Music & Emotion

There is a moment while you are listening to a song that you can understand exactly what the singer / songwriter was feeling when they wrote it. All that emotion and energy and feeling is almost palpable. Which asks the question, do songs need to be positive? I think not, but I also wonder what the effects of negative songs might have on society.

Let me explain. A song that I recently heard for the first time is one of these such songs. Negative, depressing and all too catchy. When I first heard the song, the context of what the song meant and the overall feel of the video was different, and I was left thinking, “wow, that is a catchy song, let me look it up,” which I promptly did.

Yes, the song is catchy, but after watching the video, and the remix video, I was left feeling sad and depressed, a strange feeling after listening to the song which, musically, is rather upbeat (especially the remix.)

So what, I asked myself, keeps me clicking replay. Admittedly, the video is well made, and the song is catchy, but why would I want to repeatedly listen to a song about drinking away the pain of a breakup? I honestly don’t know. You might say that it is because the song is so catchy. True in part, but there are plenty of catchy songs in existence with much more positive lyrics, and any number of these is available for me to listen to. So I ask again, why?

I think, for me, it has to do with emotion. When an artist writes songs like these, they do so because they feel something. That emotion and feeling translates itself to the music, which becomes relatable to a listener because of shared experience, or simply because of the human ability to empathize with the artist.

I think that, while negative and depressing songs like this can make a listener feel down, they are important because they allow artists to express their emotions and feelings freely and without inhibition. Do I feel depressed after listening to this song? Yes. But, I also feel a connection to the song and artist on a more human level, and that, I think, is one of the great powers of music in our society. We are able to connect with artists and each other through music.

So, stay high on music my friends, and break the habits that lead to the emotions that end up as songs like this. Without further ado, here is the music video for Habits by Tove Lo as well as the remix video, entitled Stay High.

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Let me know what you think, as well as your thoughts on music and society.

Thanks for reading, and I will talk to you on Monday.
- Digit