Music was my first love, and it will be my last,
music of the future and music of the past. To live without my music would be
impossible to do, and in this world of troubles my music pulls me through.
The above text was an extract written by the singer John Miles http://www.john-miles.net/
and for me sums up entirely how we all
perceive music. William Shakespeare +William Shakespeare Fan Page once famously said if music be the food of
love, play on. We as individuals interpret the many forms of music for our own
self indulgence and that is what this blog is about. What category do you fall
into?
Every generation blames the one before, is a line in
the song In the Living Years written and sung by the group Mike and the Mechanics
but it is a song that I can’t listen to. Not that I don’t like it as I actually
think the tune is quite a good one, but in this case for the words as it can
reduce me to tears so sorry guys but I have to turn the radio off whenever it
is played. Is it specifically the tune, the words or the song which plays with
the human emotion, or is it a combination of all three? A child of the sixties
may listen and enjoy music of the fifties, whereas if you are like me and born
in the seventies you listened to music of the sixties. Back then you had catchy
tunes, you could hear the words and forty years down the line you still know
the lyrics singing along to them whether in the bath, driving the car or more
annoyingly, on the train.
My kids however are nineties children and so prefer
to listen to Hip Hop, Rap, Gangsta Rap and variations on a theme with all its
boom boom boom and content sung so fast that it all just seems to merge into
one. Now I’m sure that these “Musical Artists” are very talented in what they
do being able to compose and recite a whole string of sentences at breakneck
speed but I do wonder in another forty years from now if anyone will actually
remember what they said and sing it out loud when they’re in the tub? The
nearest thing that I can compare it to is Vanilla Ice and Ice Ice baby.
The hit musical +WE WILL ROCK YOU in London’s West
End has just announced that it is to close after playing to packed houses for
over a decade. Year after year people went to see this production not to go and
follow the story line but because of the feel good factor you get when the rock
and roll music is blasted from the sound system at such a rate of decibels you
feel as though you have two heart beats. The sound waves passing through your
body knocking you from one side to the other just adding to the rhythmic
pleasure of the all round experience. Personally I love Rock in all its forms and have
attended concerts from the likes of Status Quo, Madness and Paul Weller as these guys can get the blood pumping which in turn lifts up the soul
and makes you feel good no matter how much of a bad day you have had.
However, that’s just me and it’s true to say that depending
on what mood I’m in I could be just as happy at times to listen to far softer
tunes like classical music with composers such as Ludwig Van Beethoven +Beethovenfest Bonn and his Moonlight
Sonata. Maybe a spot of Motown www.motownmuseum.com or even if I’m with a group of friends then a
night of live Irish music with classic songs such as Fields of Athenry, Seven Drunken Nights then later in the evening after a few ale’s have been
consumed even Molly Malone can be heard emanating from my lips.
Everyone is different and as such we see the world
in a variety of obscure and eclectic ways. Music is usually born out of human
emotion to portray human emotion whether it is happy or sad and can change the
feeling of someone’s mood in a second. How many times have you said when the
radio is on in the background “ooh turn this up, I've not heard it in ages”. In
an instant from whatever you were doing your mind set has been altered to a
more positive vibe because of the music being played. This in turn can then
lead your perception of how you see life for the rest of the day and all
because of a single track.
However, certain kinds of music can really only be
best listened to at certain times of the day, or even can be affected by what
part of the country you are in. For instance, it’s 7 AM Monday morning and the
alarm clock has just gone off rudely awakening you from your deep slumber
telling you it’s time to go to work. Would the combination miss-match of Jazz
notes be what you want to listen to as you drag yourself out of bed and make
your way to the bathroom eyes half closed? Or would you prefer something more
upbeat such as a Pop track from the eighties? Maybe you are an all night party
animal and like a bit of “God Save the Queen” by The Sex Pistols. Jazz is a
great thing to listen to with its many and varying different forms but at least
let me get my first cup of coffee into the system before I listen with my eyes
still half closed as I do the daily commute.
In Dorset there is a folk group called the Wareham
Whalers http://www.wareham-whalers.org.uk/
they meet up and sing for the pleasure
of entertaining others at various country based events. I’m reliably told that Folk music itself mainly came about
because people wanted to tell a story or wanted to sing about something that
was happening in their world, usually at their local pub.
People also wanted to sing about the hardships of work and songs from the North
of England will often be about life in the mines. More traditional folk
songs will often have such topics as ladies either losing or trying to save
their 'maidenhead', about rogues of the day, Long Lankin or other characters
and beasts of folklore. Many folk songs sing about songs of the sea but
these are not to be confused with sea shanties which were traditionally written
as work songs.
Folk groups became more
popular during the 1970's and with the introduction of the electric guitar,
bands like Steeleye Span and Fairport Convention became more accepted into
mainstream music and started to have much more influence on a more modern
audience. The underground folk scene was already well underway in a number of
London clubs and names like Paul Simon, John Renbourne, Anne Briggs and more
found a serious following.
However, would folk music, tales of sea shanties and
how old dog Shep sit’s by his master’s graveside go down well with the likes of
your pin striped city types in places such as Canary Wharf? Somehow I think
not, I've heard the Wareham Whalers group perform and they’re pretty good to
listen to.
So there you have it, a broad cross section of music
summed up in a very brief nutshell. Music can bring out both the best and worst
in people due to the way it evokes the human emotion. You can lie in bed
agreeing with a track such as “Nothing Compares to You” by Sinead O’Connor as
she tugs at the heartstrings after an emotional break up. Or you can sit in the
sun whilst eating a picnic listening to Mungo Jerry and enjoy life to the
full.
The next time you are watching a movie where there
is an action sequence with no dialogue, turn the sound off and watch the scene.
Then, rewind and watch again with the sound turned on and see if you perceive
the scene any differently. Although the music is in the background your brain
interprets what you see and what you hear in two completely different ways then
combines the two to give an outcome. Music in the movie, as in life can inspire,
be creative, and can fuel hatred. But above all music is what it means to you,
the individual. It can help you, guide you and be there for you to get through
life.
So if music is
the food of love, play on.
Wingwalker.
