Music is a big part of most, if not all, of our lives. It is something we grew up with, whether it was by falling asleep to our mom’s favorite song in the car, or a rock band we were captivated with in our ‘rebellious teenager’ phase. It has, quite literally, always been there for us. You’re in a good mood? Put on some happy music. Feeling down? Put on some sad music. Need a confidence booster? Put on some upbeat music. Point is, music has always been something we could rely on to cope with our emotions and understand them better.
Lyrics
A fundamental aspect of a song is its lyrics. Although music itself is enough to make a person feel a specific emotion, lyrics do form an integral part of songs. Barradas in “When words matter: A cross-cultural perspective on lyrics and their relationship to musical emotions” mentions that lyrics help people explore and understand their feelings better. When artists write music and sing about something that could be relatable to most people, it gives them a sense of comfort because they know they’re not alone.
Additionally, lyrics help put into words feelings and experiences that most people are unable to express on their own. So in a way, certain songs could be the voice for people who don’t know how to convey their message the way they want to. This can be seen in many aspects of our lives. For instance, when your best friend sends you a song with a text right after that says, “THIS IS LITERALLY OUR SONG!!!”, wouldn’t you focus on the lyrics to see what they’re trying to say? Or how about when your partner makes you a Spotify playlist? How often are songs added to that playlist because they express your partner’s feelings through their lyrics?
How Music Affected My Life
There was a point of time in my life where I was really confused about the way I felt toward certain concepts; specifically love. I always knew that I was a person that loved to love, but what I didn’t know was that I loved being in love. I felt like I was alone in this experience and I started viewing myself as someone who wasn’t normal. That was, until I came across my favorite band: The Neighbourhood. I discovered their song “Void” and instantly became obsessed with it.
Thought you could better me but
Then you stopped lettin’ me walk
Now you’re just settin’ me off
So I’m tryna lose you
https://genius.com/The-neighbourhood-void-lyrics
Analyzing the Lyrics
- For a long time, I’ve been chasing love because I felt like I needed to be in love with someone to feel alive. I used to believe that love “could better me” because having a partner would allow me to rely on them and be taken care of. But what I didn’t realize was that there are also negative sides to being in love.
- It felt like love “stopped letting me walk” in a sense that I felt restricted, like I had no freedom to do what I wanted or prioritize the more important things in my life.
- Love started “setting me off”. I was angry. I didn’t like the fact that I was addicted to being in love. It was an endless loop of liking someone and then moving on to the next person, and I was desperate for it to end
- So I tried to lose it. I started working on myself and trying to experience newer things to show me that there was way more to life than just being in love.
These specific lyrics always felt personal to me because I could relate to them on a deeper level. They helped me realize that I was in fact, not alone, and definitely not weird for feeling the way I did. I was able to think about my thoughts and feelings and how I could work on them to be a better version of myself, so in a way, it’s safe to say that this song changed me.
Another fascinating thing about lyrics in songs is that it can be interpreted in any way. For example, the exact lyrics that I mentioned above could also be analyzed to be talking about being addicted to drugs, rather than the concept of love itself. And according to Genius, the songwriter did have a past with drugs, which goes to show that lyrics can easily be molded into whatever notion a person wants it to be. There isn’t a wrong or right answer when it comes to analyzing lyrics, it all depends on the way you think and view the world. I’ve come across people who have had completely different views on the lyrics of ‘Void’, and that’s okay! Their interpretations are still valid because they coincide with their thoughts and experiences.
The Benefits of Listening to Music
Apart from the emotional benefits of listening to music, there are quite a few health benefits too. According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, music helps reduce anxiety and improves sleep quality as well as memory. It is mentioned that music is seen to be a great workout for the mind as it aids in boosting creativity, and allows us to recollect memories that are easily associated with the music being played. Music also plays a vital role in increasing our mental health. Most people use music as a coping mechanism or an escape to reality when the world starts getting too loud for them.
Overall, music is something that allows people to delve deeper into their thoughts and emotions, and it helps people connect with one another, whether it is directly (by recommending songs or listening to songs with your loved ones), or indirectly (by relating to different people’s experiences through lyrics and their meanings).
