Luke Gilner
Music created by marginalized groups are often some of the best music ever created, and the rest of society can get caught up in how good the song is to realize the important issues they are addressing.
Line of Argument
Marginalized groups have created some of the best music in history. Many would consider music from the hippie era as some of the best ever, grunge music dominated the 90s, and hip-hop music has become so popular today across all demographics. But a problem arises with the popularity and success of the music; people get caught up in how good the song is to recognize the societal issues the artists are addressing. Some people may simply not care and just want to hear a good song. Others might care but fail to interpret the music because they don’t want to think about reality when they are already somewhat escaping reality through music. The famous band Nirvana is a good example of this. Many of their songs are dark and address mental health issues. And due to the nature of the lyrics, interpretation is necessary to know what they were truly addressing. In their famous song “Lithium,” Kurt Cobain says, “I’m so happy because today I’ve found my friends, They’re in my head” (Genius). When first hearing this, a listener would probably not recognize the mental health implications behind this line. And as this song is considered by many to be a great song, the meaning may be unappreciated. This phenomenon where people get caught up in how good a song is so that they don’t pay attention to societal implications is also popular in hip-hop music. Countless rap songs talk about gang violence, but the songs are very catchy and entertaining to a lot of people to the point that they don’t think what the artist is saying is a big deal. Many rappers are braggadocios, but there may be an argument that many artists are crying for help when they rap about their friends and families getting killed. The more mainstream a song becomes, the less it may be interpreted to better our society. An example of this is how rap music is being played more and more at sporting events. This could be good as it reaches more demographics that otherwise may not have listened to that song, but the last thing many people want to think about at a football game is social issues.
Comment Section
A main aspect of music is how it sounds. Sound might be more important than meaning; it is certainly more important in regards to sales. So, it is expected that people are going to get caught up in how good a song sounds and disregard a deeper societal meaning. Furthermore, music is made to entertain. So, there shouldn’t be a problem if someone only listens to music for entertainment and not a deeper importance in relation to issues faced by marginalized groups.
