Why Our Music Industry Isn't What It Used To Be

                Okay, first off, let me get something straight; I am not dissing on any specific genre, or artist. I am simply picking songs that are examples of what I’m talking about. If I pick a song or artist that you really love, and you are somehow offended by what I say, please don’t get angry; I mean no harm! Well, not really.

                Who am I kidding? Say what you want, I don’t care.

                Now, I can’t be the only person who has noticed a serious lack of writing skills in the music industry lately. I mean, some artists are just getting lazy! Come on Beiber; you can do better than, “Baby, baby, baby, ooooh.” You’ve got it in you, I know you do! And ‘T-swift’? I admire you for your skills as a performer and the fact that you write your own songs and design your tours and such, but you need to seriously start changing up the topics of your songs! The world can only take so many songs about break-ups and ‘true love’. For real. Country music is full of that stuff anyway. And Patriotism.

                AMERICA!

                I can’t help but notice that songs ‘back in the day’ were written at a much higher standard than they are now. I’m sure there were some silly songs then too but the mass majority was pretty stellar. Take for example one of my favorite songs, The Sound Of Silence by Simon and Garfunkel:

”Hello darkness, my old friend
I've come to talk with you again
Because a vision softly creeping
Left its seeds while I was sleeping
And the vision that was planted in my brain
Still remains
Within the sound of silence

In restless dreams I walked alone
Narrow streets of cobblestone
'Neath the halo of a street lamp
I turned my collar to the cold and damp
When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon light
That split the night
And touched the sound of silence

And in the naked light I saw
Ten thousand people, maybe more
People talking without speaking
People hearing without listening
People writing songs that voices never share
And no one dared
Disturb the sound of silence

"Fools", said I, "You do not know
Silence like a cancer grows
Hear my words that I might teach you
Take my arms that I might reach you"
But my words, like silent raindrops fell
And echoed
In the wells of silence

And the people bowed and prayed
To the neon god they made
And the sign flashed out its warning
In the words that it was forming
And the sign said, "The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls
And tenement halls"
And whispered in the sounds of silence”

                SO GOOD!!! The lyrics are so poetic, and they speak of public issues with such grace. They don't express their main point directly or outright but you definitely get what they are trying to say. Plus, the tune of it is absolutely to die for. My personal favorite line is “The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls”. Possible tattoo idea? I think yes!

                Anyway, if you look at these lyrics and compare them to a popular song of today’s lyrics, you’ll notice a sad decline in not only poeticism but a true deeper meaning. Gone are the days when artists wrote songs about injustices and true feelings. Today is the era of selfishness and over-done clichés! Hurrah!

                Let’s look at the facts; the top five songs of 2011 as picked by Billboard’s Critics are as follows:

5) Motivation by Kelly Rowland featuring Lil Wayne

4) N***as In Paris by Kanye West and Jay-Z

3) Till The World Ends by Britney Spears

2) Someone Like You by Adele

1) Super Bass by Nicki Minaj

                Holy crap. Nicki Minaj got best song of 2011??? I can think of hundreds of songs more deserving of that title! Yes, the song is catchy in that its beats make you want to dance, but the lyrics are just silly! And Kanye West’s and Jay-Z’s song? I think the title explains it all. To me, the only song on that list that truly deserves to be there, both musically and lyrically, is Adele’s Someone Like You; that is a truly beautiful song that speaks to the way lyrics used to be written. The list itself is 20 songs long, and I suggest you go check it out for yourself. Just Google ‘top songs of 2011’ and pick the link to Billboard’s website.

                I feel as though song-writers need to step up their games a bit and start producing works of art like they used to. Bring back the words of Fleetwood Mac, The Who, Led Zeplin, and good ol’ Simon and Garfunkel! Musical poetry, that’s what they produced, and that’s what we need to bring back into today’s music. So I challenge all of today’s artists to write a song – just one, really – that showcases your lyrical skills. Go for it! You’d be surprised as to what you can come up with.

Stay classy!

xoxo