How To Change The World Through Music (A User’s Guide)
So you want to change the world through music. First off, congratulations and thank you. You’ve decided to do something with your music beyond just entertain people, and this is an important and charitable deed. Not that entertaining people in itself is an ignoble call and can’t change the world in its own right. Music is the salve of the soul, and can change people’s hearts and minds simply by its presence in their lives. Since the very beginning of mankind and civilization, music has been used to inspire and uplift, to be a siren song to action, and used to tell stories that ultimately stimulate great change in the hearts of man, and the actions of leaders.
Whether you are attempting to stop the scourge of human war, honor and remember the soldiers who fought in such wars, stop the oppression of people by governments or big corporations, or simply shine a light on a local problem, music has the unique ability and history of being an agent of change. Some music has a deeper history championing social causes than others. For example, folk music and its founders like Woody Guthrie often took on causes of the common man. Some music was specifically born out of the need to speak up like reggae and certain elements of gospel, while other types of music tend to avoid championing certain causes due to the messiness it can cause in the political realm, like pop or mainstream country, which attempts to cast a wide net to attract as many listeners as possible.
But often the law of unintended consequences gets in the way when trying to change the world through music, just like it often does in the political world. Sometimes trying to bring people together for a common cause actually polarizes them. Sometimes trying to solve a problem through music actually exacerbates it. Sometimes the message of music flies right over the head of the audience, or even worse, could be misinterpreted to mean the opposite of what’s intended. And since it takes a certain level of appeal for a piece of music to be receptive to an audience—especially the audience that most needs to heed the message—it takes cunning, and an understanding of human behavior for it to be effective.
That’s why you can’t just blurt out whatever message you’re looking to share through your music and expect it to be effective. Sometimes this works. Many times it doesn’t. This is why subtlety and nuance are very important in sharing your message, even more important than subtlety and nuance are important in all of music. Sometimes the best way to convey your message is by telling a story, true or otherwise, creating or sharing characters that can help create understanding and empathy in the audience, or lay the message “between the lines” as writers say, so the audience does not feel like they are being preached to, talked down to, alienated, or anything else that may cause them to tune out, or put up their guard.
Screaming, yelling, and preaching may be a great way for an artist to express themselves, vent anger, or rally established supporters behind a common purpose. But this behavior is often counterproductive to making the type of social change intended by limiting the audience, defining hard and fast division lines, if not galvanizing opposition against your cause, especially if inflammatory language or accusations are utilized. Often such exercises come across as arrogant, self-centered, or down looking. Sometimes the point of a piece of music or performance art is to offend, and that is fine, if not warranted in certain circumstances. However in these instances, the creator should be honest with themselves about their intentions, which is not always to enact change, but you alleviate their own guilt or anger, or the guilt and anger of their fans.
Politics is fashion, just like music often is, and so is the championing of certain social causes in many instances. Sometimes taking up certain issues or causes can come across as obsequious, opportunistic, or even exploitative, especially if certain subjects are not broached with a delicate touch and a delegative understanding.
It’s for all of these reasons stated above that it is unreasonable to expect any artist to address sensitive subjects in their music just because certain fans, media members, peers, or anyone else attempts to guilt or goad them into it. The artist should only broach political and social matters when they have deep convictions about an issue originating in their own minds or hearts as the result of their own personal experiences. That way passion and a deeper understanding of the issue will guide their words and voices into compelling narratives and expressions that will help breed understanding about an issue as opposed to simply serving red meat to a constituency. The same goes for an artist’s public persona and social media presence, which can also be a distraction, misinterpreted, spill over into anger and create a point of polarization, erecting barriers for the message the artist is attempting to convey as opposed to tearing barriers down.
In the polarized world we live in today, it takes consensus for any issue to be resolved. Music has the unique ability to bring people together, regardless of background, creed, or political leaning, by opening up a portal to the human soul that allows us all to understand the commonality of our human experiences. For this reason, the music sphere should be respected for its ability to be an agent of change through stories, characters, and words set to rhyme and rhythm, and not simply another weapon of the diametrically opposed age used to further polarize us, and damn all of our actions as nothing more than blocking the actions of others until nothing is ever accomplished and nobody wins.
