Final Blog Post

 


Why do we Need Music?

My final blog project today will be about why people need music. I think my overall reasoning that a person needs music is to feel better, as well as stay focused or feel calm. I know many people that use different types of music depending on how they feel, there is definitely a big difference between happy music and sad music and people use these to feel validated and better about the way they are feeling in the moment. Music communicates with people and helps their brains to feel a certain way. 


According to Harvard's research, "Music listeners has higher scores for mental well-being and slightly reduced levels of anxiety and depression compared to people overall." 

On the other hand, CNN shows when certain songs that are not positive songs are played, it encourages things like crime or depression. 

This shows that people use music to validate as well as figure out how they should feel. I think that some people could be having a great day and then when they listen to positive music it can make them feel much better, but I also feel like if they do the opposite and are upset and then listen to upsetting music it could convince a person that they should do bad things and that they should feel these ways which are not always ideal. 


I will be providing  a sad song as well as a happy song and explaining how I think these songs could affect someone overall from listening to them.


Whiskey Lullaby Brad Paisley 2004 United States

This song is extremely sad. It is a heartbreaking song about a man who kills himself. The people are so heartbroken that he drinks his pain away but can never forget the girl who broke his heart. This song says that one night he put that bottle to his head and pulled the trigger, he drank himself to death. This could be very sad if someone was sad and suicidal and listened to this song, they could feel what this song is feeling and it could unfortunately make these feelings worse and they could try to attempt what this song did. 
I think an obviously very important musical element for this would be the lyrics. It is an extremely sad story that could cause some very harsh feelings for some people that were already not feeling great to begin with. 
I think the tempo of this song could also be an important factor in making it a sadder song. 74 beats per minute is the tempo for this song. This is not necessarily slow but I would consider is a slower paced song which makes it easier for the singer to make this song sound a lot sadder. 
The last musical element I would add would be the harmonization of the man and the woman that were singing, this helps us hear the woman that broke the man's heart. This makes the song much more touching and also heartbreaking. 


If You're Going Through Hell Rodney Atkins 2006 United States

This is another song someone who is going through a hard time could listen to. Here is the difference between this song and the last. The last one showed someone who could not get through the sadness and killed himself. This song shows that if you are going through a hard time to keep on pushing, it may be scary but you will always get through it. This is a song that will help someone going through a hard time feel better and know they will get through it. 
One of the biggest musical elements for this song will also be lyrics. This song shows that everyone goes through a really tough time but that you can always get through it. I think this is important because it encourages someone to never give up, it gives hope and shows them that other people also have bad days and they can push through it. 
I think the next one could be the instruments used in this song. They are all playing a happier beat which makes this song seem a lot happier and makes you feel better overall. A sadder type of instrumental will make you feel sad and won't help with your energy. 
I think the next one could be the tempo just like the last song. The tempo of this song is 116 beats per minute. This is a much more fast paced happy type of song. I think this helps the listener to feel more upbeat and give them some energy and happiness. 

Citations-

Andrew E. Budson, MD. “Why Is Music Good for the Brain?” Harvard Health, 7 Oct. 2020, www.health.harvard.edu/blog/why-is-music-good-for-the-brain-2020100721062.

Avramova, Nina. “How Music Can Change the Way You Feel and Act.” CNN, Cable News Network, 20 Feb. 2019, www.cnn.com/2019/02/08/health/music-brain-behavior-intl/index.html.





Comments

  1. Your blog does a great job showing how music shapes emotions, like how "Whiskey Lullaby" evokes sadness with its tempo and harmonies, while "If You’re Going Through Hell" inspires hope through upbeat rhythms. I agree that music helps people process feelings and connect deeply. To add, it might be interesting to explore how personal or cultural experiences shape how people respond to different songs. Great work!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Music Analysis #1

Introduction Blog!!

Take a Musical Trip