Part of The Round Table's multimedia experience

The Round Table

Part of The Round Table's multimedia experience

The Round Table

Part of The Round Table's multimedia experience

The Round Table

Face the music

By Shannon McKenna
Round Table editor

  He walks down the sidewalk, dancing to his own tune and bobbing his head to the music. Scruffy, sun-bleached hair sticks out from beneath his large, black headphones, which are prominently resting upon his head, covering his ears like fuzzy winter earmuffs. The sound of Plain White T’s “Rhythm of Love” is heard resonating from their inner depths. While walking down the street, he smiles sweetly at a cute girl with “blue eyes like the sea” and laughs at the irony. His teal shirt, branded with his favorite band’s logo, bounces as he walks to the beat; he soon becomes completely oblivious to the world around him, preferring to let himself become immersed in the lyrics of the song.

 Music is a major influence on the personalities of teenage students, but over the decades music has changed a great deal. Lyrics always used to have such meaning and soul in them, but it seems that in more recent years the majority of new music focuses on sex, drugs or partying.

 “I feel like the meaning in the lyrics of popular music has slowly been diminishing. There are a few artists that really dig deep and come up with some good meaningful stuff. But, for the most part, popular music nowadays has no meaning in it,” said Middletown High School senior Noah Denier.

 It also seems that, throughout the years, the actual voices and music of songs have become less important. More artists have started using smooth, hypnotic sounds that flow from electric synthesizers instead of actually creating music with instruments.

 “So much creativity has been lost. It’s sad to watch instruments get placed on shelves as electronics and technology replace them. Music isn’t the same as it used to be,” said MHS sophomore Jake Dziubla.

 But the truth is, even though popular music is catchy and gets stuck in teen’s heads, it may not be good for teens to be listening to music that glorifies rebellious behavior. What happened to the artists who wanted to be good role models for younger generations?

 ”Artists sing about drugs, sex and money because they are what the ‘fans’ want to hear about,” MHS freshman Mia Kidwell said. “Obviously they just like the limelight – they don’t care about their fans and aren’t concerned with whether or not they are good role models for teens.”

 Music has always been a way for artists to express their emotions, but more artists now choose to write about the struggles they face in life rather than positive things.

 The song “You Spin Me Around” by Dead or Alive was remade into “Right ‘Round” by Flo Rida in 2009. There is a huge difference in the meanings of the lyrics when they are compared.

 Dead or Alive used lyrics in their song like “All I know is that to me you look like you’re lots of fun, open up your lovin’ arms, watch out, here I come.”

 Flo Rida chose to use lyrics like “My paper planes makin’ a dance, get dirty all night that’s part of my plan, we building castles that’s made out of sand, she’s amazing the fire blazing.”

 Clearly the lyrics are very different and the years have changed the morals of what kind of music people enjoy. Music used to teach lessons about growing up, love, and getting over the hardships in life.

 People can relate to music, using it as an emotional outlet or a way to express themselves. With the current generation’s fixation on lyrics that encourage drinking, smoking, and sex, music is turning into a fad that emphasizes immorality.

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Face the music