The Before:
Music has changed so much over the past decades; and most would agree that it is not for the better. In recent culture, we have watched seemingly innocent music of all genres turn into sex, drug, and violence symbols. In the past, as recent as the early 2000’s, music was nothing compared to how it is now. The lyrics have become more vulgar, the fashion has become more sexually oriented, and the cultural impact is more negative than ever.
Song lyrics, in the past, had meaning; most of them told stories. It seems that, as the years go by, music becomes more and more offensive. Years ago, most of the rap music was about getting girls, hanging out, and most had the occasional drug or alcohol reference. Nowadays, every other word is about drugs, alcohol, violence, or sex. The greater majority of popular rap music is about nothing meaningful, at all. This is a direct reflection of our culture. As society becomes more violent and focused on illegal activity, rap music puts it to words and popularizes it for everyone. This is detrimental to our culture in ways that are easy to see. Young generations become desensitized to things they should still feel timid towards, and this makes them more comfortable around the things they hear in rap music. Rap music is changed by our culture; and rap music changes our culture.
Country music has also strayed away from its “roots”. It is easy to see the change in rap, but the country requires a deeper look into the lyrics to tell. In the past, country was primarily about loving
women. Today, country isn’t even country. We have all of these self proclaimed country music stars in modern society singing about drinking, partying, and various other things unrelated to the foundation of country. If you compare Johnny Cash to the modern day Florida Georgia Line, you can easily see how country music has evolved around our culture. This shows that Americans have also drifted away from their roots. Society used to have a more wholesome set of values and beliefs. Today, mostly everyone is concerned with drinking and partying, and country music shows it just as clearly as anything.
Music has also become a major sex symbol. Producers know that sex sells, and with the rising popularity of music videos, most artists are turned into sexual icons. In the past, there were some revealing outfits, but nothing like we see today. Women are commonly seen half naked, singing their latest hit songs, and people love it. Men have also become symbols of sex. In the early history of music, men would have never been seen stripping off their clothes while singing. Today, men strip just as much as women. This shows how our culture has been more focused on sex than in previous years. This all ties back to the loss of wholesome values our culture is seeing. Again, music is a direct reflection of the culture we live in.
Music may seem meaningless, but a deeper look can show a lot about popular culture. The impact music has on our society is huge. As stated above, people are being exposed to vulgar lyrics more and more every day. We all know that we idolize famous artists, and this could end up affecting our culture in a negative way. If we are continually exposed to partying, drinking, violence, and drugs, then we will become more prone to doing these things. If music does not take a turn for the better, then who knows what our culture could turn into. We have seen how music has evolved in all sorts of ways. It is clear to see that music affects culture, and culture affects music. Music has a major impact on our society, and it shows how the world is evolving more and more each year.
The After:
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