It is What it Is
Can music change the world? Can a riff, song or genre reach the public and convince them to change their lifestyle/vote/political view? Directly, no. It is unlikely that one of John Lennon’s songs could be unequivocally linked to a survivor of the Vietnam War. People are not passive recipients of the messages sent out by artists. Every note, lyric and album is a drop in the ocean of information reaching each listener’s ears. However that does not suggest that music does not have the ability to make significant changes in the world.
As stated before, people are shaped by so many variables that it is impossible to point to a single factor behind any choice. Genetics, personal experience and the networks surrounding each person merge to create reality as we know it. No verse, song or band is powerful enough to surmount this trifecta. That being said, as part of the overall equation, a song can definitely have an impact on society at large; particularly if it has anywhere near as wide dissemination as a former Beatle’s album.
People are influenced by what they experience as well as their networks. A song by a favored artist falls into both of these categories. As Perone indicates they have the power to symbolize “the revolution that politicos” seek; in doing so they both propagate and encourage the ideas within the piece (98). To a fan with no previous exposure songs can plant the seeds of an idea and to a listener they can reinforce and strengthen an understanding already existent.
A large majority of those that listen to a song are simply enjoying the melody, unaware of any underlying messages or truths. They enjoy the beat and it makes them feel good and that is enough. But there is a large enough audience already incited and/or tuned in to the suggestions of the text to absorb and respond to it. In that sense music can be used as a powerful tool to reinforce and spread the ideas of a minority.
Nyssa Shawstad
WORKS CITED
Perone, James E. “Music and Radical Politics” in American History Through Music: Music of the Counterculture Era (Greenwood Press, 2004)