Music Popularity

In Bjorn Carey’s article The Science of Hit Songs, the reasons that make songs popular is discussed. In a recent study, researchers have found that songs that have been downloaded more were selected more often, but popular songs were popular no matter what, as with unpopular songs. They also concluded that when people are faced with too many choices, they choose what is popular to listen to because of lack of time.

I agree that some people do listen to music because it is popular and their friends are listening to it. I don’t think that this is necessarily because they just want to listen to what their friends are listening to just to fit in, but because it actually is a good song, which is the reason that it is popular. On the other hand, I feel like some people don't care much about music so they just listen to whatever is popular. I agree that when people are faced with too many options, they will just listen to what is popular. I know that when I first hear of an artist, I will look them up on Youtube or iTunes and find their most popular songs and listen to them. If I really like the artist then I will spend more time looking for songs by them that may not be as popular but I still enjoy.

Sexual Lyrics

In a lot of today's music, the lyrics to songs contain very sexual lyrics. I believe that a lot of these lyrics are extremely inappropriate for children to be listening to. I feel like these lyrics make it more socially acceptable for women to be objectified and seen only as sexual objects.

Although I do believe that many lyrics are inappropriate, I do not believe that the lyrics directly cause adolescents to become sexually active at a younger age in the vast majority of cases. I think that most people just listen to the songs with the sexual lyrics because they like the beat, not because of the lyrics. I know that I listen to songs with explicit lyrics, but I don't really think about the lyrics, even if I am singing along with the song. I think that movies and tv shows with sexual content have a much greater affect on adolecents' sexual experiences because they are watching the sexual acts and it seems more like reality than songs do.

Rock N Roll compared to Dubstep/House Music

When I was reading A Social History of Rock and Roll by Paul Friedlander, I realized that Rock n Roll and Dubstep have a lot in common. In the 1950's, adults and parents believed that Rock and Roll was "evil" and was too suggestive. Today, many parents see Dubstep and the "rave" scene as dangerous and associate them with drugs. Dubstep and other similar types of electronic music is extremely popular among teens and college students, just like Rock and Roll was popular with teens in the 1950s. Most adults listen to dubstep and just hear a bunch of random and loud noises, while the younger generation hears a song that they enjoy listening to. I personally believe that dubstep has the power to change your mood and make you happier. Whenever I hear a good dubstep or house song I feel like getting up and dancing and I feel happy. There is a feeling of excitement that also accompanies the happiness.

The music festivals described in the chapters we read remind me a lot of today's raves. Both the festivals and raves have many artists performing and a few headliners. The main audience for both were teens and parents saw these festivals as dangerous. Today, most parents associate drugs with raves. While it is true that many people do take drugs while at raves, many people don't. Everybody is there to enjoy the music and have a good time.