Music is an art form, a type of expression for an artist. And in most art, artists strive to make one think, to question their beliefs, to ponder a new idea, to evoke some sort of emotion or feeling. Religion is a universally understood language because most people believe in something greater than themselves. Because of this, religion is a great topic of songwriting in all music genres.
We know that Christian Rock music or country music often talks about God. However, we see a great deal of religious references in all genres from pop to punk, rock to folk.
Often we find one or two songs in the album will talk about god or religion or some greater power while the rest of the album does not. Laughing With by Regina Spektor or Something’s Missing by John Meyer are both examples from two different genres.
Sometimes songs can be interpreted different ways because of their vague nature people can visualize or be moved because of their own personal background. You Are Loved, by Josh Groban is an example of this. Switchfoot is a Christian band who talks a lot about religion but is more mainstream unlike other Christian rock bands that would be found performing in churches on Sunday.
Artists want to create something that means something to them, to someone. There (hopefully) is a greater purpose in their creation. They are writing songs about things that have meaning to them. Things they love, things they hate, things they fear, things they learned. Religion and spirituality is a great subject for all artists because of its vast expanse. It is something they are passionate about and something that many listeners can relate to.
We all have different tastes and different interests but I think it is safe to say that everyone loves music. Whether musically inclined or not people appreciate music and how it speaks to them. Religion and spirituality cannot be without music. Some of this music are hymns used for worship, other music can be used to celebrate and uplift, and other, more mainstream music references religion and spirituality that can be equally uplifting and thought provoking.
My question for you is: While our society is striving for political correctness and we see so many people turning their back on religion, why is the mainstream music world so accepting of religious and spiritual references in all music genres?
- Rebecca Anderson
- Rebecca Anderson
I think our "politically correct" society is so accepting of religious and spiritual references in all music genres for the same reason people accept the statue of David, or any other art piece that exists. Because you argue that music is an art form, it has to be accepted because it is art and people understand that...and they don't have to like that art or agree with it.
ReplyDeletePlus, like you said, religion is something many people can relate to, and because bands are keeping the topic of religion very general, the general audience can identify with it. I think most of the time songs talk about religion in the sense that they are talking about the deeper questions of live, why am I here, what is my purpose, where am I going? ...Those kinds of things. Even athiests can relate to that. In the end, some people like country, some people don't. The same goes with rap, alternative, emo and Christian Pop. It's just a music genre that blends in with all the others unless you focus on it. But then again, you could focus on each one and each one would stand out in that moment.
Here's the problem,
ReplyDeleteAll the major religions of the world were made/created/concocted/received or organized, in a different era. The 20th century is a much different place than the one in which Jesus walked ,Mohammad preached or Buddha attained nirvana. People have moved on.Religions are now, not the central doctrines of morality as they were a couple hundred years ago. The west(at the time when the great religions of the world were in their infancy) was relatively unaware of the east and vice-versa. Exchange of ideas on the nature of god/gods were minimal if not non existent. In short the religion you were born with, was the one you died with.
This made searching for an alternate means of attaining god unlikely. Many were even persecuted for questioning the authority of the established religion.
Now,however, the world is a much smaller place. Exchange of ideas are only a figure point away. This globalization has resulted in the creation of a "global village" where the previously non kosher ideas on the nature of god/gods are now readily accessible.
This in turn, caused man to freely question god and his various features thus resulting in a society moving away from its traditional religious identity to a more open(and very confusing)medley of religious notion.
Thus, to answer your question,
Man is not moving away from religion, he is simply looking for in places where it hasn't before. Music in one of those places.
I think that expressions of religion in music are not always as implicit as they are in movies and television. Also, the music industry is all about freedom of expression and using lyrics to show the world who you are and what you stand for. I also think that we often overlook religious references in music because we don't really read into the words we are hearing. We may sing along and know a song word for word but we don't really think about what the artist is trying to portray through their words. I think those artists who do use religious references in their music have often had popular hits before the fact and have established themselves in the music industry before adding their religious beliefs to their music. In this case people who have listened to these artists before don't expect these religious references and may be oblivious to them when they actually come.
ReplyDeleteI think that religion in music is more acceptable for the same reasons that it is more acceptable in movies; you choose what you expose yourself too. You have the power to choose what radio stations you listen to, what cds you buy, what songs you download and what songs you grab from your friends. Music is perhaps the only media that is 100% your choice to be exposed to.
ReplyDeleteIt is even more of a choice than it ever has been before now. There are very specialized radio stations now. You can download songs without even buying the whole CD if you don't like certain songs on it.
I think that everyone has a lot of valid points. Religion now isn't what it used to be, and we are usually subject ourselves to what we want to be subjected to. If something comes in our life that we don't want, we push it away. I think that most people (with the exception of atheists) have some divine perception (ie: God, a higher figure, etc.) and because God is something that is so mainstream in American (it's on our money, we use a bible when swearing in a president, etc.) that people go for music they like, and it doesn't necessarily have to be for the music.
ReplyDeleteFor me, the case usually tends to be that I'm more accepting of religion in songs when it's not so blantant. I'm not a fan of using the word Jesus or the like in songs unless they're with hymnal context. However, in songs like the ones we viewed in class and the song Everything by Lifehouse, for the most part I don't even notice the religious meaning behind them, so it doesn't phase me enough to do anything about it, even though there is religion in the song. Whereas, if I was listening to a song and they were the things you heard from a band during a Baptist church, I would change it.
-Chelynne Renouard
Something that comes to my mind when I read this question are those award shows where the musical artist overly thanks God for their award. After recieving her umpteenth Grammy, Lauryn Hill decided to read a passage from the Bible as her speech. After reading it, she simply walks off stage amidst a crowd cheering loudly and enthusiastically. No matter if her efforts were sincere or not; she made God and reading the Bible 'cool.' Perhaps it didn't work for everyone, but for those who were struggling with spiritual matters, and if they looked up to her, since she made this speech, it definitely created curiousity within some young impressionable minds.
ReplyDeleteIn your question, you stated, "we see so many people turning their back on religion.." it is kind of hard to specify who you're referring to. It contradicts the end of the question, since you state that mainstream music is accepting of references to God in all music genres. That is a lot of people, "in all music genres." So perhaps at one point people "turned their backs on religion" in history.
-Summer Seschillie
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ReplyDeleteIt seems that music is one of the easiest ways to reach our emotions. Something about it touches our inner core faster and stronger than any other medium. Because of this, I think music is inherently spiritual. Music affects your emotions so quickly that it plays into your spiritual beliefs.
ReplyDeleteBecause the medium is so innately emotional I think people are comfortable with it playing into religion. They understand that they might have different beliefs than what is being stated, but they also feel something when they hear that will probably inspire or motivate them regardless of what they believe.
When looking to other media it seems when religion is touched on it is awkward because it feels restricting and forced. This is because when people are interacting with other forms of media they are not spiritually touched. Because their emotions are in full force when they're listening to music they are more accepting and tolerant toward religious references.
-Mary Houghton