Thanks for your comments and thoughts regarding music changing the world. Here's the not so dramatic conclusion. I'll start by sharing Neil's answer. He simply answered, "No." That he doesn't think you can change the world with lyrics and music. Even though he didn't expound, the answer stood out to me considering who was answering. Neil has written a wide variety of songs from love songs to protest songs. He wrote Ohio and even has a whole protest album (Living With War). In the Greendale album, he obscurely covers a range of issues, but very clearly (for Neil) talks about saving the planet. And here he was, without hesitation, saying that music and lyrics can't change the world.
As I drove last Saturday, I thought about the ideas and definition of change and musical attempts to change the world. Live Aid, Farm Aid, Sun City (Artists Against Apartheid), etc... The desired changes have been to end hunger, end war, end poverty...HUGE ideas. Huge ideas for change that we haven't seen. Were these efforts a failure? The pessimist would probably say they were and the optimist would say that they rose awareness for their respective causes. Raising awareness can be a great thing and can spur on people to make change happen, as my friends said. Changes of this magnitude are a process and music certainly has it's place in the process.
But can music and lyrics DIRECTLY change the world? I say, "Yes." Music and lyrics evoke emotion, love, laughter, tears, sadness, comfort, heartache, passion, anger.... Music and lyrics can attach themselves to memories and moments in time, forever associated with those things. Couples have "their song (or songs)" that they share. On a bad day, a single song can be a ray of sunshine and bring a smile. Conversely, a sad song can bring a tear in the middle of a smile. Music may not bring us out of the economic crisis or reform health care, but music is there regardless. The changes may not be headline worthy, but music and lyrics are constantly changing the world around us through the people we see and interact with.
Personally, I know the buttons that music pushes for me. Ben Folds' album Rockin' the Suburbs always makes me happy. Lucinda William's album World Without Tears is good on a melancholy day when I don't want to get out of a funk just yet. Flight of the Conchords' Feux De Fa Fa always makes me laugh (as does pretty much anything by FOTC). Coldplay's album Parachutes mellows me out (I swear my pulse drops drastically when I listen to that album). These are just examples of some of the songs and albums that have a KNOWN effect on me.
I'd say that maybe I think about music and it's place more than most people, but I don't think I need the word 'maybe.' I love music and I enjoy thinking about how it interacts with the universe and things like 'change.'
So there you have it. Thanks for reading......
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Well written dear. I agree and I'd like to comment on the part about Farm Aid, Live Aid, and such. Even though a pessimist may say that they didn't work (solve the problem) I would like to point out that world wide chance happens slowly. I feel like concerts like these are steps on the way to change.
Not to be the pessimist here as I was only going to observe but.... The examples you pointed out about bringing out a certain emotion or listening to something when you've had a bad day are not examples of changing anything. They may comfort you or remind you of something but when the song is done the situation has not changed. And as for Live Aid/Farm Aid/etc - how long ago was the whole WE ARE THE WORLD craze - didn't really change much as far as today goes, now did it.
I do think music has the power to bring out super strong emotions and what you do with those emotions are your own choice but I don't think any one song is going to cause a mass change in the world. No matter how slow....
Wow, what a great subject. I've put a lot of thought into this actually. I have to admit I'm a deep, flair wearing pessimist. However, I think that the music HAS changed our world dramatically.
I can point to a few examples: How ancient musical lyrics changed how we understood a culture and changes made to our own because of those finds.
How about tradition and history being passed down primarily though music for many cultures, Native Americans for one. How many people honestly believe that a culture's history does NOT affect it directly?
Even in our own culture we have Marlena Shaw’s excellent ‘Wade in the Water’. A song informing slaves where to run to escape captivity and earn freedom. One of the many coded slave songs that could be mentioned. The abolishing of slavery was the epitome of dramatic change for our culture.
In the end, maybe the real question is, "Has music directly affected YOUR world?" because it's affected mine.
One single "thing", (song, set of lyrics, person) would be hard pressed to change the world in a noticeable way. But just because the goal wasn't reached for everyone, lives still may have changed.
You bring up the Aid events of the 80's as examples. Did the situation(s) change or go back to the way we wanted them due to a song or group of songs? No. But I'd venture to say that with the awareness things did change. I'd even go so far, without proof, to say that it's likely someone felt compelled to donate money after hearing a song that could've saved one person. Maybe a song inspired someone to donate some of their time into rebuilding homes in New Orleans.
I will say that a song can do more than just affect an emotion though, as Michael points out. I look at my own life becuase it's the easiest as I'm sure I know it best. Had I not heard the music to the Jungle Book as a child, I may have never gone into jazz, which led me to the place I am today. Had my parents not played music or played different music on the stereo when I was younger, I'm pretty certain I wouldn't have been set on the music path that I am on. Music can inspire, I believe, and have more than just an emotional affect on a person.
Excellent topic Emerson...keep 'em coming.
It all depends on the particular definition of "change" - the range being from "there's one more song in the world now" to "this little ditty can cure ebola". One would expect Neil, with his music-based livelihood, to be biased towards stretching the "yes" answer as far into the middle as possible, but without seeing the clip, I would guess that he was hoping to seed exactly this contemplation & conversation with his blunt and counter-intuitive answer.
As far as changing hearts & minds, I'm coming down on the side of "no". Granted, music can magnify the emotions and convictions of people, but as for change, people tend to gravitate towards musical sounds that they enjoy or to lyrics of concepts that already resonate with them.
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