MayMusic appreciation.
May 12th 2008 10:32
In recent musical history, you get songs that make it big, either because they were used in a movie or tv show. Now I'm not opposed to that. I think that whatever means it takes to get music to a wider audience, then it should be done.
GASP!
That's all the people who believe that this is akin to selling out, going commerical, losing their artistic merit.
Really, I'm pretty sure that most of the time, the song was already written before the concept of the movie/tv show even went into production (of course, I am excluding specially composed music, because that would ruin the point I'm trying to get across now, wouldn't it?). So unless humans have evolved to the point where they can pre-sell themselves out for the future, I don't think that argument sticks.
Well then, what about the songs that you hear featured in movies, I mean, you only like them because of the movie! You hadn't even heard of -insert artist/band name here- before that song!
Ah, yes...I remember a particular argument I had with a girl in school. The song was My Heart Will Go On and the movie was Titanic. Before I continue, I must state that I like both the song and movie, but can understand that there are people out there who don't like either.
This girl was saying that the only reason people liked the song was because of the movie, and that no one would've kicked up such a fuss about it had it not been associated with the movie. I couldn't bear the thought that she was right on this issue, so I said "Well, actually, I heard the song before I saw the movie, and I already liked it." Of course that was a blatant lie, but it shut her up, which was the only important thing at that time!
Look, everyone is going to have their opinions. I now realise that yes, it was highly likely that I only liked that song because each time I heard it, I thought of the movie. But you know what? I don't care now. What's wrong with that anyway? The practice might be flawed (because songs end up flogged to death) however the theory works. It is just giving potential fans the chance to hear that song in a different limelight.
I think it's a similar thing with music videos. Why do music videos work? It's a chance to view that song in a different light. It could be a really simple video where the story is told using the lyrics as a guide, or it could be a completely abstract video. The whole point is that from the moment we see that video, we will always think of it (memory permitting) whenever we hear that song. A good video will make the song more memorable.
Sometimes its surprising how you can discover a different feel to a song when you listen to it in a different situation. I regularly listen to my iPod on shuffle, and have found myself enjoying songs that I don't really listen to, as I walk through a park on my way to work...
Anyway, I'm getting off track.
My final word on this is that I don't mind that I had never heard of such and such before hearing their music on some show or movie. It's given me the opportunity to hear and appreciate a song that I might not have done so otherwise. I don't need to be a diehard fan from the outset to be allowed to like a song when I hear it. I don't mind falling in love with song only after hearing it in a movie. It's let me appreciate it from a different angle. Come on, being able to find beauty in anything is good right??
GASP!
That's all the people who believe that this is akin to selling out, going commerical, losing their artistic merit.
Really, I'm pretty sure that most of the time, the song was already written before the concept of the movie/tv show even went into production (of course, I am excluding specially composed music, because that would ruin the point I'm trying to get across now, wouldn't it?). So unless humans have evolved to the point where they can pre-sell themselves out for the future, I don't think that argument sticks.
Well then, what about the songs that you hear featured in movies, I mean, you only like them because of the movie! You hadn't even heard of -insert artist/band name here- before that song!
Ah, yes...I remember a particular argument I had with a girl in school. The song was My Heart Will Go On and the movie was Titanic. Before I continue, I must state that I like both the song and movie, but can understand that there are people out there who don't like either.
This girl was saying that the only reason people liked the song was because of the movie, and that no one would've kicked up such a fuss about it had it not been associated with the movie. I couldn't bear the thought that she was right on this issue, so I said "Well, actually, I heard the song before I saw the movie, and I already liked it." Of course that was a blatant lie, but it shut her up, which was the only important thing at that time!
Look, everyone is going to have their opinions. I now realise that yes, it was highly likely that I only liked that song because each time I heard it, I thought of the movie. But you know what? I don't care now. What's wrong with that anyway? The practice might be flawed (because songs end up flogged to death) however the theory works. It is just giving potential fans the chance to hear that song in a different limelight.
I think it's a similar thing with music videos. Why do music videos work? It's a chance to view that song in a different light. It could be a really simple video where the story is told using the lyrics as a guide, or it could be a completely abstract video. The whole point is that from the moment we see that video, we will always think of it (memory permitting) whenever we hear that song. A good video will make the song more memorable.
Sometimes its surprising how you can discover a different feel to a song when you listen to it in a different situation. I regularly listen to my iPod on shuffle, and have found myself enjoying songs that I don't really listen to, as I walk through a park on my way to work...
Anyway, I'm getting off track.
My final word on this is that I don't mind that I had never heard of such and such before hearing their music on some show or movie. It's given me the opportunity to hear and appreciate a song that I might not have done so otherwise. I don't need to be a diehard fan from the outset to be allowed to like a song when I hear it. I don't mind falling in love with song only after hearing it in a movie. It's let me appreciate it from a different angle. Come on, being able to find beauty in anything is good right??
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