Music is a funny thing. It’s only after reaching “adulthood” that I think I fully understood what people had meant all along by “being moved” by music, or when they said music was “like another language” that could speak to them. It doesn’t convey words or concrete concepts, but it does evoke emotions and impressions in the listener. So listening to music really isn’t the same as listening to someone speak or reading their written words, but some analogies hold. You can often tell when someone is a very good speaker or writer because you are compelled to follow their meaning, even though you might not agree or even understand their message. In the same way, some music just draws you in, regardless of its topic or lyrics.

I’ve been listening to a fair bit of Simon and Garfunkel over the past week and every time The Boxer or The Sound of Silence takes its turn on the playlist, I’m struck with the reality that these are really, really good songs. The tempo is solid, the melody is enjoyable, and the harmony is well-balanced. The lyrics are good, but I honestly don’t even know what they are as words; just that they have a wonderful rhythmic and, well, “lyrical” quality. There are powerful feelings behind both of these songs, and even though I couldn’t properly verbalize them they are very real, and quite specific. I suppose that’s the power of (good) music though: conveying feelings that don’t easily translate into words.

This gets me thinking, though. It makes me wonder how much of this has to do with taste, and how much has to do with some intrinsic quality. I compare it to painting. I don’t have an eye for paintings like I have an ear for music: I am able to label as “good” paintings like Monet's "Waterlillies", but I couldn’t be counted on to make an informed choice between two of Dali’s more abstract works. Does this translate to music? Excluding the tone-deaf, would there be a general consensus on music that is “good”, as opposed to music that is “good to some”?

I really like listening to “The Bare Necessities” from the Disney movie The Jungle Book. It’s upbeat, it’s fun, and I think it’s a good song. But that’s my personal preferences coming through. I generally like big-band style music, and I loved the movie itself as a kid so it stands to reason that I have a soft-spot for its musical soundtrack. That said, I wouldn’t be surprised to find a lot of people who have heard the song and thought it unremarkable, or who outright disliked it. It’s a good song, but it isn’t a Good Song. On the flip side we have something like Bill Evans’ “Peace Piece” (YouTube video of someone else’s interpretation, which is unfortunately nowhere near the same caliber as Evans’ original). The first time I heard this song was on the radio in my second year of university, while I was sitting in my dorm room late at night trying to convince myself to do work. It just instantly drew me in, so much so that I put down what I was doing, turned up the radio and lay down on my bed to fully appreciate the song. There’s this mesmerizing quality about it, and I still get lost in the melody to this day. Is “Peace Piece” something that would gain a popular consensus on being a Good Song? What about “Passenger Seat” by Death Cab for Cutie (YouTube video of someone’s film project, set to the background music of Passenger Seat), which is another subdued, pensive song. There’s something very visceral about Passenger Seat, so much so that when the words are sung “I roll the window down, and begin to breathe in” I feel compelled to take the deepest breath I can. When they sing “the darkest country road, and the strong scent of evergreen”, it makes me believe that I can smell the trees, that I can feel the cold air blowing on my face, and the bumps as the car hits the potholes in the road. Is this a Good Song? Or do I only like it because I have fond memories of spending late summer nights driving around with good friends?

Even moving away from the realm of improvisational jazz and indie music: is there anybody who doesn’t feel roused whenever they hear the climax of Beethoven’s Ode to Joy, or Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture? Does anybody not get goosebumps when they hear the triumphant opening refrain of the Hallelujah Chorus, or the soaring high note at the end of Ave Maria? Is anybody not forced into sombre meditation by the Moonlight Sonata’s first movement or Adagio for Strings? Can these safely be labeled as Good?

I think they can, at least within the limits of common sense: you might not think Ave Maria is as good as I do, but we both know it doesn’t belong under the column marked “Awful” or even “Mundane”. And I submit that it was because these composers really were looking to convey messages with their music, and had definite impressions to get across to their listeners. Their musical ideas came before the mechanics of the peice. I’m not sure the same can generally be said for much of modern music, with its penchant for being pigeon-holed into a genre, even if that genre is something seemingly eclectic, like Industrial-Rock-Pop-Electronica-Fusion. I’m sure there’s good music out there that calls itself thrash metal, but how many thoughts can be conveyed with that medium? Rap/hip-hop, alternative, classic rock, country/western - each of these have more than their fair share of songs about getting booty in the club, whiny youth not getting the girl/grades/friends, rebelling against traditional authority by “rocking”, and having your girlfriend leave you (in your own pickup truck, no less!). Respectively. Genres have their place, and musicians that produce this music have their place too, but is there the same potential for a free expression of thought?

There was a good reason I gave as my two examples of amazing songs pieces that would be classified as jazz and indie music . At least in name, neither of those “genres” ends up being quite so self-limiting. There are constraints, but almost all good art has some rules that should be followed. If you’re going to make a good watercolor, you should use these kinds of paints, and these kinds of brushes - those other kinds aren’t what you’re looking for. But just trying to come up with one thrash metal song after another (where thrash metal is interchangeable with pop, rap, alternative, rock, country, etc.) is like trying to paint all your pictures by just using the colours red and yellow. You can do a lot of good stuff with those two colours, and maybe you’ll even spawn a whole genre of “Rellow”-style paintings. Eventually though, you have to realize that you need a fuller spectrum to get across everything that needs to be said. You start off with your heavy guitar playing, then add some thrashing drums, throw in something else for spice and hey, you’ve got some music - but it’s limited from the get-go.

What makes music meaningful, and what makes music Good and not just good? I always look for music that has something “different” and out of the ordinary. Care looks for music that can be sung along with and has a lot of potential for good harmonization. Some people just look for whatever the latest is by Britney, Sum41, or Enrique Iglesias (you know who you are).

What do you look for in music, in general? What do you look for in music that you want to have on in the background while you work, and what do you look for in music that you want to have on your iPod or on a CD in your car? What qualities stand out most in a piece of music, and what qualities are associated with music that you find to be Good? My readership has probably dwindled, particularly with my (habitual and seasonal) lack of posts, but I’d still love to hear your answers.

This entry was posted on Friday, August 17th, 2007 at 3:18 am and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.