Eric's post just reminded me of something I've been meaning to bring up in the blog. I know this might be a bit late, so I apologize.
In my semantics book 'The Way We Think Now' by Geoffrey Nunberg, one of the topics brought up was how some songs stick around while others die out, specifically in country music. Nunberg theorizes that the life of a song depends on the wordplay contained in its lyrics. People like the metaphors, the puns, the images created by the words.
My question: Does this still apply today? What about other types of music? Do a lot of songs survive because of the meaning of their lyrics or the way they are written?
Mary Quien
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2 comments:
Thought-provoking questions, Mary. I don't know in semantic terms or even in general terms, but I can say that in my own life I tend to listen longer to songs with more "substance." By substance I mean songs with lyrics that take me a while to think through or lyrics that speak to something in my life that I can relate to. Does this seem to match up with anyone else's experience? Basically, though, I guess I agree with Nunberg.
Emily T.
This is very off topic, but I'm going to bring it up anyway.
When an artist first emerges, I feel their lyrics are fresh. As they progress throughout their careers and gain fame and fortune (so much that they don't know what to do with themselves anymore!), their lyrics become generic and predictable. Maybe this is because they've forgotten the pain of being unknown and underprivileged. Hmm..
I'm sure most of us are familiar with VH1's "One Hit Wonders". This is a series contributed to finding artists who released a single hit and then gradually faded away. How can we be so sure? Maybe someone still listens to that song because they still connect to those lyrics and musical patterns.
Yes, I think this still applies today. Tastes are changing, but music will always be music. (Something tells me the sentence I just wrote is a little fishy..) All is dependent upon the listener's taste. Whether they indulge in the lyrics or instrumental pieces or both, the artist can never be so sure.
Tastes, like perceptions, are based on our intensional/extensional experiences.
(Sam Maliha)
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