When you
go into an old store and pay charges, the cash till rings and you hear its
sound. Then you walk out of the store, put your CD-player on and listen to the
introduction of the Pink Floyd song, ‘Money’. Both sonic experiences are
identical, yet one would define the noises emanating from the cash till as
purely ‘sound’. Meanwhile, the introduction to the Pink Floyd’s song is
considered ‘music’. Obviously, the definition of ‘music’ is not solely
determined by ‘sound’. If it were, we would experience music every second of
our life through the ambient sounds of our environs. There are four main
arguments I aim to point out. To consider music as ‘sound’ alone relies on a
sense of ‘individualism’ (Machin, 2010) too much. Rather than being a product
of ‘individualism’, music relies upon modes of consensus - it exists within
social groups as a shared culture. In this way, music generates discourses.
Those discourses generated from music contain different aspects, which are not
products of ‘sound’ alone. Music is ‘sound’ sonically, but the production and
reception of music is not just a factor of ‘sound’. It involves a music text. Music incorporates numerous
aspects and therefore defining music by ‘sound’ alone, is insufficient to
understanding music. However, one must be mindful not to neglect the importance
of music as ‘sound’. The following content shall investigate music from a more
comprehensive perspective, exploring the implications which lie beneath. In the
context of this essay, the word ‘music’ will refer to the popular music we hear
on television, radio, Internet, CD etc. Specifically, the essay shall examine
the music of a very popular British band named ‘Oasis’, whilst works from
different scholars will be introduced to illustrate some of the main points.
First of all, to consider music
as ‘sound’ alone relies on a sense of ‘individualism’ too much. Machin (2010)
argues that people hope to demystify the self, as well as to connect themselves
with the creativity the artist experiences. There is nothing ‘objective’ about
this form of musical interpretation. As music ‘fans’ we are happy to accept
this is the way we enjoy the music. We believe that the sounds connect with our
souls. The music is taking away our sorrow, or transporting us to a warm, safe
place. However, it is not a constant and persuasive standpoint. Feeling or
intuitive perception are constantly changing. They are affected by the
environment and the situation of which one is experiencing. Therefore, it is
necessary to put a sense of ‘individualism’ aside in order to define music in a
broader aspect. At the same time it doesn’t mean this sense of individualism is
meaningless. On the contrary, it marks the starting point of the arguments
below. An enthusiasm towards the sounds generates a culture - a discourse of
how we talk, listen, play and even think about our life through music.
Secondly, music lives inside our
common shared society as culture. It is a cultural text and carries cultural
meaning rather than ‘sound’ alone. According to Machin, ‘Music too is about
cultural definitions as people come to create meaningful worlds in which to
live’. (Machin,p2) Music is employed as a tool to shape the meaning of the
world in which people live. There is a set of conventions and repertories,
which governs the ways of communication. Machin indicates that these
conventions and repertories are the reason why the artists and listeners behave
in a specific way. They can be revealed from through the means of production
and reception of music. For example, Oasis is defined as a rock band because of
their use of traditional rock instruments, such as distorted electric guitar,
bass and drums. At the same time, a listener to Oasis might enjoy their music
with a high volume to capture a large social space. The definition of Oasis’
music type as rock, and our ways of listening to it, seem so compatible. It is
almost taken for granted. However, if we examine it with a deeper thought, we
will find that there are reasons why these conventions and repertories take
place.
This leads us to the third point. Music generates discourses. These
discourses generated from music contain different aspects, not just related to
‘sound’ alone. When we consider how we talk about music, we find that the focus
does not always rely on the sounds. We can refer to what Frith talks about,
when he discusses the meaning of a piece of music. He claims that to: ‘grasp the meaning of a piece of music is to hear something
not simply present to the ear. It is to understand a musical culture, to have
“a scheme of interpretation”’. (Frith, 1996 p.249) The ‘scheme of
interpretation’ refers to the discourses on how we understand a piece of music.
