Week 2: Music as a form of Art

For this week’s blog post, I will be looking at the relationship between music and social critique. I think that music is one of the most sincere forms of art. Music is a universal language, in the fact that everyone can understand it. Music can be a very simple way to convey a complex idea, or it can be a complex way to convey a simple idea. Music is what you make of it. Music is possibly the greatest way to express one’s opinions. Take, for example, “Teenage Dream,” by Katy Perry. This song conveys that you can achieve happiness in a very specific way. The song talks about running away as a teenager with your lover, one of the lyrics used to describe it is “This is real, so take a chance and don’t ever look back.” This example of music is one that can be perceived in a positive or negative light, depending on the audience. Some people may agree, that this is the way to find happiness. Other’s may completely disagree, saying that as a teenager there is no way you can know what you want enough to make you truly happy. This is just Katy Perry’s way of expressing her opinions, which the audience can either agree with or disagree with.

            A great example of how music can be used as a social critique can be found in the songs “War Pigs” by Ozzy Osbourne and “Sleep Through the Static” by Jack Johnson. Both of these songs are protesting war. Osbourne’s song has lyrics such as:

Time will tell on their power minds

Making war just for fun

Treating people like pawns in chess

Wait ‘till their judgment day comes

Yeah

This segment of lyrics is talking about the politicians that start wars. He is using his song to convey a message to the public. The message is that the politicians starting wars do it for completely incorrect reasons, and that war is wrong. That is a way that he is able to critique the government. On the other hand, “Sleep Through the Static” has lyrics such as:

Well mighty mighty appetite

We just eat 'em up and keep on driving

Freedom can be freezing take a picture from the pretty side

Mind your manners wave your banners

What a wonderful world that this angle can see

After protesting Bush’s moves in Iraq and Afghanistan, Jack Johnson busts out with these lines. He is saying that although the United States of America seemed to free these people, we only see what’s being reported. We see the “picture from the pretty side.” Johnson is protesting false portrayal through the social media, a social critique. He could also be calling Americans to look more deeply into an issue before deciding which side they are on. He is probably saying that we need to do a thorough investigation in order to come to a fully informed conclusion.

            To wrap up, I think that music is definitely a valid form of art. I think that it can be used to express opinions as well as offer a critique of society.