Music: A Huxleyan Warning
Music: A Huxleyan Warning
Throughout centuries of life and civilization, one art is still one of the most constantly changing of any. This is known as the art of music. Music first possibly originated as two sticks being clacked together as a beat or even randomly humming different tunes of all sorts. Today, many different styles and genres of music exist; some of it is good and some is bad. Music could possibly even lead to what Aldous Huxley has predicted in his dystopian novel Brave New World. A majority of music today has transformed the young listeners’ minds in many positive and negative ways.
Different music genres have different messages or themes. Hardcore metal, rap, and even country genres can have a negative influence on children and young teens based on the messages. For example, some songs, still based on their genre, could have a reference to drug or alcohol abuse, sexual activities, or even suicide. On the other hand, intensity of the music can have quite the influence on the human mind.
Music intensity is also based on what the genre of music being played is. Relaxing music can help ease the listeners and keep them focused on almost anything. Heavy metal, on the other hand, has a very high intensity that would make the listeners of the music to react differently than by relaxing. These different intensities have many different effects on many of the viewers and could even serve to be a negative influence.
What does music intensity and message prove as being a Huxleyan warning? As Huxley has shown in Brave New World, the lives of many are affected by the “medicine” known as soma. This drug was known to be a relaxant or basically an “enjoyable, hangover-free holiday.” Also, there is no such thing as family in this novel; only “orgy-porgies” exist. The ways people are born are like fish: Through hatcheries. Some of the sex references in some of the songs of today could lead to a future like this.
A majority of songs today will most likely contain a sex reference or two. Knowing this, it could immediately connect to what Huxley has predicted. These references aren’t connected to love at all either. This is completely recreational sexual themes; nothing but a one-time thing. For instance, in Chris Brown’s song “Sex”, some of the lyrics include, “We just havin’ sex, we not makin’ love tonight, hickies all over your neck.” Truly, this is a poorly written song which only talks about sex.
Music and the society of Brave New World could connect with each other quite perfectly actually. Well, soma and music can connect at least. People will rely on music to calm them down and most of the time, it does. Like stated already, music depending on its genre has the ability to calm people down or get them enraged in a way. Everyone has their own taste of music. For instance, one person might like hip-hop but hate metal