Music and Society - How Music Serves a Societal Role
Artists That Served a Societal Role
AJR and Juice WRLD have been favorite artists of mine for the last two years, not only because they make really hype songs, but because their lyrics define life in a way that everyone can relate to. To me, music has always been a vibe thing, a sort of tool to emphasize emotions that you might be feeling at a certain time. But then I realize that that ability to emphasize emotion in a way that many people can relate to is what makes an artist great. Juice WRLD created music that a lot of people could vibe with when they were sad, but AJR makes music that defines seasons of growth in life, songs about moving out of your parent's house and making a name for yourself. The role of music in society is to articulate emotions and ideas in ways that bring people together and help them to realize that despite our differences we all aren't so different after all.
LUCID DREAMS - Juice WRLD
Lucid Dreams was created by Jarad Higgins in 2018 and released in the United States. Lucid Dreams contains multiple musical elements, one of which is obviously the lyrics, the heart that is put into these freestyle words speak true to everyone who has loved someone and either been heartbroken or never had the chance to love them the way that they wish they could. This is an emotion and a feeling that had so many people caught up in this song, I even heard it on the radio multiple times a day. On top of that, the use of melancholy harmonies and repetitive beats is what helps the aesthetic to remain constant, perfect if you are just really sad and just wanting to wallow in it. The song also starts with the homophonic texture of the guitar, this really draws the listener in and sets them up for the heavy beat drop at the end of the solo.
In an article posted by Ones to Watch, Maxamillion Polo confronts the question of why Juice WRLD is so popular. He comes to the conclusion that it is not only the drugs, and not only the good music videos that are posted, but mainly the new cultural acceptance of men being vulnerable about their feelings. The age is passing where men are expected to be macho and stoic, there is more popular music these days about men admitting that they have insecurities too, and struggle with depression and anxiety as much as everybody else does. Juice WRLD's music embodies this perfectly, and it is likely why society glorified him because he brought people together in this rawness of honesty and emotion.
Don't Throw My Legos - AJR
Don't Throw Out my Legos was released in 2019 in America by the brother band AJR. This song's main musical element is the lyrics, which talk about the fear of moving away from home and the desire to have home always be an option when life doesn't seem to be working out. This song is not the most popular AJR song, but I believe that it exemplifies what it means for music to bring people together in a society. Whenever I would talk to friends about this song, we would always talk about how it relates to us, how the lyrics have significance in our lives, and how they articulate our individual stories. This is the role of music in society. Additionally, this song has a ternary form where the same chorus is repeated multiple times but with other words and lyrics also filling the gaps in other parts of the song. Other than that there is a conjunct melody, which is great because it's then easy to sing along to and really get emotionally invested with your friends.
AJR is relatable in so much of their music. According to riffMagazine they definitely had times in their career where stuff was just not going their way. In their song The Click, they explore the idea of doing what they want and not what the media wants, which is to go for getting more clicks on their songs. This is a powerful message in today's times, many people flock to the idea that we need to embrace our individuality and not just conform to what culture expects of us.
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Overall, I think that these artists really embody what it means for music to serve a societal role by bringing people together. And in general, that is what I have learned in this music class. I feel like I have grown to realize that music is really a way to bring people together and help them to support each other in our common interests. I have really enjoyed this class.
Westrom, Piper. "AJR look to the holy land, the past and origins of governance". riffMagazine.com. 21 May 2019. https://riffmagazine.com/features/ajr-neotheater-inspirations/.
Polo, Maxamillion. "Why Is Juice WRLD So Popular?". onestowatch.com. 2 Aug 2018. https://www.onestowatch.com/blog/why-is-juice-wrld-so-popular.
Music thru out time has always had a way of bring people together and creating a swell of emotions in people. Being able to move people and create emotions in us is definitely something pushes someone from being a good artists to a great artists. An artists that makes us think and relate to what they are saying help so many people get thru rough times and even keeping pushing forward when they don't want to. One song in particular that comes to mind when I think about your thesis is the Black Eyed Peas "Where Is The Love?" and how the song talks about everything that is wrong in the world and how important it is for us to love each other. This song is 11 years old but it still holds so much weight today and how it shows us that even though we may look different or grow up differently we aren't really all that different. Another song that comes to mind is AJR "Weak" and how they talk about how they knew they should have said no thank you but just didn't because life just isn't that easy. That some times everyone is weak and we do things that are bad for us but we are all human and mistakes happen.
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