I've always held onto the idea that since there are so many people in the world, someone has had the same thought that you're having and has felt the same thing. I really believe that it's true. You're never truly alone in any situation that you might face because at the very least, one other person is bound to have experienced the same thing. With platforms like YouTube or the streaming services, listeners are able to connect with entire libraries of songs at the click of a button. It opens us up to the viewpoints of countless songwriters, who feel and write about similar events that may be occurring in our lives.
Music is something special because it's a medium built on emotion. I'm not just talking about sad emotion. It can be happy, jealous, braggadocios, or countless others, but artists write music on certain feelings whether based on their life or someone else's. Songs act as vessels as they embody these feelings that are passed onto listener. Sometimes life hits us with times when we struggle to even articulate what it may be that we are feeling. Songwriters are some of the best storytellers out there and seem to have a knack at narrowing in and vocalizing what it means to be feeling any type of way.
I was in high school when XXXTentacion had his meteoric rise. I was never too crazy about his music, but the effect could not be ignored or denied. At first, he was known for his insane bangers, but when those first two albums were released all I heard kids listening to were the songs where he was being open. What he said spoke to tens of millions of kids, saying that he was dealing with the same stuff they were. He was never there with them, but his music was a place that they could go to whenever life was weighing them down. Artist's vulnerability and openness can speak to people on a scale unlike anything else. From generation to generation, some of the artists that the masses are drawn to the closest are the ones that people feel are speaking to them. Personable and genuine pieces of music connect people through a sense of unity where struggles that people tend to hide can be brought to light.
When I'm struggling with something, it's amazing how certain songs can give me refuge because the story that it tells gives me relief and maybe even an understanding of what it is that I'm going through. There's an invisible link in music because while it's a disembodied voice or series of notes through speakers, there's a feeling of connection that someone out there is currently or had experienced what you have. Heartbreak, loss, grief. It's all there. Songs can allow you a moment to pause and reflect or give you can excuse to let out some tears. How wild is it that in a few minutes of length, just a single track can have so much power.
Music can never completely heal someone or take away the issues that are going on in reality. Yet, the peace of mind that it can bring someone when times are tough is real. Songs can speak for the us when we don't have the words to describe what we're feeling. Personally, I haven't been writing as much on here as I would like to. I've had a chaotic last couple of months where times have gotten hard. Whenever I'm going through it, music is always there to remind me that I'm not alone and that better times are on the way.
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