RE: [Harp-L] RE: Why Intelligent Music is Dying

[Dean Liu <tliu10@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Pop music marked by three revolutions in 50 years

By Rebecca Morelle Science
Correspondent, BBC News 



http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-32599916


Dean
Austin

> Date: Thu, 21 May 2015 10:52:37 +0400
> From: turtlehill@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> To: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: Re: [Harp-L] RE: Why Intelligent Music is Dying
> 
> Dan Hazen wrote: 
> <Listen to lyrics of the hits today.
> 
> The lyrics by Wiz Khalifa you included in this message struck me as deeply meaningful, maybe because I've spent a lot of time on airplanes in my life.  It's true that the musical content of rap and hiphop is largely trivial, but the lyrics are intense--those guys throw down more words than anyone since Bob Dylan, and the simplicity of the musical content helps to focus the listener's attention on those lyrics.
> 
> When rock and roll first came on the scene, it exhibited all the characteristics decried in this thread: it was simple to the point of triviality, it was about theatrics, etc. etc.  But it was also highly participative music.  Pete Townshend of the Who talked in an interview about seeing a performance by Bill Haley and the Comets where the audience jumped on stage and began playing the instruments after the musicians finished.  that's rock and roll--anyone can do it.  that's the power and the limitation.
> 
> I'm as sick as anyone of seeing "musical" performances that are all style and dance and no musical substance.  But it's a mistake to think there's no depth in any of this stuff.  The depth now, where it exists, is in the lyrics.  That's why people are still listening to Tupak and Biggie and Snoop Dogg after all these years.  
> 
> Pop music is always changing.  Sooner or later it changes to something you don't like.  Then it changes to something you do.  It took the Beatles to turn a lot of adults on to rock and roll.  We'll see what it takes to excite us all next if we wait a minute.
> 
> Thanks, Richard Hunter
>