Shifting Standards

"When the mode of the music changes, the walls of the city shake." –Plato

African American slaves sang songs to communicate with one another without the knowledge of their owners.  The peace movement during the Vietnam War facilitated the folk music era.  Jazz was born through the integration of “Race Music,” and the subsequent fight for equal human rights.  It is apparent the extent to which society influences and determines music.  Melodies are a reflection of the times, and progressive technology makes music increasingly accessible.  The production that was once restricted to complex recording studios can now be performed with a laptop computer.  Children that used to gather around a family radio to hear the latest tunes now simply launch a smart-phone application or open a browser tab.  Music is at their fingertips, and they are constantly subjected to its messages.  Catchy songs go viral on YouTube, gleaning millions of views in days.  Every child is singing, humming, or whistling the sounds and implicit values of current culture, put forth by musicians revered as idols.  Although music remains an echo of culture, culture is becoming increasingly subjected to and strongly influenced by popular music. 

This is an excellent prospect when we consider songs such as “Brave” by Sara Bareilles, where she highlights the power of language.  “Let your words be anything but empty,” Bareilles sings, “…I wanna see you be brave.”  She effectively promotes courage, speaking out, and not being trampled through insecurity or the harsh opinions of others.  Songs such as this uphold principles that support the development of youth into individuals with a sense of value and purpose.  Lively and catchy, these songs spread quickly, and their positive messages reach an enormous audience.  Unfortunately, there is an insidious aspect to this occurrence—the popularity of upbeat songs that effectively spread negative and detrimental values.  Particularly, popular music invariably allows, and even encourages, the sexual objectification of both men and women.  What once was Bob Dylan’s “Blowin’ in the Wind” streaming through speakers, discouraging social injustice and violence, has now become “Tonight I’m F**king You” by Enrique Iglesias.  I will leave the message of the latter to your assumption.  Because of the powerful role music plays in determining and affecting societal values, musicians who are intentional to promote positive values hold my respect and listening ear.  Recently released was a song that does just that: “Beneath Your Beautiful,” by Labrinth featuring Emeli Sandé. 

The majority of popular music focuses on superficial physical features in men and women—effectively treating them as objects.  Consider the sweetheart love song “Just the Way You Are” by Bruno Mars including the lines, “Her eyes make the stars look like they’re not shining/her hair falls perfectly without her trying/she’s so beautiful.”  Although complementary and genuine, all the artist focuses on is the appearance of the woman.  Similarly, “You Don’t Know You’re Beautiful” by European boy band One Direction focuses solely on the physical dimension of the female subject—highlighting it as the primary aspect by which to measure value.  This objectification is not confined to male artists; consider Selena Gomez’s “When You’re Ready Come and Get It.”  Throughout the song she communicates her “addiction” to this boy’s “love,” but never specifies her emotional desire for him otherwise.  We then encounter music rated as explicit, which makes no attempt to hide under a façade of innocence.  A thorough examination of this type of music would notably degrade the quality of this post; I will outline just a few hits.  “Shake That” by Eminem feat. Nate Dogg states the line, “I'm looking for a girl with a body and a sexy strut.” We next have “Hold It Against Me,” which much to the chagrin of classic country music fans, renovates the original song with a pop tune and the lyric, “If I said I want your body now/would you hold it against me?”  Finally, “The Bad Touch” by the Bloodhound Gang’s catchy tune goes, “You and me baby ain't nothin' but mammals/so let's do it like they do on the Discovery Channel.”  The final is certainly beyond innuendo, leaving no meaning to be inferred.  The ears of society, from malleable children to influential adults, are constantly being penetrated and shaped by the pervasiveness of popular music.
            “Beneath Your Beautiful” takes a different tune.  The opening verse leads: “You've carried on so long/you couldn't stop if you tried it/You've built your wall so high/that no one could climb it/but I'm gonna try.”  Although popular music would prescribe the chorus to include a sensual statement about the woman’s desirability, Labrinth takes an alternate track with the line, “Would you let me see beneath your beautiful?/Would you let me see beneath your perfect?/I wanna see inside.”  In a culture that constantly fills women’s heads with unrealistic beauty standards, esteeming the visible above all else, “Beneath Your Beautiful” is a powerful anthem.  Although its message remains in the minority among the tunes of today, “Beneath Your Beautiful” was noticed for a meaning that spoke beneath the superficial.  Music is a powerful driving force behind society, and songs like this are needed for the redirection of popular music culture.   While beauty standards remain arbitrary, determined by the culture in which a population resides, the unwavering internal values of courage, confidence, honesty, and perseverance need to be promoted for the beauty they are.  The musicians of today are instrumental in developing the attitudes of a culture.  Consequently, there has evolved an ethic in music.  There is no wrong in complimenting physicality, but artists should be intentional that their music does not promote an unhealthy imbalance or distorted perspective.  The tunes of society will imperatively infringe into actions, mentalities, and identities.  Given this weight, musicians become powerful forces; ones that can succumb to the popularity and sell-ability of sexual objectification, or be advocates for the importance of values within.