For as tolerant and accepting as I am of music as a whole, some of it just doesn't do anything for me. And the worst offenders are songs where the singer talks about how great he or she is. Like, that's the whole song. I'm awesome; I'm rich; I'm attractive; I'm smooth. Well, I'm bored.
I want a story. Don't tell me how great you are; show it to me. Tell me about things that have happened, what you did, and let me decide how great you are (or are not). This shameless self-promotion gets so old because it all sounds the same. Nothing interesting ever happens in it.
That's part of why I want a story. So many things can happen in stories. Really, anything can happen in a story. I wish I could see every medium used as a way to tell stories. That way, things would always stay interesting.
I would warn people, though, that for as easy as it is to make any medium be able to tell a story, it is just as easy to make any medium sling self-serving schlock. Actions will always speak the loudest. If you absolutely must tell people how great you are, at least give them something that would compel them to agree with you.
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I couldn't agree with you more. I make music and I try to keep the "me music" (talking about my personal problems and/or bragging) to an all-time low. I feel like music is the one form of self-expression that can rob people of genuine feelings along with true creativity. A lot of these artists act a certain way or create certain songs with the idea of getting rich by entertaining the masses and "selling out".
ReplyDeleteThe worse part about it is, as far as urban music goes, it's ok to get caught in a lie. The fans will eventually forgive and forget everything that you lied about or did wrong. I dont feel the need to mention "kanye-taylor" or "r.kelly-those underage girls". I'm not a fan of Country Music but at least you know the Dixie Chicks wouldn't lie about selling drugs and killing people to sell records...
wow! There I go, rambling again...
Long Story Short : I'll keep what you said in mind next time im writing a song.
Thanks for the reply. Glad you got something out of it.
ReplyDeleteLet me know when you've got a story in your next song. I'd love to hear it.