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MacKenzie Chalmers (she/her/hers), Low Entropy Volunteer Writer

 

The power of art often creates debate in society. What does a piece of art mean? Can it have more than one interpretation? Does it mean anything at all? Art is a simple term that people often use to describe visual designs such as drawing or painting. However, the term art expands to other media as well. Less traditional forms of art can also include photography, writing or music. Growing up in school, visual arts and music were often separated and considered two very different things. However, anything that allows an individual to use their creative mind is art. Music is a form of artistic media that dominates the entertainment industry and in current society, we are often introduced to new artists who provide us with new options for entertainment.

 

I feel that we often think of music as a whole element rather than the individual pieces that it consists of. Often when we say we dislike a song, it may be due to one of these segments rather than the entirety of the work. We may dislike the harmony, beat, the lyrics or the overall sound. We may dislike the artist or the music video. One element can ruin the entire piece. We can become overpowered with the experience and not focus on the elements individually. I have been guilty of not listening to music due to the artist singing. My musical tastes vary due to my love of lyrics. I have several artists on playlists that I only like one or two songs from, or perhaps a variety of their songs, but not them as they are publicly portrayed.  

 

Lyrics are an expression of thoughts and feelings. Whether those emotions are negative or positive, song writing provides an outlet for individuals to express their feelings safely. Lyrics are a non-violent way to express emotion about a situation or experience. Without thinking, we can react to intense situations in ways that are not an accurate representation of our nature and behaviours. We may not know how to verbally state our feelings about certain situations that we face in our own lives but writing them down allows us to stop and think things over. It calms us down, allowing us to think over the situation and gain a different outlook.

 

Lyrics can provide a level of comfort by altering our moods. When we are experiencing intense emotions – negative or positive – we can find comfort in that perfect song with the perfect set of lyrics. Other artists can feel that way too. Numerous artists that we listen to do not write their own songs. Some artists perform songs written by other people. Some artists write songs for other artists to perform. There have been many times that I have listened to a song from my favourite band, only to realize that another artist I liked has writing credits on that song. Regardless of the individual, when we read or hear the perfect lyrics, we find comfort in knowing that someone else feels the same way. We could be experiencing heartache from a relationship with a partner, family member or friend. We could be grieving the loss of someone we know or the loss of an opportunity. We could be experiencing happiness from a new job, new relationship or new experiences. We associate lyrics with a set of memories. Every time I listen to an individual song, I am reminded of memories I associate those lyrics with. 

 

Overall, writing lyrics in music is not different from any other artistic expression. Authors, photographers, painters and musicians all create and write from personal experience. We all buy novels, photographs, paintings or songs due to the connection we feel with the piece of art. 

More music may have the potential to grow in notoriety if people would stop and listen to the lyrics. The lyrics within music will always be there to help anyone who needs a sense of shared thoughts or expressions. 

 

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MacKenzie is a digital media enthusiast with interests in various aspects of media. She takes part in novel hunting, photo and video creating, and creative writing.