Wall (Wall, 2003) puts it further in his exploration of ‘music cultural
influences’. Music cultural influences connote certain kinds of hidden agenda
that constitute discourse - a complex matrix which in Wall’s words involves,
‘the whole way of playing, listening and moving to, talking and thinking about
music’. (Wall, 2003 p.21) Popular music is circulated inside our everyday
discourse.
Finally, to define music comprehensively we have to
bear in mind that music is a ‘music text’, which is also a commodity, or a
product. Music is only ‘sounds’ sonically, but the production and reception of
music involves so much more than just ‘sound‘. The music text itself is a production, whilst the reception of
music is consumption. The music text
is a product of an encoding and decoding process. In an analysis of the
fundamentals of popular music production, Wall (2003) stresses that the
receiver is simultaneously a listener, a consumer and a sense-maker. The
following paragraphs shall aim to examine the albums sleeves, the visuals
elements, and the sounds of Oasis to connect all arguments together.
Oasis is a British five-piece rock band that
emerged from Manchester in the early 1990s. They have never dressed like a
good-looking boy band, but instead have worn the clothes of the blue-collar
working class - wearing jeans and t-shirts. They have not had professional
musical training. Their image connotes the locality of Manchester, an
industrialized city with a large working class population. This image almost
magically brings people a sense of belonging to their music. The vocalist, Liam
Gallagher always wears a pair of ‘John Lennon’ circular glasses, which helps to
connote the roots of their music - including the influence of The Beatles, a
sense of British-ness, and a connection with the working-classes of the
northern England. The record sleeves of their early albums (Definitely Maybe in 1994, What’s the Story Morning Glory in 1995
and Be Here Now in 1997), are good
examples of how the group connote such an identity.
The background of all three records sleeves are
taken in typically English settings. They are either on the street, or in a
house/flat in England. In relation to Definitely
Maybe, Machin (2010) points out that the red wine and polished wooden floor
connote sophistication and taste, whilst the poses of the group members suggest
complete informality. This juxtaposition indicates Oasis’ success and their
acceptance of status, whilst simultaneously inferring a retention of working-class
attitudes. Also, Noel Gallagher plays a guitar on the sofa, and an electric
guitar is situated in the middle of the flat. They imply a reinvention of
1960’s guitar-based British music. From Be
Here Now, we can see a clock, calendar, and phonograph. It gives out a
sense of ‘retro’ - a presence of the ‘good old times’ that consolidates a
collective memory among the people, for who they are and where they belong.
Apart
from visuals, words and sounds also contribute to communicate the discourses on
location and identity. Frequently within interviews, Noel openly admits that he
is a ‘big fan’ of Manchester City football club. Also, his pro-Labour political
stand connects him to his working-class roots and a shared value with the local
people. We can find clues about their provenance by referring to one of their
songs: ‘Don’t Look Back in Anger’, from What’s
The Story Morning Glory. The introduction rhythm is the same as the verse
of John Lennon’s song ‘Imagine’. One of the lyrics is, ‘I’m gonna start the
revolution from my bed’. Interestingly, it seems to refer to what John Lennon,
and his wife Yoko, did in the late 1960s, through their ‘bed-in for peace’
movement. The song evokes nostalgia, British-ness, and makes people believe
that their music is able to transcend generation.
All in
all, there is no such thing as an exact definition of ‘music’. My objective, as a huge ‘music fan’, is to examine music
in a broader sense, rather than to enjoy music solely on a level of
‘individualism’. The importance of music as ‘sound’ is so significant, since it
is what comes to our ears in the first place. However, there is much more scope
for exploration if we can put the sense of ‘individualism’ aside and understand
music more comprehensively. Once we position music onto cultural and
communicative stages we can find that music is more than just ‘sound’, it is
culture, discourse and a commodity/product. It is part of our everyday life.
References:
Machin, D. 2010. Analysing Popular Music image, sound, text. London:
SAGE
Frith, S. 1996. Performing Rites On the Value of Popular Music.
New York: Oxford University Press
Wall, T. 2003. Studying
Popular Music Culture. London: Arnold
Folk Jam - Pavement
