Thank You For The Music

by Audrey Stepp

The art of music: decade-defining lyrics, to dazzling pop stars.

Hearing music through the decades allows us to step into a mental time machine and provides a passageway to experience all of our emotions to the fullest extent.

Music icons have changed over the course of many decades, and what is desired and respected has gone through many advancements in the history of music. The sound and production of music is something that is constantly changing and evolving itself. Music is something that reaches out and connects to everyone in it’s audience in one way or another, and develops ideas in a way that can reach anyone and comfort them like a hug.

The production of music is something that has undergone many developments and advancements.

“The presentday music industry is both very similar to how it was prior and how it is now,” sophomore, and School Of Rock guitarist, Jack Binkley said. Access to downloading music from your favorite music artist on your device has transformed the economy of the industry, but the development of technology leaves more room for advancement as well. “Something else is that the technology in the music industry has changed completely. There used to be a staple compressor that if this studio had it, it was softer and it was the Neve 1610. Now we have emulations that can run that compressor which are far less temperamental and save so much space and heat because they’re old to progressive. And it’s just much more reliable now,” Binkley said.

As technology becomes more and more prevalent in the industry, some argue that it can enhance a singer’s sound, while others think that it takes away from the art of raw talent. “Some people think that you don’t necessarily need musicians now because you can create other musicians out of technology. And part of that is a bit scary that you can just wipe away someone’s creativity with things like plugins. But I don’t think anything is going to be able to take away from the true nuances of human play.” Binkley said. Plugins are a type of software used in digital audio workstations. Plugins experienced the greatest growth in 2016, going up by 56.08% in the last 10 years, resulting in a 30 million dollar retail value (according to the U.S. Census and The Music Trades.) “I don’t think anything is going to be like a guitar is just plugging straight into a Marshall amp and cranking it up. The amount of joy and enticing feelings that come from that cannot be matched with any plugin,” Binkley said.

No matter how music is produced or created, almost any musician would agree that being on stage is a feeling like no other. “It’s surreal. There is truly nothing like singing for a crowd, or playing guitar in your room at two am or singing in a choir. Music for me takes so many forms, and in each one I am truly at peace,” junior Marley Long said. Whether you crave the adrenaline and the attention, or the emotional aspect of performing, being on stage is an unparalleled sentiment. “It’s so much more than just being on stage and being in the spotlight, it’s not just the rush. For me it’s being on stage, serving as an entertainer for people and just trying to give people something that they haven’t felt yet. And more so when I’m doing it on stage with other brilliant musicians, it gives me a sense that I’m contributing to something far greater than myself,” Binkley said.

Music today has come a long way, but it still draws its influences and inspiration from those that came before it. Modernday music may sound like a blast from the past, as many present-day artists are heavily impacted by previous musical icons. “Phoebe Bridgers. The way she writes her lyrics, it sounds like this continuous string of thoughts, but she is able to connect them all and make them flow. It’s genius. Her music is so raw, so expressive, she breaks ur heart and makes you feel seen. She is truly an artist, listening to a song of hers is like looking at a painting,” Long said. Phoebe Bridgers is an American indie artist who has just recently gained more popularity and traction in her career. Bridgers has stated at previous shows that her biggest inspiration is Elliot Smith, an artist who gained his popularity in the late 90s. “One player that I have loved for so long has been Jimi Hendrix. I love his playing and how impactful a three year career has been. And more so the fact that even though it was just a three year career, later samples and productions like the entire The Cry Of Love album is probably my favorite Jimi Hendrix album on most days,” Binkley said. Sometimes, the albums that are messy and incomplete are what resonate with people the most. “And it’s raw and like it’s not finished. It’s not really mastered, but it’s so emotive and powerful with what it does that I don’t think that even if it was mastered, I don’t think it would make it any better because it’s already so perfect in the sense of wanting to strive and create,” Binkley said. Hendrix is a musician who gained his fame in the late 60s and has been a role model to many artists who came after him. Artists like Kurt Cobain from Nirvana, Kevin Shields from My Bloody Valentine and Eddie Van Halen from Van Halen were all inspired by his work. Hendrix is such a legend for so many people in the face of music because he ignited rock, and his status as a guitarist with how much he changed these ideas.

