The Power of Song

When it comes to music, I am a little bit of a paradox. Were you to ask me how important music is to me, I would say that it is more of an accent than anything. I have always said that people always seem to be either a movie person or a music person, and I have always been the former. I am hard pressed to remember band names, and while they can be enjoyable, concerts are certainly not the first thing that I think of to go enjoy myself. In fact, I am more likely to attribute a particular song to a movie or show than I am to acknowledge it or the artist on their own.

Strangely, there are certain aspects where music is incredibly important to me, and in those arenas, it is nearly vital. The area? Expression. I am not sure that there is anything quite like music when it comes to being able to say exactly what is going on in someone's head or heart. The only comparison that I can see in accurately expressing humanity and our plethora of emotions is poetry, and lets face it, in modern society, music is far more popularly accessible, and therefore a stronger medium with most people.

Even within the realm of expression, I differ from many people when it comes to music. I know many people feel the music itself as an expression. They can attribute songs to an emotion, person, thought based solely on the notes that are included. Some people even control their emotions through this. An ex of mine would listen to angry music to get over anger. It didn't matter what the song was so long as the tone was angry. I completely diverge from this.

For me, the power of songs is totally in the lyrics. This may not be completely surprising considering my love of language and literature, but the truth of the statement is deep indeed. I cannot love a song without being moved by the words. This is not to say that a fun, flippant song can't have good lyrics. If that is the song's goal and its lyrics work towards that end it totally works for me.

As I mentioned, I count on music very rarely, but in the instances I do it is imperative. I think the stronger emotions that are involved in something, the more music comes into play. Powerful emotions like love and anger always seem to find their way into musical expression. This is a great thing. I think that people often need to let out things that their own words cannot do alone. Even someone who is a master of words cannot sometimes express what comes internally. Songs do that in a way that is completely universal. A song can tell us what is inside, and more importantly it can tell it to someone else.

Some of the most moving moments that I have had with friends and lovers is when our situation is expressed in song. In a relationship, I think that sometimes things that can't seem to be effectively communicated can come so much more clearly through a song. A fast way to my heart is to indicate that a song truly says what you feel, and mean it.

Perhaps my love of music in these situations is simply another example of my love of communication between people. When your own words aren't enough find a song that sets the mood and says your words for you. I think that we can never find too many ways to express ourselves, especially with those we care about. Sharing a song with another can be an incredibly intimate and wonderful thing if both parties put thought into what is really there. And who can complain with drawing people closer together?