Music is the message

It is often said that we retain information better when heard with a melody. New parents are often advised to speak in “sing-song” melodies to help young children retain the message. In my own experience as a dad, as weird as this may sound to others, the results speak for themselves as valid and true.

As we grow older though, I’ve noticed that retaining messages through melody remains an effective tool. Creatives are able to convey clear and often provocative or sensitive message through their art, yet the art remains publicly available even if a topic goes against the grain.

Music is a deep love of mine, both playing and listening to. I listen deeply to music, and feel strongly that music with a message can have a significant impact on keeping society focused on facts and on seeing the wood for the trees. I in particular have a special place in my heart for reggae, punk, and everything in between. Music with a strong and clear message, performed from the purest and deepest place, and often flying directly in the face of those who would seek to act in their own interests at the expense of others (see NOFX’s “The War on Errorism” as a clear example).

I have always admired how songwriters are able to distill such strong messages into such succinct framing. For example, “RDP” by The Rudimentals serves as a warning to the South African people to look closer at what politicians are doing, rather than what they are promising via empty words. “RDP” refers to a (failed) housing scheme set up to provide low-cost housing to previously disadvantaged South Africans. The scheme no doubt quickly became corrupt, with South Africans caught in the middle.

We’re tired of being pushed around by crazy politicians who just don’t even care.

Just beware then they say that they’re looking out for you.

The Rudimentals, “RDP”

Of course, the message go even deeper. Mike Love, a firm favourite in our household, tells the following story in his song “Barbershop”;

I knew a man who walked the streets in a suit and tie
With fear down in his heart and in his lowered eyes
He gave up Love for the pursuit of money
Sucking blood instead of drinking milk and honey
Working for the black-hearted establishment
Furthering the murdering of the innocent
He built an empire out of the blood of man
And turned his back on the Father’s hands

Mike Love, “Barbershop”

To my family, this tale serves as a reminder of what is most important to us- love, family, and acting with a pure heart.

Sometimes, storytelling is what we need to re-align with the world around us. Maybe a story about how wonderful it is to live surrounded by pine trees in Georgia, U.S.A is all we need. Zac Brown, in my view, is one of the best storytellers of our generation. Whether sharing heartfelt feelings of love towards another or recounting how amazing it is to sit around a bonfire under Georgia Pine trees, there is something about the way he tells a story which resonates with me.

We’re living in unprecedented times. 2024 in particular is a year of lots of political instability, and lots of humans learning how to exist in a world where anyone with an internet connection and freely express their views, disagree with others, and be confronted by differing views and have to learn to cope with that. For many who grew up in a world before mobile phones and the internet, this exposure to opinions can be jarring. For the younger folks who haven’t lived without mobile phones and connectivity, it can be difficult to understand that not everyone shares their viewpoint, and that this is okay. It can also be difficult to discern fact from opinion.

When in doubt, listen to the creatives of the world. Their message is clear.