Questions
- Has music ever helped you through a rough patch in life?
- What are your opinions on analyzing song lyrics and the impact it can have on an individual?
- How has music contributed in increasing your creativity and analytical thinking?
References:
https://genius.com/The-neighbourhood-void-lyrics
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/03057356211013390#body-ref-bibr17-03057356211013390
this is very true! music is not a large part of my life but i can see how it would impact people’s lives
Amazing work Nusaibah! The fact that I could relate to a lot of the stuff you said, is truly astounding. Funny how we as social creatures find ourselves in a never ending battle to find that certain someone. Anyways before I go of on a tangent, I want to answer the questions you posted 🙂
Music has definitely helped me through difficult times in my life (and I truly mean it) . Usually, when I feel overwhelmed or stressed, I turn to music as a form of therapy. It helps me process my emotions and provides a sense of comfort and relief. A hypothetical light at the end of the tunnel if you will.
As for analyzing song lyrics, I think it can be a powerful tool for personal growth and understanding. Like you mentioned, lyrics can help put into words feelings and experiences that are difficult to express on our own. So, analyzing the lyrics of a song can help provide a different perspective on things, However, I also believe that lyrics can be open to interpretation, and what may vibe with one person may not vibe with someone else.
In terms of creativity and analytical thinking, music has definitely played a role in expanding my creative horizons. As an amateur writer, I often find inspiration in the lyrics of songs and the emotions they convey. Additionally, analyzing lyrics and understanding the structure and meaning of a song can also help you think outside the box. All this truly makes music an ever-powerful tool.
Literally listening to music as I type this, haha. I read some research on how listening to music is greatly associated with memory, so when you relisten to music you had listened to a lot, it brings back memories of that time period. It certainly does for me. I find listening to music very calming as well, so when I’m feeling anxious I put on some music and try to focus on it – no phones, no distractions, just the sounds. It really helps to slow you down and put you in the moment, an experience I think many of us are missing because of how hectic our lives have become.
I do also enjoy analyzing music, just like with other mediums. Sometimes I think a song means one thing, but when I look it up it’s another interpretation. I think both are valid and there isn’t one true interpretation – its all subjective.
Anyway, great post, Nusaibah. I think all of us can relate.
I loved reading this, Nusaibah! I truly enjoyed this topic as I could definitely relate. After long days at AUS, or after a rough day, listening to music has always been my coping strategy. I play my favorite songs in the car, and just relax! In fact, because my playlist is not organized- sad songs, happy songs, and so on are not in a particular order- I find myself with a different mood every time a certain song plays. Suddenly I am happy, then feeling down again. This just shows the power of music in playing with our emotions!
I also love listening to specific Arabic songs that are inspired by poetry, because the language used is not very easy to understand yet very meaningful. I truly enjoy analyzing such songs in my head and detaching from the real world for a bit.
Overall, thank you for this amazing post, great work!
Thank you for sharing such personal experiences, Nusaibah. You covered so much in this post, and did it really well! I can definitely relate to how deeply you think about song lyrics and how you use them to explore and explain your own feelings. I agree that different interpretations of one text are fascinating and closely listening to song lyrics has many merits. I can’t count the number of times I’ve texted my friend about some hidden meaning I was suddenly struck by in a Taylor Swift song. I think music and song lyrics are often cryptic and ambiguous, which makes it easier to interpret them in the context of your life. Another quality I appreciate about music as an art form is that it can combine evocative instrumentals with meaningful lyrics which sometimes feel like a two-in-one experience where you can focus on experiencing either dimension and the emotions it awakens. Again, great work!
Great post, Nusaibah! A lot of us often think of music as a part of our daily life, and the way we feel about it something we don’t really consciously think about, so I really like how you explored the deeper effects of music on us. I find it really interesting how some people prefer lyrics over melody, and vice versa. I pay attention to both, but I like to focus on the lyrics, because as you mentioned, it’s reassuring when you listen to a relatable song that doesn’t make you feel alone. Also, I enjoyed your discussion about interpretation. The songwriter themselves can write the song in a certain context, but different listeners can interpret it in various ways. It all depends on the writer’s/listener’s background and personal experiences, and I think we can extend that to other forms of texts/media. Overall, I really enjoyed your analysis of music in this post, well done!
