Essay, Research Paper: Modern Music

Music has been around for thousands and thousands of years. The caveman had originally started some type of sounds in which branched off into the music that we listen to today. This prehistoric music was started by the cavemen in order for them to express themselves, and the others who listened were affected in the same way that people are affected by music today.
For example, if someone is upset they will listen to something that will get them into a better mood, perhaps something mellow or soft. If they are happy, they will listen to something that is more energetic, and so on. After I interviewed four people--friends and family--I found out what type of music they listened to when they are upset, angry, or calm. Music touches people's souls, and gets the best or worst out of them.
My friend Kyle said, "When I am in a bad mood I listen to basically rap because it gets me hyped up to where I want to dance. Rap lets me get into a better mood where I can forget the problem or what I was mad at before."� He continues, "No other music affects me as much as rap does because rappers put everything they have into their songs, but that is only my opinion."� Kyle has listened to rap since he was 13, and he actually got me interested into it. I never liked rap until I started to hang out with him, and I am now starting to enjoy it because of its' diversity that is involved in making the music. Each rapper has their own version of the world, and they express it through their music.
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Not all rap music is good according to a Texas widow, who filed a lawsuit against Tupac Shakur. Her husband, a Texas state trooper, was allegedly shot to death by a man who stole a car. In the man's car a Tupac tape was found in the cassette player, and
Tupac's music was allegedly to blame (Damean). Some people tend to take music too seriously, and end up making mistakes, and they have to suffer the consequences like that Texas man. Those people, who take the music too seriously, are not stable, and the music brings out the worst of them. On the other hand, people like Kyle have no problem with some of the lyrics that some rappers incorporate into their music, and end living happily with society.
I asked Kyle's roommate, Tim what type music he listens to when he is in certain moods. He said, "Sometimes when I am homesick I listen to Frank Sinatra because my mother and father listen to it all the time, so it reminds me of them."� He is also a big rap
fan, but not as much as Kyle. Tim can listen to anything at any time, for instance, he could listen to Notorious BIG one minute then listen to Marilyn Manson the next. He continues, "If I have the urge to get pumped up then I need something that is crazy and wild to get me in that mood, like White Zombie or some sort of heavy music."�
There have also been lawsuits involved with such heavy metal like Marilyn Manson, Ozzy Osbourne, Slayer, and Judas Priest. Marilyn Manson's music had been to blame for the suicide of 13 year-old boy from California. Another family from California sued the band Slayer because their lyrics inspired three teenage boys to rape and murder their daughter. Ozzy Osbourne and Judas Priest had lawsuits filed against them claiming their lyrics drove teens to attempt suicide in the late 80's, but the cases were won by the artists
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(Demean). Once again people or teenagers took the music too seriously, and they ended making stupid mistakes by doing so.
These teenagers are allowed to listen to such music at an early age when they look up to certain entertainers like--Marilyn Manson. These teenagers need role models, and they end up looking the wrong way when they should be idolizing baseball and football players. They are at the crucial age when they are looking for a direction in life while trying to find themselves in the process. These teenagers think that they are supposed to listen to every word they sing, and they end up taking them seriously by acting upon those words. The teenagers, who take it seriously and act on it, are insecure looking for someone to lead them through life, and end going to the wrong person for help when they should be going to an adult, or a positive role model for help.
I asked my mother what she listens to and what she feels when she listens to it. She said, "I like to listen to classical music after a hard day's work because it soothes me to a point where my mind is free from all of the stress that is involved in my job."� My mom is an accountant where she works with numbers all day long, and that can get annoying by looking at the same sheet of numbers for hours at a time. My mom recently began listening to country music, and I asked her why she recently switched. She responds, "I needed a change from the regular music that I normally listen to. I like it because the lyrics of some songs are quite deep, and I could relate to some of the stories that are incorporated in the songs. The songs make me feel free, and I need that after a hard days work."�

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I am not a country fan, and I often cringe when I hear it, but my mom was the same way, and she now listens to country. I guess in time my view will change because as I get older I will look everywhere for a new kind of sound that will catch my ear. Most people go through their stages of music as their get older, and I am in between rap and alternative. While my mother is in between country and classical, but it depends what kind of mood we are in is when we turn to one or the other.
The fourth person that I interviewed was my sister. I asked the same question as the above three. She said, "It depends because one week is different from the next. I will buy a new CD, and listen to it until I am sick of it then I move on to the next artist. When I am feeling depressed I listen to the Verve or Dave Matthews because the songs are calmer and soothing, so I can calm down, and enjoy life."� She concludes, "When I am in a happy mood I like to listen to anything that is on the radio because I do not know what is coming on next, and I like being surprised."�
I asked myself the same question, and I know that I cannot live without music. I like to come home after class, lie down, and mellow out to some Pink Floyd or Pearl Jam. If I do not listen to my music for a day then I would not consider it a complete day. Music is the only thing that I consider mine, and nobody can take that away from me.
Everybody should feel the same way as me because there are certain things that people like to keep to themselves, and music is one of popular things that people tend to keep from other people, but that is only my opinion. To some it is just sitting down, reading your favorite book, but I like to lie down, and just contemplate about what I am going to do in life. Pink Floyd really makes me consider about life in general because their music is
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so deep. I have been depressed for a month now, and music is the only thing that I can turn to in order to get relief. People have tried to talk to me about it, but nobody understands that I just need to be left alone with my music, and that music is my only remedy.
Music is a beautiful thing. People need to realize that music can solve many problems, and many people, like me, turn to music to get relief or release stress. Music can touch everybody's soul, and release the pain that somebody might have about a loved one or just life in general. If you go to a concert, you will see people dancing to the music, and getting in tune with the rhythm - like a flower waving in the breeze, or a tree swaying in the wind. It is our human nature to dance to music, and respond to what we hear by acting out our feelings through music. You can go anywhere and see this; no matter if you are at a concert or a fraternity party, you will see people expressing themselves.
Music can also cause a lot of problems too, like the ones I mentioned above. People need to respect it for that quality because it is able to affect people in every way imaginable. It is hard to explain exactly why humans love music the way they do, but it is an art form that we have been creating since the dawn of man. We will continue to explore the wonders of music and explore new ways to produce it while being affected by it at the same time.