1) (explicit) White Tie Affair, "You Look Better When I'm Drunk" Rock/Pop, 2010.
2) (explicit) Drake, "Best I Ever Had" Hip-Hop, 2009
3) (explicit) Rihanna ft. Drake, "What's My Name" Hip-Hop, 2010
4) (explicit) Jamie Foxx ft. T-Pain, "Blame It" Hip-Hop, 2008
5) (explicit) Katy Perry - "I Kissed a Girl", Pop, 2008
One of the songs that is most fitting is: Katy Perry, "I Kissed a Girl":
Aim 3: Community Service
1) Black Eyed Peas - "Where is the Love?" Hip-Hop,2009
2) Lionel Richie, Tina Turner, Michael Jackson - "We Are the World", Pop, 1985
3) Jonas Brothers, Demi Lovato, Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez - "Send it On", Pop, 2009
4) Jewel - "Hands" Pop/Country, 1998
5) Backstreet Boys - "Children Need a Helping Hand", Pop, 1997
One of the songs that is most fitting is: Lionel Richie, Tina Turner, Michael Jackson - "We Are the World"
Overwhelmingly, the more prevalent theme and the one easier to find in American pop culture revolves around Pleasure, rather than Community Service. The reason for this is debatable, but perhaps one of the most salient reasons is that as human beings we are embracing our animal instincts, embracing pleasure, immersing ourselves in pleasure and have not yet transcended our desires for pleasure. According to the Hindu mindset, the appeal of pleasure is insatiable for a period of time, after which we realize that its effects become transient and our true efforts should be dedicated to liberation from the cycle of reincarnation, or Moksha. While in the mode of pleasure, we are often drawn to its appeal rather passionately, and often express our emotions as humans in a variety of forms, the most appealing of which is in art – music, dance, paintings, etc. Especially with the growth of resources like YouTube and Google, the access to these types of passionate expressions has become much easier and has helped to synergistically enhance their popularity.
The Hindu aims of pleasure often urge for self control in the pleasure. While not denying the ability to enjoy one’s moment and experience in pleasure, it does urge for one to do so responsibly and be weary of recklessness. Very few songs in American Pop culture point to the negative sides of pleasure, or urge one to be weary of excessive pleasure. The songs often relate the greatness of a pleasurable experience, but often do not discuss any downsides of the event or anything that would detract from their appeal. Being of Hindu descent, I have had the opportunity to be exposed to Hindi music and have noticed that American songs about pleasure often overwhelmingly revolve around sex, whereas in the Hindu culture they focus more on innate beauty and their sublime nature. In the American mindset, the viewpoint is more related to conquering the experience and emotion of pleasure, where as in the Hindu mindset it revolves around immersing oneself in it, and standing in awe as to its sublime, unconquerable beauty.
However, what I noticed that was personally interesting is that as I have grown from my teenage years, I have noticed that the songs relating to pleasure are appealing, but their appeal is becoming increasingly short-lived. The message in the songs related to community service have started to strike a deeper cord within me, perhaps because I have attempted to see life through a lens of deeper meaning and view the world as an interconnected web in which one’s actions effect others in an infinite number of ways. The themes of community service in both the Hindu and American mindset run rather parallel. Although community service in the Hindu mindset is not the ultimate goal, it is potentially a step in the gradual growth towards ultimate liberation, or Moksha.
--Kunal Kapoor
February 6, 2011
It's interesting to hear (or read) your thoughts about Hindi music vs. American music. While doing this assignment, I was wondering how the two differed. A lot of modern songs about pleasure do seem to be shallow, and the pleasure they describe can only last so long. Maybe that's why there are so many songs about it. It seems, though, that this type of music fits with the mentalities of many Americans, not satisfied with one thing for very long and needing to move on to the next best thing.
ReplyDelete"American songs about pleasure often overwhelmingly revolve around sex, whereas in the Hindu culture they focus more on innate beauty and their sublime nature." This is interesting and not surprising at all. I agree that lots of American songs of pleasure revolve around sex, and I'm sure other cultures have a different definition of pleasure as well. For my nationality (Laotian), performers usually sing very clean cut versions of songs pertaining to pleasure. With the desire to be better than the next best thing, I think American songwriters go through great lengths to write whatever will bring in popularity and $$$.
ReplyDeleteWhat you said was so true and I agree with all of it. Most people seek pleasure and want to party and ahve sex all the time without having another thought about the negative side. We want to be rich and wealthy so we can buy the biggest cars, mansions, and the most fashionable clothing. However, once we get those things, we're going to notice that they're not enough. Allocating part of what we have to charities and helping those that really need the hand will give us a different kind of pleasure and happiness than can not be reached otherwise.
ReplyDeleteWell said, my friend! I would love to hear some of those Hindu songs...I agree that most pop culture songs about pleasure are shallow, and in some cases disgusting. If you appreciate a deeper meaning in songs, I urge you to look outside pop culture. There's a different world of musicians from America who make beautiful, insightful music. It makes me sad to hear you have "short-lived" experiences from American pop music so far! Anyways, I definitely agree with you. In general, American pop culture, compared to Hindu, has a more shallow outlook on life. BUT, not all American music is that way.
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