A wise man once said, “It is not the music being played that makes a person emotional but the people and things that pass through a person’s mind when the music is being listened to.” It couldn’t be more true. Music forms an important part or is part and parcel of human life. It’s being there since time immemorial but has evolved over time. Music is universal and is played almost everywhere at almost every place or gathering, in any language available, all over the world. There are so many types of music; gospel, jazz, afrobeat, highlife, hip-life, pop, love(blue), reggae etc., in the world.
The reggae legend, Bob Marley(regarded as the king of reggae music), said, “one good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain.” No wonder the Pope had to join the over 120,000 people in the San Siro stadium in Milan, Italy, in 1980, to watch the superstar(Bob Marley), perform live. There are some kinds of music that are meant to inform, educate, entertain and enlighten the masses of the people around the world. The father of Afro-beat music, Fela Anikulakpo Kuti, used music as a tool to inform, educate and point out the ills of society. He also used it to fight for the freedom and human rights of the oppressed, both in his country of birth(Nigeria), Africa and the world at large. He did it successfully even though at a cost of his own freedom and human rights in his country of birth. Of course no where in history had an oppressor or suppressor given freedom or rights to the needful on a silver platter. It always comes with a fight. Unrelenting fights.
There are a lot of music or songs sang in the past that are of no relevance today because they potray or carry no particular message. Some are noise of any kind just to make money or attain fame which never lasted. The world is still amazed and fascinated by Bob Marley’s music which has stood the test of time because of the prophetic and philosophical messages it carries, even though he passed away over three decades ago. He used music to promote unity, peace and love around the world. One of his songs, ‘One Love’, was voted as the song of the 20th century by the BBC. And his album, ‘Exodus’, was voted as the album of the 20th century by the TIME MAGAZINE.
Today, some musicians, especially the female ones, go almost naked or expose some vital parts of their bodies just to make their music attractive, popular and sell. Of course, humans by nature admire naked bodies. But most of them fade away or lose their substance or importance after a period of time. Bad girls are always popular for a while but diminish over time or succeed in destroying themselves. The I-three(Rita Marley, Judy Mowatt and Marcia Griffiths) who were the support singers for Bob Marley and the Wailers, still carry a lot of relevance and respect in society because they were always neatly dressed, disciplined and never exposed any vital parts of their bodies during their stage careers. Some notable female musicians also followed in their footsteps.
The truth is bitter but it always got to be told. Society or people are always fond of good music over time(especially the ones with good messages) but easily forget the ones without good messages or full of noise.
So many songs or music, sang by so many musicians, would not stand the test of time, because they lack the elemental and fundamental truth and philosophies of life and of society.
~Lawson Ametorwoyorna.
A.k.a. Mankind
(November 25, 2019)