Thesis
Music plays many different parts in society but the overarching few that I have seen are expression and emotion. The kind of music you listen to shows other people how you carry yourself and what vibe you are going for and also how you are feeling.
What is Expression and Emotion in a musical context?
What is the difference between expression and emotion? I think that the way you wish or are perceived due to the music you listen to is in fact expression. In different cultures, some music is more prevalent due to the expression of a lifestyle. With places like the south listening to a lot of country due to the culture there. People who do extreme sports like motocross heavy rock is more prevalent. This is defiantly not the rule but just a general overarching observation. Music portrays the emotional side of our society and our lives. For example our emotions most of the time dictates our actions as humans, so if you’re going for a run or working out you put on something that gets you in a get-up and move mood. But if you sit down with your significant other for a date it most likely will be a different kind of music than something you would work out to. In addition, it also will help deal with our feelings and can either put you in a good mood or a bad mood depending on what you listen to. In all, it’s your choice on all these things now let’s look at some examples for me personally.
Folk and Indie
I myself, as well as a lot of my friends, listen to indie rock or indie folk or just folk. (I get these mixed up comment below if you have a defiant way to tell them apart.) Here is some music that we would always listen to. Down in the Valley by The Head and the Heart.
This is one of those songs that just resonates with how you want to live your life sometimes at least with me. Just so peaceful and chill it expresses the type of lifestyle of working to travel and explore. It expresses the idea of not caring about how much you have but the experiences you have had and the places you have gone. This type of music often exemplifies this style of life and the people who listen to it often have the same vibe of I want to travel I don’t care how I have to live.
Music analysis
Down in the Valley was written by Jonathan Russell and produced in 2010.
Lyrics
The lyrics of the song shows just how much the person in it doesn’t care what he does for a living he just want to go to the places he has never been before. “so I wish I was a slave to an age-old trade like riding around on rail cars and working long days. Lord have mercy on my rough and rowdy ways” He just is saying whatever I have to do I’ll do to keep on the road and keep the same lifestyle. “I know there’s California, Oklahoma
And all of the places I ain’t ever been to but Down in the valley with whiskey rivers
These are the places you will find me hidin’ These are the places I will always go”
Dynamics
The dynamics of this song are really good the start with fingerpicking with the guitar and the violin has a relaxing vibe. The dynamics are defiantly something that portrays to the feeling and expression of just relaxing and give the image off to others that are listening to the explorer vibe.
Range
This kind of song that expresses the feeling of an explorer or a wander generally can have a high or low range but no matter whether it is high or low the transition from one to the other is generally slow.
Emotion
Music plays another huge role in today’s society by expressing and dealing with our emotions. If you are feeling down and out simply play that song that gets you up and moving and reminds you there’s a light end of the tunnel. If you are heartbroken you can listen to songs that make your heart shrivel up and die inside your chest and feel the most excruciating pain. This is all up to you once again you chose which direction you want to go to heal or feel pain for the time. I defiantly experienced that this summer with a rough breakup that still is hard to this day. A lot of the music I discovered is really sad but is almost therapeutic.
The night we met by Lord Huron
This song was written by Ben Schneider and was released in April of 2017.
This is a compilation of clips put together from the marvel universe with Captain America if you a marvel fan its really good. I will also leave the whole version below if you aren’t a marvel fan.
Music analysis
Lyrics
I am not the only traveler
Who has not repaid his debt
I’ve been searching for a trail to follow again
Take me back to the night we met
And then I can tell myself
What the hell I’m supposed to do
And then I can tell myself
Not to ride along with you
I had all and then most of you
Some and now none of you
Take me back to the night we met
I don’t know what I’m supposed to do
Haunted by the ghost of you
Oh, take me back to the night we met
When the night was full of terrors
And your eyes were filled with tears
When you had not touched me yet
Oh, take me back to the night we met
I had all and then most of you
Some and now none of you
Take me back to the night we met
I don’t know what I’m supposed to do
Haunted by the ghost of you
Take me back to the night we met
The lyrics of The Night We Met are of a man who has lost the one he has loved and can’t get a grasp of whats happened or move on. He says “I am not the only traveler Who has not repaid his debt” saying that he is still living on the earth which is the meaning of traveler and the debt is death. He is so distraught he rather would have died than her. He is looking for a way to live his life again and is unsure how with the memory of her still in his mind. This hits so hard during a loss of someone you love especially the line “I had all and then most of you Some and now none of you” This is a song that is diffidently an example of how music has a role expressing emotion in our society.
