I feel like all I do nowadays is complain… maybe I’m just an old miserly soul, or maybe I’m a scrooge this holiday season because of all the stresses of finals. In any case, here I go again with another complaint, and this time it’s The Band Perry that has caught my attention. Well, The Band Perry really didn’t do anything but put out some pretty awesome music – I guess my complaint is geared more towards those listeners of The Band Perry who seem to be getting the wrong idea from one of their songs.
While surfing my news feed on Facebook about a week ago, I saw that a close friend of mine had posted a status with a quote from The Band Perry’s hit song, If I Die Young.
" ‘Funny when you’re dead, people start listening.’ "
Here’s a link to the song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NJqUN9TClM
At that time, I really didn’t know the song well at all. I recognized the line, and I could hum the melody – I had heard my niece singing the song around the house – but I had no idea what the true context of the line was. I immediately thought that the song was trying to justify suicide, and I was pissed; I thought this song was reaching out to millions of impressionable teens and tweens (even my 9-year-old niece), telling them that it’s fine to take their own lives for the sake of getting others to understand them. I considered the influence of pop music, and I went into English major mode; it reminded me of what Samuel Johnson had to say about books almost 300 years ago:
“[books] are the entertainment of minds unfurnished with ideas, and therefore easily susceptible of impressions; not fixed by principles, and therefore easily following the current of fancy; not informed by experience, and consequently open to every false suggestion and partial account.”
I was upset at The Band Perry for putting out such a message to the masses, but I was jumping to way too many conclusions… I was wrong. I was doing exactly what my blog’s complaint is addressing: I was misinterpreting the song.
I read the lyrics a few times through, watched the music video, and did some research and found that the song is really an allusion to Tennyson’s Lady of Shalott. I can say now that I actually enjoy the song. It still refers to a suicide of sorts, but it’s a forced suicide brought on by a curse in a tower in Arthurian times, and it comments on the separation of the individual from society. It’s really a beautiful little gem about giving up on the idea of forever to fully experience life. At least that’s what I took from it – but I know that’s definitely not what my niece hears.
So then this is where my problem arises; I doubt that every listener of the song will research it like I did, and I know that very few people will understand the reference right away. As it is by itself, I think that the song can easily give the wrong idea to young listeners, even though it is really not promoting suicide. The Band Perry made a great song, and the problem is that that song is being played for an audience that lacks the capacity to really understand it. I’m still very afraid that, because of a misinterpretation, my niece might believe that her voice will be stronger in death than in life.
I guess I kinda lost myself in this blog. Who am I even complaining about now? It’s not The Band Perry’s fault, and it’s definitely not my niece’s fault. Who’s fault is it then? Popular cultures fault for enjoying a song without really understanding it? I think I’ll leave this blog open-ended. I really look forward to some of your thoughts on the song and on this seemingly unsolvable situation.
The thing is that, the tweens that you say are the predominant audience for this song . . . 90 percent of them do not, and will not even understand what the lyrics are to the song, and they don't care. All they see is a stereotypical "rural country" girl singing a song that is nothing more than pop saccharin (I don't care how the music industry or the band is trying to disguise it as "honest, emotional, american 'pastoralia'" it isn't).
ReplyDeleteIt just breaks down like this. If the tweens hear it, they are too naively imperceptive to notice. If teens hear it, they will just think its some romantic trash like every other post-taylor swift country song and forget about it as soon as the stereo is turned off in their mom's mini van. If mature, cogitating, musically appreciative adults listen to it . . . they will turn it off because it sucks, and they will listen to something better. The bottom line? I doubt a song like that, which is so fleetingly popular and devoid of significant artistic merit will ever have a notable impact on anyone.
Do you really think this MTV assembled band is really REALLY alluding to Tennyson? I have my doubts. What's next, Hannah Montana references Kipling?
*If we are all interested in listening to some music which truly pays homage to great literature, listen to The Decemberists' "The Island", a 13 minute song which draws parallels to The Tempest, or perhaps "The Tain" which is a musical interpretation of an ancient Irish epic poem. Just food for thought.
Blithely, EWS
I feel the need to write and say that I completely agree with you, Slick Pine. I've heard and enjoyed this song by The Band Perry and felt a little concerned for its naive audience myself.
ReplyDeleteOn that note I have to say that I disagree with Eric. His comment, though intellectually said, is slightly narrow minded. There are a lot of tweens and teens out there who are actually listening to songs and understand, at face value, what these songs are saying. You painted them to be naive and downright dumb, but I must disagree. I would not say that I am an overly intelligent person, but neither am I a stupid person and I didn't get the Band Perry's song either; I had to look it up because I was curious, like S.Pine on what they were trying to say with this song. This does scare me a bit because I know that there are tweens and teens out there that wouldn’t feel compelled to look up the meaning of this song, but would interoperate the meaning of it as encouraging suicide. Tweens are not as naïve as you may think and not all teens think it is romantic trash. They might hear this song and believe that it is the encouragement they need to go forth with a suicide. Let me clarify, I never said that these kids were smart, but at such a vital age where hormones are raging, tweens and teens do not need this new idea put in their heads. However, what I am merely trying to say in response to Eric’s comment is that not everyone fits perfectly into a little mold, which is what you are implying with your comment. Be careful about how you judge people and their interoperation of things. You may be surprised to learn that there are young adults out there who are still learning the ways of the world but are not a dumb as you might think.
And on that note, please try not to judge people for their writing, be it music or poetry, because you such end up sounding pompous. The song by The Band Perry is a beautiful piece of work and a piece of art in itself. Just like how some people may not like your writing, it really doesn’t matter because it is still art. Art is an expression of one’s own self through painting, writing, or music. If Jackson Pollack can become famous for his art, so can the Band Perry. It is how they interoperated the novel, so let us try to have a more open mind.
I’m sorry S. Pine; I just read your blog and liked what you had to say but was frustrated by the response you received. When you don’t know someone you cannot judge them or their art because you really do not understand where they are coming from. It is important remember that not everyone fits into a certain caste or mold and that this song may be a beautiful piece of art with deadly consequences. We will have to wait and see.
Lovingly Yours
S.