Relection of Culture in Pop Music

Consider the subject matter, content and point of view of today's top songs and identify lines which contain poetic merit. What do these songs, as a whole, say about our modern American culture? In particular, what do these songs say about your generation as the greatest consumers of music media? How are gender roles represented in popular music? How is success measured?

The majority of today’s most popular songs feature the same themes that have been so often used in the past. Love and passion are always relevant ideas, and they continue to serve as the subject matter for modern songs, but in a much different way than they once did. Also, some of the most popular songs are sung by young singers, such as Taylor Swift and Miley Cyrus. Lyrics that glorify the experience of young adulthood tend to create the most publicity, and many of Billboard’s Top 100 Music Hits concern partying and, in general, enjoying life. Swift’s “You Belong With Me,” The Black Eyed Pea’s “I Gotta Feeling,” and Drake’s “Forever” perfectly exemplify modern’s music attitude towards love, parties, and success, while still retaining varying degrees of poetic merit.
From a literary standpoint, much of today’s music is lacking the lyricism and eloquence of the songs from previous generations. For example, the song “I Gotta Feeling” accomplishes little in the field of poetic devices aside from basic alliteration, as in “tonight’s gonna be a good good night.” Also, the song features an element of humor, but it is largely just another song to dance and sing along with. Taylor Swift’s “You Belong With Me,” on the other hand, uses a great deal of poetic devices. Her use of repetition effectively displays her emotions, as the subject matter is especially relatable and relevant to the high school demographic. Mixing alliteration (“typical Tuesday,” “short skirts,” “high heels”) with a masterfully sophisticated rhyme scheme, Swift catches the ear of the young listener with a poetic and realistic song. Drake’s song “Forever” portrays the stereotypical measure of success while using rhetoric. He brags about his wealth, metaphorically stating that he is “swimming in the money.” Also, he alludes to Malcolm X while referring to his skill and reputation as a rap artist: “Labels want my name beside the X like Malcolm/ Everybody got a deal, I did it without one.” Featuring Kanye West, Lil Wayne, and Eminem, the song contains a diverse style of rhyming. In one line, Lil Wayne combines a metaphor with assonance, saying, “My mind shines even when my thoughts seem dark.” The song “Forever” uses a wide range of poeticism to convey the theme of success.
Taking a step back, these songs illustrate that our society has turned away from slower paces to quicker beats and faster rhymes. It seems that a song’s ability to be danced to or song along with is the determining factor in its popularity, and, though many acclaimed albums are socially relevant and topical, the message of a song no longer appeals to the majority of Americans. Even if a song does have a traditional theme, as in Swift’s depiction of classic young love, there must be a minimum standard of modern musicality to it. Even if a song is about nothing in particular, it could still be a success if it can compete with the other up-tempo on the charts. Though music is now far more readily accessible than it was twenty, or even ten years ago, I believe that my generation consumes music media so much more than any other because music has become so ingrained in our cultural psyche. Hearing music on a daily basis is unavoidable, and since there is so very much music out there, at such handy and affordable outlets, that any given person would have absolutely no trouble finding something he/she likes.
Gender roles are one negative aspect of modern music. In many popular rap and hip-hop songs, women, especially young women, are made out to be subservient to men. Depicted frequently as prostitutes or the like, women are exploited for their sexuality, while men are glorified for these sexual conquests. This concept leads directly into the idea of being “successful” as shown in modern music. Many songs hint at, or even frankly state, that to have more women is to be a more accomplished person. Also, one must be affluent and well-known to have achieved anything in life. These inclinations are completely untrue and should not be perpetuated by the music industries. Although popular music has very much to offer the world, it should be cautious when exercising its powerful influence, especially in regard to the youth of the world.