What Has America Done To Music

[Guest kumkwatgirl]

So today I was at a shcool dance that I felt had not a single "real" song. It was the first dance I've been to for four years and will probably be the last.

When I say real music I mean songs that actually have even the smallest nugget of musicality. All the songs were either hip hop or manufactured glamour pop.

I kind of feel like a parent from the 50s. I'm watching everyone listen to stuff that I consider horrid. But even worse. I listen mainly to clasical and rock and roll from before the seventies. As well as folk and country, real country not country western. The kind of stuff people have learned to play from their parents and grandparents in the Appalachians. Its music that has something to say, something that people wrote themselves and ¤gasp¤ actually care about.

My favorite artists are people like dizzy Gillespie, Louis Armstrong, Bob Dylan, and so forth. And hip hop to me is the worst form of music out there. Although there are some few exceptions where it is actually relevant to real life and isn't totally worthless to listen to.

It seems to me that anything after the Beatles is either made for the highest sales or to actually tell a story that is really important to listen to. Large following =former. Small following=latter.

My ohillosophy is that music is meant to inspire you to think. And if it doesn't do that it is either forcing its ideas upon you or discouraging you from thinking. And I can't see how main stream music can make you think. Even the Beatles to me are puntless to listen to, but they are one of the greatest bands of all time.

"Like A Rolling Stone" by Bob Dylan which is one of the greatest songs of all time is still empowering to listen to, because even after fourty or so years the lyrics can still touch you thoughts. The same is true with "Its All Right Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" it still means something about life and the human way of thinking.

I can't see the songs that people are listening to now lasting more that 5 years. People will tire of the same thing and move on to the next big fad.

I'm kind of annoyed that no one will listen to my rants so I push them off to you, my fellow transgendered people. What do you think?

And what happened to the art of dancing. The only time the pelvic thrust was acceptable before as a dance was during the late night double feature picture show:) (you moderators at least have to get that one).

Frank N. Furter out to transvestite.

He he.

Haley

Ps. Thanks for reading and helping me feel a little less like an outcast.

[Guest Anna_Banana]

I can only dance to two types of music: Electronica (the dance variety) and Disco. I don't see anything else as danceable. You can't dance to rap. You can have awkward sex on the dance floor to rap, but that's about it. I agree though, people these days have a bad taste in music. People these days also don't know how to dance.

.Anna

[Guest qRachelp]

So today I was at a shcool dance that I felt had not a single "real" song. It was the first dance I've been to for four years and will probably be the last.

When I say real music I mean songs that actually have even the smallest nugget of musicality. All the songs were either hip hop or manufactured glamour pop.

I kind of feel like a parent from the 50s. I'm watching everyone listen to stuff that I consider horrid. But even worse. I listen mainly to clasical and rock and roll from before the seventies. As well as folk and country, real country not country western. The kind of stuff people have learned to play from their parents and grandparents in the Appalachians. Its music that has something to say, something that people wrote themselves and ¤gasp¤ actually care about.

My favorite artists are people like dizzy Gillespie, Louis Armstrong, Bob Dylan, and so forth. And hip hop to me is the worst form of music out there. Although there are some few exceptions where it is actually relevant to real life and isn't totally worthless to listen to.

It seems to me that anything after the Beatles is either made for the highest sales or to actually tell a story that is really important to listen to. Large following =former. Small following=latter.

My ohillosophy is that music is meant to inspire you to think. And if it doesn't do that it is either forcing its ideas upon you or discouraging you from thinking. And I can't see how main stream music can make you think. Even the Beatles to me are puntless to listen to, but they are one of the greatest bands of all time.

"Like A Rolling Stone" by Bob Dylan which is one of the greatest songs of all time is still empowering to listen to, because even after fourty or so years the lyrics can still touch you thoughts. The same is true with "Its All Right Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" it still means something about life and the human way of thinking.

I can't see the songs that people are listening to now lasting more that 5 years. People will tire of the same thing and move on to the next big fad.

I'm kind of annoyed that no one will listen to my rants so I push them off to you, my fellow transgendered people. What do you think?

And what happened to the art of dancing. The only time the pelvic thrust was acceptable before as a dance was during the late night double feature picture show:) (you moderators at least have to get that one).

Frank N. Furter out to transvestite.

He he.

Haley

Ps. Thanks for reading and helping me feel a little less like an outcast.

kumkwatgirl- In my opinion, some of the GREATEST music ever to bless human ears was done by the musicians of "Motown Records", but nowadays it's all about pushing buttons... and THAT'S IT. No more reaching way down deep in your soul and bringing something forth to manifest in the hearts of those who can hear you.... The "live" feel of the Motown sound has died.... And I suuure would like to see it ressurected:

[Guest Donna Jean]

What do you think?

And what happened to the art of dancing. The only time the pelvic thrust was acceptable before as a dance was during the late night double feature picture show:) (you moderators at least have to get that one).

Frank N. Furter out to transvestite.

He he.

Haley

Ps. Thanks for reading and helping me feel a little less like an outcast.

Yep...noted and you got me there...double feature....LOL

I agree...much of the "old music" is still viable and I just read last night that classics (1965-1980) are still the best selling music today....

Beatles music has become ageless...

You're not an outcast, Honey....mover over and let me share that bench with you....ok?

Huggs...

Donna Jean

[Sally]

I am in agreement, the technology has leaped light years ahead of the old days but the musicianship and soul of the music were left behind.

Nothing really touches me anymore unless I find my old recordings and listen to them.

I bailed out of record stores after more than a decade of managing when it became obvious that rap had replaced soul, literally.

Love ya,

Sally

[Guest CJwar]

Well, as you know...there are many different types of music for many different types of people. And sadly enough, no matter if you felt the music was bad, the school is going to cater to what the majority of the kids listen to...so if its hip-hop...or pop, then that's what they are going to play. If you to a school where all the kids listened to rock...then they would play that...but it's different for each school.