According to the list by Chart Masters the best selling artists of each decade truly pertains to popular culture around the world. Elvis Presley was the best selling artist of the 1950s, who created a new face for rock and roll when he mixed the styles of rhythm and blues with a classic country sound. In the 1960s, The Beatles took the chart after carrying over the ideas of rock and roll that started with Presley. As the 1970s approached, Pink Floyd became the top selling artist, probably due to their contribution in upbringing progressive rock. In the 1980s, Michael Jackson was the top selling artist and the beloved “King of Pop,” while his album Thriller is still the most sold album ever in 2022. The title for the 90s goes to Celine Dion who made her way into the pop movement. In the 2000s came a surgence of hip hop and rap, leaving Eminem with the most album sales. The foundations of modern pop had been built up by the 2010s, so it is no secret that Adele was the most selling artist. The current band with the most sales is BTS, a popular k-pop band who has made their way around the world.

The emotion that music can invoke from its audience is incomparable to any other form of media, it is something that anyone can relate to and find warmth and comfort in. Music allows us to feel, as well as express, our emotions in a way that anyone can relate to. “I am always most inspired by music that makes me feel something. When I create music, I love the idea of making someone feel something through art,” Long said. Connection with an audience is one of the most crucial parts of being a musician. “I just love art. I love the vulnerable and messy expressions of a person. I think it is fascinating and heartbreaking and fulfilling and everything in between,” Long said. Music, as a form of art, is so important because it may be about something only the writer would ever understand, but it reaches each audience member in such a personal way that no other form of art could re-create quite as impactfully. “For some reason music is the art form that specifically resonates with me. It probably has something to do with my upbringing, my parents exposing me to all of their music, or always singing or playing music to have on in the background. It’s just kind of in my blood,” Long said.

Music is like an escape, in a sense, for many people. “The way I slow down is by taking time to listen or play music, and it’s in those moments that I find I can relax and remember to be happy. Music is where I feel comfortable enough to take moments for myself and just breathe for a little while, and feel like I’m having a conversation of the soul with the artist,” sophomore Kyra Armstrong said. According to Mind, music releases dopamine in our brain, which can help improve mental health. “To me music is one of the most important things in the world. When I feel stressed, I turn on music. When I need to focus, I turn on music. When I’m happy, I turn on music. It doesn’t matter how I’m feeling or what time of the day it is, I always have music on,” sophomore Delilah Seay said. Music often serves as a saving grace to its listeners when life becomes difficult to manage. It takes you to a place where it is just you and the artist sharing something so vulnerable together. “Music heavily influences its audience. I feel like as part of the audience, music has shaped the kind of person I am and even a little of my personality. When you listen to a lot of music you really like, you want other people to hear it as well. Not only does this affect you, but you’re now sharing the music you like with other people. I’ve also met a lot of my friends and people I love through the music we like; it’s a really easy way to start a conversation,” Seay said.

It is a popular belief that music can affect the type of person you are, and it forms your personality to an extent. “Music connects so deeply to my brain that I feel like I actively experience the emotions that the song is attempting to convey, so I feel happy while listening to a song like “Uptown Girl”, and more sad when listening to something such as “The Night We Met”. I definitely think that the type of music you listen to can affect how you think as well, the artists that are your favorites can even help define your developing personality,” Armstrong said.

Music is something that is ever changing and constantly present. The production of music has drastically changed over the years in terms of technology and sound. Musical icons of the decades give us the music that we hold so dearly today. Music is something that everyone can feel at home with. The creation of music is an art form that is widely respected and a very important part of culture and society.