The MTV generation did change music, as a whole new way of presenting music was engaged.
I don't think pop music should be labelled as something that is such a commercial product that it makes no societal impact. There was definitely a time when pop music had messages, and yes, maybe now, the messages are lacking. And that is my concern.
pop...
your cherry.
hahahhaahhahahahAHHAHAHhahahhaah.
sorry. am so tired at work.
pop. ahhahahhahhha
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