Art
With the topic being art this week, I think it’s pretty obvious what I’m going to talk about. In my past blog posts, I have rambled on and on about specific songs and albums, talking about specific parts of them that contribute to the art form as a whole, but do those works of art, those pieces of music, need to be that structured and include that many parts to truly be music?
I have listened to a lot of music in my life. My main playlist is 80 hours long with 1,346 songs at the moment. While at first it was mostly a couple genres, such as rap and r&b, I have branched out into different genres over time. This, in theory, should give me some credibility to judge what makes music, but in practice, not as much.
What usually comprises a song? A couple verses? A chorus? A bridge? While these things technically contribute to a “complete” song, what matters most is that the artist has put hard work and his artistic flourish in their art. Take for example, the song "Pursuit of Happiness", by Kid Cudi. This song is pretty traditionally structured, going verse, chorus, verse, chorus, outro, but that's not what makes it music. Cudi's most inner thoughts, feelings, and personal experiences are poured into this song, giving it its life as a work of art. His confessions, such as "5 am, cold sweats, waking up to the sky" provides an insight into his drug addiction that we as listeners didn't know before. This vulnerability, more than the structure or melody or beat, makes this music.
Don't let this make you think the lyrics are all that matters. Wherever an artist chooses to pour their heart and soul, defines the music. Let's look at another example, this time, less conformed to musical norms. "My One And Only Love", a jazz piano track by Oscar Peterson, has no words, just piano and light backing drums. This may seem contradictory to what I stated in the last paragraph, but for Peterson, the melody carries his feelings throughout the track. There is one repeating melody that appears multiple times through the track. It has an ascending pattern, almost like brightening up after seeing someone you love. That's just my interpretation of it though, and the beauty of the track is that many different people can have many different interpretations of it. Whatever the real meaning of the song is, the place it holds in my heart will always be mine. This ambiguity and soul in the song is what makes this song a work of art.
Overall, wherever an artist puts themselves in the music makes it music, no matter what others think. It could be the most clashing sounds, but if it represents something to the artist and anyone else, it is still a work of art.
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