Music Is One of the Pillars of Culture in Society - Essay Example

Technically, music is one of the pillars of culture in society.

Teen Angel was released in 1963 and reached 1st position in the American Billboard category of popular music. Undeniably, there are other songs from the 60s that climbed to 1st position and remained popular throughout the decade. However, I feel that Mark’s song exemplified the mood prevailing during that time. The sixties was a time of children by baby boomers. After the 2nd World War, the number of families made up of young couples increased. In the 60s, most children of previously young couples were in their teenage periods (Broadus and Browne, 17). In this case, Teen Angel by Mark Dinning exemplifies an atmosphere filled with high school moods and teenage love affairs.

Music of the 70s: ‘Indian Reservation’, by the Raiders
In 1971, Indian Reservation reached 1st position in the U.S. Billboard charts and remained within the top 10 categories for the succeeding two years. The Raiders took the nation wild with concrete lyrics and rhythmic characteristics of the song. Indian Reservation exemplifies the 70s social atmosphere filled with civil rights struggles from minority groups (Smith, 44). The Native Indian population in America was an example of minorities who experienced uncomfortable neglect and negative influence from mainstream cultures. Therefore, the Raiders spawned the music environment with messages of cultural preservation in the song.

Music of the 80s: ‘Endless Summer Nights’, by Richard Marx
The eighties was a decade characterized by increased diversity in musical genres. During the period, alternative rock and soul music rose in popularity. Contextually, Richard Marx released Endless Summer Nights, a song that became popular until the end of the 1980s. In his song, Richard recalls the endless summer nights he previously had with his woman. The 1980s was a period when civil rights had improved and social, economic, and political environments were favorable for most Americans (Lee, 38). This was a time filled with nostalgic feelings and songs that recalled the past became popular.

Music of the 90s: ‘Black Hole Sun, by Soundgarden
Unlike the 80s whose musical environment favored reminiscent songs, the 90s was a decade of science and increased popularity in college education (Frith, 64). As a result, songs carried messages related to scientific knowledge and technology. In the song Black Hole Sun, Soundgarden expresses ideas of astrophysics as a scientific discipline and strives to relate the astrophysical concepts with real-life experiences. Therefore, 90s music exemplifies the boom in scientific knowledge within American society.
Music from 2000 and beyond: ‘All About That Bass, by Meghan Trainor
The song by Meghan Trainor is a perfect example of popular music from the 2000 to present. All About That Bass expresses the degree of individualism and diminishing influence of social conventions on young adults today. Contrary to past emphasis on the beauty of a slender figure by American women, Meghan’s song undermines the influence of conventional notions of the beauty of a woman. Meghan metaphorically uses the terms ‘treble’ and ‘bass’ in creating a contrast between slender and chubby women figures. In addition, music of the present age is characterized by the heavy use of computerized technology in the production of both audio and visual media (Frith, 72).

Observable Patterns
Admittedly, there is an observable pattern in music from a single decade. Songs belonging to different genres in the 70s seem to converge in terms of lyrical messages. For example, Indian Reservation by the Raiders belongs to the Psychedelic Rock category while Free Bird by Don McLean belongs to the Blues Rock genre. Despite the difference in genre, both Indian Reservation and Free Bird carry messages relating to oppression and neglect from the American mainstream cultures (Broadus and Browne, 29). Similarly, music from other decades depicts apparent patterns either in terms of messages, genre allegiance, or technology of composition. For example, popular music from 2000-present possesses substantial use of electronic rhythms and minimal use of traditional instruments like guitars.