And I don't know if you paid for your tickets or not, but if a lot of people paid...and they played songs they didn't like..or hated, then they would leave and want there money back. So they to appease the majority, that's just how it is.

[Carolyn Marie]

I agree, to a point. There are still good musicians and good bands around today, bands that write good songs and play good music, its

just much harder to find them

One of the new groups I really like are the Plain White T's.

I used to love country and western music in the 1980's and into the 90's. The soul has pretty much gone out of that format as well,

as country-rock has replaced the old styles, and now the most popular country artists are cross-overs who would be just as

comfortable playing pop. They are all, with a couple of exceptions, interchangeable and plastic.

The reason the recording industry is failing is that they don't deliver product that excites people any more. The biggest concert draws

are bands from the 60's and 70's. I attended the Elton John-Billy Joel concert this summer, and while most there were gray haired

like me, there were thousands of young people enjoying the fantastic songs and musicianship. You can't replace that.

Carolyn Marie

[Guest ChloëC]

Hi kumkwatgirl,

There are a few songs that pop up occasionally that I like, (and I'm a musical product of the mid 60's), but not very often and most of the music today, well, you're right. American Bandstand would never work today - I can't find the beat, I can't figure out how to dance to it. (for instance I like 5 for Fighting, but he's really a throwback, isn't he)

But a lot of that, in thinking about it, is just a product of the current generation (whatever that is), trying to be different, and unique, and special, from the previous generation, and since so many genre's have come before, not much is left, except not-music music. And the real shame is so much good stuff gets lost.

The oldies station I USED to listen to is now playing 70 and 80's stuff. Isn't it interesting that in the 60's, the stations that played easy listening or the 'standards' were called just that (or actually weren't really called anything!!! except maybe 'your parents music', lol), but starting in the late 80's and 90's, 50's and 60's rock and roll music became Oldies, and now that label is moving forward, and the music is starting to become forgotten? The few 60's oldies stations left, play the Beatles about every 5 songs. I mean, I like them and all, but there was so much more.

Oh well,

Hugs

Chloë

[Guest kumkwatgirl]

To sum up what I said before with more clarity, the majority of modern music is written by somebody who knows what wiill sell the best and has some famous band lolay it for them. My numbers are probably off but I read that around 80 of all the songs in the seventies and eighties were written by one couple(a husband and a wife)

The remaining twenty percent is for the most part fantastic. There's this band called Devotchka that has this crazy eastern European mixed with rock and roll that is just fantastic, but they really don't have a following at all.

I gear it all on public radio. In all its single station glory.

[Guest April63]

How I see it, there's three big kinds of music: dance, rock, and instrumental/choir. Those are just rough, approximate names. The dance group includes more than dance (such as rap, hip-hop, and pop) for example. These different styles have different goals to them. The dance style is about dancing, or some derivative of dance. It's about the beats. Who cares about the words. Who cares about the music either. It's about the beat. The talent here is in the composition of beats.

Instrumental/choir is very different. Here the beat doesn't matter. The talent is in the singing, if present, the instruments, and the composition of the piece. This is the type of music that you listen to, and think about how great it is. It's inspiring and astonishing. It's truly beautiful. It doesn't have a beat like the dance style. It's meant to inspire you, not make you get up and move your body.

Rock is in between. The talent is in singing and playing the music. Sometimes people do pay attention to the lyrics. Sometimes there is a really meaning. Sometimes people get up and dance... I mean headbang. Rock is like the middle man. It still has some qualities of the truly beautiful music, and some of the qualities of the get up and move music.

[Guest NatalieRene]

I can only dance to two types of music: Electronica (the dance variety) and Disco. I don't see anything else as danceable. You can't dance to rap. You can have awkward sex on the dance floor to rap, but that's about it. I agree though, people these days have a bad taste in music. People these days also don't know how to dance.

.Anna

I'd have to agree so many people can't dance today. Maybe I'm just being a prude but dry humping someone in public is not dancing.

What I really want to learn is ball room or some salsa.

[Guest NaomiP]

Before I jump into this, I want to say that I know where you're coming from. I've been to clubs and dances before where they didn't play anything I liked. But like someone else said, it's not tailored to me, it's tailored to the masses. So whatever's popular is gonna get played, whether you like it or not.

However, while I don't know which songs they played, it irks me that would say that those songs shouldn't be considered music. Just because you don't like a song, doesn't take a way that fact that it's music. Everyone should know that musical tastes are highly opinionated, but that doesn't give you the right to look down on someone else's music and proclaim that it's not even music to begin with simply because you have different tastes.

Don't get me wrong here, you're free to like or dislike whatever song you want. But don't go around saying everything you don't like isn't music.

I'm actually just gonna cut myself off here, cause I hate getting into music-related arguments and I'd rather not get into one at the moment.

As for dancing, there are many, many different kinds of dancing styles and moves, including that pelvic thrust you mentioned. And while you might not consider it dancing, someone else does. It may look trashy to you, but as long as someone is having a fun getting into the music, then I say leave 'em be.

The times are a changing, so get used to it. You should expect that kinda stuff going to a dance in this day and age, anyways.

[Guest Donna Jean]

I think that defining music to one's own likes and dislikes is a discredit to it overall..

I've been a musician for almost 45 years. Some things I don't enjoy...High opera, low country, bag pies and accordian...but they are music, none the less!

Even aboriginal peoples of many places beating on drums a sticks is music....But, beauty is in the eye (or or ear ) of the beholder..

Being a child of the 60's, I have a definite style of music that appeals to me...

That doesn't mean that others don't exist!

Huggs,,,,

Donna Jean