2 Songs for the End of the World
I have specific songs that I listen to for when I'm feeling sad, anxious, happy, tired, and pretty much any other emotion I go through. So this thought of providing my 2 favorite songs sounded very intriguing to me. I thought about this decision very hard, and I've finally come up with 2 songs that have both helped me through some difficult times, and ties into question 2 in the instructions that was why we need music. The first song I chose is near and dear to my heart for multiple reasons but the main reason is that this song reminds me of a time in my life when I was not in a good place, but I dug myself out of it and got much, much better. And this song helped a lot.
This song was written by a band named Ritt Momney and released in 2019 which was pretty recently. It was released in America but I'm not sure if it's made it to different countries or not. This band isn't the most popular but has gained more and more fans over the years.
My Personal Thoughts:
This song answered the original question by simply stating that this song reminds me of a time where I wasn't doing so well but I pulled through and it is now a different reminder. When I hear this song it reminds me of how strong I was since I was able to pull myself out of the rut I was in and improve my life drastically. So when the question "Why do we need music?" is asked I have a simple response. Because it evokes emotion, both happy and sad, to help people when they are at their lowest points. It can kind of be considered a temporary distraction from something that is going on that isn't too great.
Musical Element #1:
In this song, the beginning start out very whimsical sounding, and very soft with the guitar plucking. It's a very calming vibe even when the singing verses come on. The music shifts a bit and gets a bit louder and has a pulsating rhythm, and then it gets quieter. This makes it so the music stays interesting, and keeps your attention and focus. This is what I mentioned was one of the reasons I liked this song so much. It was a temporary moment of calmness and distraction I needed when I was going through some rough stuff. Overall, this song is the first song I think about listening to when I'm upset or sad, and it immediately lifts my mood because of the upbeat nature of the song and just a general sense that everything will be alright.
Musical Element #2:
Unlike the bright and calming music, the lyrics are pretty sad. I remember listening to this song for the first time because it was recommended by a friend. I really liked the beat and rhythm of the song, but I wasn't;t quite paying attention to the words. Then I finally listened to it on my own and I realized the lyrics were pretty sad, and during this time I could sort of relate to what he is singing about in this song. One particular lyric that always sticks out to me is when he sings
"I pick myself up off another floor now
Set my head upon my neck again" This lyrics still makes me sad, but these were the lyrics that helped me the most, and made me realize a few things about myself that I needed to work out before I started to heal. These lyrics are also very eloquent statement because he is basically saying that he also struggled and made it through those times. It's a way to interact and feel closer to artists when they mention personal things like this.
. . .
This 2nd song is also one of my favorites and it's called 505 by Arctic Monkeys. It was released in 2007 and recorded at Alexandria Place in London. You can kind of hear their accents when they're singing, but I personally like it a lot. It adds a refreshing difference between American pop music that is way too overplayed. I enjoy this song because it's upbeat and I can dance to it, and other people seem to like Arctic Monkeys as well so it's a good song for everyone to listen to. I can always put on this song and jam out to it if I've had a bad day, or if I'm just in need of a jam session.
Musical Element #1:
The first musical element that I enjoy most about this song is the way the song starts. Very calming, slow music. And then just like the song I previously talked about, it slowly gets a little faster, and more instruments are added to the beat. The anticipation of the beat drop in the middle of the song keeps the listeners attention because people who have heard this song know there is a very quiet part followed by a beat drop and lyrics. This part catches your attention and makes you want to listen to the song the whole way through. And then after the beat drop is more awesome instrumentals and a guitar solo which just adds to the need to listen to the song until it's over.
Musical Element #2:
The whole theme of this song is someone severely missing someone who means a lot to them, but that they unfortunately can't be with because of certain reasons. I'm sure everyone can relate to this because everyone has missed one specific person at least once in their life. This song encapsulates the inevitable time in someones life where they're going to miss someone greatly but they can't see them. This song obviously helped me through something exactly like this, and it helped that the song itself had a catchy and uplifting beat.
Why do we need music?
The first article I found that answered this question for me is an article written by a piano company. Steinway & Sons posted a music blog exploring the reason music is so important to us, and they gave really great reasons. Their most prevalent point that they made throughout the article was that music helped us make sense of our lives, and work things out. Music has a way of helping people find missing pieces of themselves, or broken parts that they didn't even know needed fixing. They also explained music as being a basic human need, along with food, water, and shelter, which I can agree with because not only am I an avid music listener, I am an avid violin player, among other instruments. I find it very cool that music is being portrayed this way because for me, and a lot of other people, music as a huge part of our lives and it's nice when it gets appreciated. This quote from the piano website stuck out to me the most and kind of summarizes how they view music:
‘Music has a way of finding the big, invisible moving pieces inside our hearts and souls and helping us figure out the position of things inside us.’(Paulnack)
Another article I found is from a psychology website which immediately drew my attention because I'm in the process of getting my major in psychology. I thought it would be interesting to mix the two and see what I can learn. This article is by a woman named Dr. Victoria Williamson who has been practicing and listening and playing music for as long as she can remember, and she has presented at large conventions, and generally is very knowledgeable about music. In her blog she explains the many reasons music is very helpful to us, including calming down infants, as a way to explore feelings, and as a way to bond with people personally or in a group setting, among many other things. A direct quote from her blog states that "The vast majority of us are born able to perceive and play music and some may be lucky enough to possess talent. But to become a professional takes hundreds if not thousands of hours of hard graft", (Williamson). I really appreciate that this fact was included because a lot of people don't realize how hard it is and how long it takes to master many things within the musical realm, and I like that that was recognized and tied into the reason we need music. In my opinion, music can be a hobby as well as a profession, which can help with depression and anxiety that can be debilitating otherwise.
Citations:
Paulnack, Karl. “Music: A Basic Need for Human Survival - Steinway & Sons.” Home, Steinway & Sons, www.steinway.com/news/features/music-a-basic-need-for-human-survival.
Williamson, Dr. Victoria. “Do We Need Music?” Music Psychology, 2013, musicpsychology.co.uk/do-we-need-music/.
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