Musings on Music

Why is music so important to us? Why do certain songs touch your soul, and others are repellent, but not universally?

Music is a powerful medium. One of the dumbest things I've ever heard, theologically speaking, is that music is evil because Satan was the minister of music in heaven and that's why we have to be so careful. (If none of you have heard this before... try going to a rabidly Southern Baptist private school for 7 years. Apologies to my Southern Baptist friends.)The proof text for this is an obscure verse in Ezekiel. But the context is Ezekiel pronouncing judgment on the King of Tyre, using metaphor to drive home just how far the King is going to fall. So there goes that argument. (Context, people!)

Like all things, God created music, but that still doesn't explain its power or ability to move us. Songs become our friends. When we share them with others, it's a personal risk. Sometimes the songs become marred because of who we share them with.

Songs can remind us of times in our lives, for good or bad. Hearing old N'Sync on the radio reminds me of high school/early college, especially "Bye Bye Bye." It's not like this song is a great piece of music that will last forever, or even that I like it, but I still oddly thrill when it's played at the dances I chaperone for my school. I remember the video, where the guys are marionettes and then Justin Timberlake gets chased by Dobermans. I can even do part of the dance. But I'd never say "Bye Bye Bye" is an all time favorite song.

An ex of mine introduced me to some good music. Pedro the Lion, Damien Jurado, Pete Yorn. For a long time after I dumped the loser (who hopefully will never be reading this!) I couldn't listen to them. I went so far as to throw the cd's out the window driving home one night from the boonies so I could crush them with my car. It was cathartic.

My first year of teaching middle school English I tried to introduce music as a form of story telling. The previous teacher was apparently rather, um, strict and traditional. There. That's a nice way to say it. (I never met the lady... just heard stories from the students.) When we study Pilgrim's Progress in 8th grade, I preface the unit by discussing the idea of a hero, both in the literary definition and what we view as heroic. To add depth to the understanding, I played "Superman" by Crash Test Dummies and thought I could start a discussion on why the song is so depressing, when it's so contrary to our ideas of heroes as these impervious, confident people. I had such lofty hopes as I shared this fantastic song with my young students. They all looked at me like I was weird.

I played "Shadow Stabbing" by Cake and asked the students to listen for the metaphor about writing. Another epic fail. I played "Only a Man" by Jonny Lang and "A Song Is Not a Business Plan" by Rocket Summer as examples of personal narratives. This was slightly more successful because I think by this time my students were used to my unconventional approach to teaching and were a little more comfortable with class discussion, which apparently was not allowed by the previous teacher. In 7th, when we discuss epic and lyrical poetry, I play "Deathbed" by Relient K, one of the most amazing songs to be written in the 21st century. I have the students listen for the repetition, the slight changes in the chorus, and the ultimate meaning of the song. This out of all the songs is the one I am most emotionally invested in. It's the only Christian song I have used, and it's the only one that made it into my second year of teaching. It's also the only song I have ever gotten a complaint about. Someone told me it was horrible and the message was not Christian and they couldn't believe I played it. I have to say, I was hurt. The song is a beautiful message of hope and the triumph we have over the misery of this world in Christ, expressed even when Matt Thiessen isn't singing and it's just the music. I open a part of myself to the students when I play this song for them.

In 8th grade this year I had the students take charge of the song-as-poetry aspect and had them bring in song lyrics. I didn't quite get to go where I wanted with this assignment because it's right when I got ill and spent some time in the ER and a lot of time at home recuperating. I was a little appalled with the vapidness of some of the songs that are really popular right now(Rihanna, Britney Spears) but one student impressed me by bringing in "Viva la Vida" by Coldplay. The idea was to analyze the lyrics in form, content, meaning, emotional impact, etc. but like I said, I didn't quite get to go there with them.