Pitch
The pitch of The Night We Met has an intro that has a hollowing and ghostly feeling with the introduction by the women singing. He starts his song with a very low pitch that helps the emotion because it’s as though you are listening to his thoughts or him talking to himself alone. The emotion peaks with the raising of the pitch of the iconic line “I had all and then most of you Some and now none of you”.
Rhythm
The Rhythm for The Night We Met is very solemn and serious the background beat makes a slow and sad melody and with the backup of the vocals makes it a very sad tune. The way the main singer emphasizes the lyrics in the song backs up the clam of the song’s solemn rhythm. The way he trails lines off like “The night we met” and the line “None of youuuu” shows his pain from the loss.
Sources cited
Galindo, Gilbert. “The Importance of Music in Our Society.” Galindo Music, 2003, http://www.gilbertgalindo.com/importanceofmusic.
https://www.gilbertgalindo.com/importanceofmusic
“Lord Huron – The Night We Met Lyrics.” SongMeanings, songmeanings.com/songs/view/3530822107859500457/.
https://songmeanings.com/songs/view/3530822107859500457/
Bonus section
How has your relationship with music changed over the semester?
A lot of people comment about how I always wear headphones and am listening to music. It’s a big part of my life and I always have analyzed music for its lyrics but this class got me to write what I have in my head on paper. One thing I really enjoyed about this class is the ability to talk about a specific aspect of a song and have someone who knows music understand. Also when analyzing songs I started to get a general trend of the type of song that I like ones with certain shifts in dynamics. I also noticed my appreciation of songs with certain instruments like the piano and violin. I am very thankful for taking this coarse and learned a lot and have a much deeper appreciation of music because of it.
Music Plus Curtis 
I agree! Music does serve society by expression and emotions. We do learn a lot from artists by the choice of song they sing, and music they play. Two and two together = great music! Everyone really do show different characters as they chose the genre of music they like. I never knew the genre I enjoyed was Reggae, thanks to taking this class, I have learned proper terms :). Some days I crave listening to music, mostly when I haven’t listened to any in a while. My choices are mainly Christian/Gospel, but occasionally I’ll jam to reggae, pop, r&b, maybe rock; it all depends on my mood. Your two pieces of music goes very well with your thesis. Great Job! Thank you!
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I thought that your thesis was interesting, especially once you explained in further detail that our selection of songs can be interpreted as how we wish for ourselves to be recognized by everyone else as a form of expression and can be used to “set the mood” for different events and cultures. You normally wouldn’t want a celebration with depressing music or for a peaceful moment to be interrupted by music that is too loud and upbeat because it wouldn’t be coordinated with the setting of the event. I found that “Down In The Valley” was generally peaceful. yet slightly upbeat but not rowdy and the volume was no higher than, I believe, mezzo-forte. In a way it reminds me of some of the other indie-folk music that I have listened to so far, which all seem to be characterized by a sense of being humble and generally down-to-earth, yet unconventional and free-spirited or having a sense of wanderlust. Interestingly, sometimes upbeat songs can contain negative or depressing stories and messages and vice versa, especially when comparing pop, rap, and rock to each other. That doesn’t mean that all rock music is actually sunshine and rainbows and all pop is actually heartbreak and full of hatred and self-loathing, but sometimes the stereotypes of music genres don’t match the songs that have been presented. Overall, I enjoyed listening to some of your music from this blog. Thank you for sharing them with the rest of us!
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