Just reading this reminds me how many memories I have and the different stages of life, that I associate with a specific song or artist. Music can amplify a happy memory or help you get through a bad one.
Well written and beautifully explained Nusaibah!! I definitely agree with the fact that music can have great impacts on our lives and the way it shapes our emotions. I usually listen to music in car rides with my friends and family and its amazing to notice how much it affects our feelings and moods. Sometimes listening to a song once isn’t enough and we end up playing it on repeat just because of how much the lyrics grabs our attention. This gets to me realize that previously I never paid attention to the lyrics and “good songs” were all about fast beats and hyped, energetic music. However, now I find myself getting more and more attracted to the lyrics. It is very true that the meanings of lyrics can vary for every individual according to their ideas, beliefs and perception. This indeed is a very fascinating element of music because it allows every person to enjoy it with a completely different meaning of the same text.
Amazing work Nusaibah!! This is an extremely interesting topic to me. I loved reading through your post.
Music has definitely helped me in rough times. To me, music is therapy. Not only am I saying this because I find it therapeutic, but also this is proven by research.
Playing musical instruments or singing has also been shown to boost creativity by improving cognitive flexibility, which is the ability to switch between different concepts and perspectives. Learning to play an instrument or singing can also help develop a sense of discipline, patience, and persistence, all of which are important qualities for creativity.
In terms of analytical thinking, music has been found to improve cognitive abilities such as attention, memory, and processing speed, which I have noticed personally and experienced. Listening to music while performing analytical tasks can also improve focus and reduce distractions. Additionally, playing an instrument or singing requires a high level of mental processing and problem-solving, which can help develop analytical skills.
Great job! It was such a fun read!!
To hear another person speak about the importance of song lyrics is certainly a pleasant surprise! Perhaps I am too picky with my preferences, but it feels like trying to come across songs with lyrics that tear their way right into your thoughts has been getting quite difficult, especially in recent years.
Few things can compare to music’s ability to make a person ponder matters. Such matters can be as mundane as deciding which path to take to get home, while other matters can be existential ones like the meaning of life, what is beyond death, and how the thread of fate ties them both together. Personally, I find music akin to the voiceless whisper. It is there in one’s ears, whispering unceasingly; yet, one does not hear, as one is preoccupied with the meaning of the whispers. Such a paradox is truly a fascinating and mesmerizing ordeal.
Nusaibah I sincerely appreciate your excellent blog. Since I’ve been an avid music enjoyer for a while, I’ve found that lyrics have a special way of impacting me, especially when they have diverse meanings for different listeners. A while back, I came across a fascinating SAT essay comparing the long-term relevance of classical versus modern music. According to the article, classical music is timeless since it doesn’t have a strong emotional undertone, but modern music frequently has certain emotions associated with it. There is no denying that most of the time, modern music only has fleeting relevance. On a personal level, modern music frequently evokes strong emotions and memories, so even if you forget a song for a while and then hear it again, you will still be able to recall the feelings and memories associated with it. This, in my opinion, is what gives modern music its potency.
Music in itself is a way to reflect on yourself as well as to release and live out your emotions. I really enjoyed the read, especially the lyrics analysis that caught my eye. I belive and agree that the correlation between emotions and music are extremely evident. Overall great read, great analyses and great song presented!
Amazing post Nusaibah! I loved reading it! It is so interesting to analyze music and its impacts because before coming across this post, I never really paid attention to its deep meaning and effects. I use music as a form of distraction or escapism; therefore, I think music has helped me relax and get a break from reality.
Great post, Nusaibah! I’ve always had an interesting relationship with music. I think its ability to transport and its trance-like effect is so powerful–and like all power, it can have its pros and cons. Music has been both incredibly nostalgic and cathartic in my life. But it can also recreate bad memories, and I often find myself skipping over songs I associate with a specific time in my life. It’s a form of escapism, amongst many other things, and if I find myself turning to music when I’m feeling down, I also like to ask myself what it is that I’m trying to escape.