My students often ask me what my favorite band or favorite song is. I have such a hard time answering that. It needs so many qualifications. I could name a different band each time and I wouldn't be lying. It depends on the day, my mood, what I would choose to listen to that moment, all kinds of things.

My progression in taste in music is a pretty hilarious and sometimes sad journey, from Michael W. Smith and DCTalk to Snow Patrol and The Killers. I used to only listen to Christian radio. It's what my friends did. Then I started discovering Christian bands that they didn't really play on the radio. Dakoda Motor Company, Code of Ethics, a couple others. People told me they couldn't be Christian because they rocked too hard. That was my first inkling that most people's musical standards are 97% BS. Which is fine, just don't tell me that a band can't be Christian cuz you don't like it.

Then I got into MXPX and The Supertones. Someone told me they can't be Christian if you can't understand what they're saying. From there I got into Five Iron Frenzy, a brilliant and underrated ska band. As I got older and my friends were listening to Jaci Velasquez, I was discovering the wonderful world of Weezer, Green Day, Foo Fighters, and others. I was branching out by myself while those around me were rededicating their lives to Christ by committing to listening only to Christian music. I put my foot in my mouth one day in yearbook by loudly saying how stupid I thought that was, to be told later that the person I said it to had recently done just that.

My first concerts were the Christian ones. Michael W. Smith, Steven Curtis Chapman, DCTalk, Eric Champion. Out of Eden. My long suffering father would pack me and my silly friends in the van and drive us to Lakeland where we would eat at Steak and Shake before the show. He can't possibly have enjoyed all the music, which I realize now. Occasionally I bust out those CDs for fun and wonder what in the world I was thinking. In college I got to see MXPX, and the opening band was Good Charlotte. The next tour, to my chagrin, MXPX opened for Good Charlotte. I got to see The Mighty Mighty Bosstones once, which was more exciting in theory cuz the singer's voice is shot. At least I got to hear "The Rascal King" live. One of the last shows I got to go to was Delta Spirit and Matt Costa. Amazing voices, amazing musicians. Standing in a smoky, tiny bar scene downtown is quite a journey from the Lakeland days. But it's been a good journey.

Back to the issue of having a favorite. I don't know that this is even possible. Music is so broad. People that only listen to one genre and hold onto it like it's their sole definition as a person are missing out on so much. You can appreciate the brilliance of a song without necessarily liking it. Just because I recognize Mozart was a genius doesn't mean it's my favorite. My current song obsessions, which have lasted awhile ("Supermassive Black Hole" by Muse and "Give You Hell" by All-American Rejects) doesn't make them my favorite. In college I would have said my favorite band was MXPX. I still love them. They were my introduction to The Ramones through their cover of "The KKK Took My Baby Away." I started going backwards in time, listening to older punk, then back to Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, and Queen. So, a favorite? Where does a person even start sifting to give that title to just one song?

William and I put together a playlist for Edward. We don't like most children's music. It's annoying, and the reason why little kids like it is circular. You play it for a kid cuz it's labeled as for kids, and if that's all you expose them too, of course that's what they'll like. So we're just not going to start with Barney Sings The Disney Channel's Most Saccharine Hits. We both put songs that we like on the list. It's as broad as both our tastes. There's Debussy, Bela Fleck, Louis Armstrong, REM, U2, Johnny Cash, Weezer, Soul Coughing, Dexy's Midnight Runners, Spin Doctors, and many others. Songs we love and we want our son to love, or at least appreciate. I don't want him to have a narrow perception of music, or to be like those people I knew that thought if it wasn't to their exact taste and arbitrary standard it was wrong, or in some cases, outright evil. It's a risk though. I don't want him to reject my music because it's rejecting a small part of me.

So what is it that makes us cry, smile, cringe, or turn the station when certain songs come on the radio? I know this entry went all over the place, but music is so interwoven into my life that it's reflective of my thoughts. I process by writing but I don't have an answer at the end of this... maybe I never will. But I'm going to enjoy listening while I try to figure it out.