Corncaster
February 7, 2018 @ 2:06 pm
If you go to someone exiled, and play a lullaby they heard from their childhood, you will affect that person. If you do that for a community, you will affect that community. Music is a powerful thing, connected to our histories, affections, and experiences. This is where music operates at its most powerful. When it becomes manipulative, when it becomes a harangue, it loses its power because it makes the listening experience adversarial. It becomes another voice in a world full of screedy voices. Doing that is like getting up from a shared meal and starting to yell. It might make you feel better, but it’ll ruin dinner for everyone else. “Political” performers grossly overestimate the positive impact they have, or could have. It’s just not that effective, aside from the whole in-group vs. out-group thing, which weak-minded people find important.
aronblue
February 7, 2018 @ 2:35 pm
This was a very thoughtful essay, as usual. I would add that another problem with trying to find allies or fans based on politics, as Proust pointed out when he wrote about the Dreyfus affair, is that we always think that the people on our side of a political argument came to their views through sound reasoning and an honest, seeking heart, and we think that the people on the other side are over-influenced by their family or tradition or fashion or have just never thought clearly enough about the issues to come to a thorough conclusion. But in truth, the people who do that are on both sides, not just one.
seak05
February 7, 2018 @ 3:01 pm
If you want to say something with your music, you are going to anger some people. I think music has a place in it for everyone. We should have entertainers who are making escapist music, that takes you away from the divisiveness. But we should also have people who are using music to say their piece and truth. And on a certain level, disliking someone just because they are singing something you don’t agree with, is problematic on your part as well.
Kross
February 7, 2018 @ 4:36 pm
Man, this is perfect! Thank you for also including social media presence along with the music. I think most artists who feel obligated to make a political statement with their music or social media sometimes suffer from a myopic world view. It seems like it never occurs to them that their music might actually appeal to someone with differing political sensibilities even tho their whole job is to sell as many records to as many people as possible. If you only preach to the choir you end leaving everyone else out in the cold, and end up sounding sanctimonious and self riotous. Those aren’t usually good qualities.
Dan Morris
February 8, 2018 @ 3:32 am
Then there are artists like Steve Earle who when referring to people that comment that he should just make music that entertains and stop writing political songs he commented “I thought that was my job”. Or Neil Young at Farm Aid a few years ago who was saying some warm words about the late Phil Ochs, one of the greatest folk songwriters ever, as a lead-in to a Ochs song he was about to play, when some joker yelled out “get on with it”. Neil gave him one of his withering stares and retorted, “I work for ME buddy”. My point being not all artists feel their ‘whole job is to sell as many records to as many people as possible’. Some feel their job is to expose injustice and enhance our humanity towards each other and if makes even one person stop and think then they have succeeded
Kross
February 8, 2018 @ 6:49 am
And that is why I don’t buy Steve Earl, and Neil Young records. But, if Steve Earl wrote more songs like You’re still standing there, and Fortworth Blues, I probably would. He can have his politics, I don’t really care how he votes, I just don’t want to preached to. And he doesn’t care about selling records why be a professional musician.
Jack Williams
February 8, 2018 @ 8:46 am
I think he does care about selling records (and more importantly, concert tickets). I think he wants to keep making a living in music while maintaining his artistic integrity and it seems like he’s doing just that. He doesn’t seem to need to be a big star.
Kross
February 9, 2018 @ 10:05 am
you can keep your artistic integrity and still be politically neutral. #donwilliams did it for years.
Dan Morris
February 8, 2018 @ 9:01 am
Exactly Jack Williams. Its the lack of artistic integrity that gives us the crap mainstream ‘country music’ the record companies try and cram down our throats. And to answer Kross above a real musician can’t be anything but a musician and are quite content just to make a living doing what they love to do.
Kross
February 9, 2018 @ 10:12 am
nah, lack of artistic integrity isn’t a new invention. people have been making crap music for years. Now, it’s just more pervasive because it’s all you get on the radio. It’s our jobs as consumers to reject the crap and look a little harder for the good stuff. Country music doesn’t need saving, just commercial country radio needs saving.
a real musician still needs fans to make a living tho.
Kross
February 8, 2018 @ 8:32 am
and if Neil Young works for himself, he should stick to playing in his living room and stop hoping fans will buy his records and tickets to his shows. Without fans, these cats are nothing more than dudes sitting on the edge of the bed picking on an out of tune guitar.
RD
February 8, 2018 @ 11:22 am
What Neil Young should really do is cool it with his cultural / political commentary on the American South and traditional American culture. He’s from Canada and knows less than nothing about the South or traditional American culture. Write some songs about hockey or maple syrup, Neil.
Dan Morris
February 9, 2018 @ 5:42 am
Neil has lived in the USA for over 40 years so he probably knows more than you think about US culture.
Kross
February 9, 2018 @ 10:24 am
a quote form Charlie Starr form Blackberry smoke that sums it up nicely:
“I don’t think our fans want to hear about our politics. I feel our show is an escape for people to get away from how shitty the world might be at the moment. They can come for two hours and try and not worry.”
maybe if more musicians had this point of view, maybe the world would be a happier place.
DJ
February 7, 2018 @ 6:04 pm
I took a class in Sociology years ago. The end of term paper was to be what we thought could change the world. I turned in a paper on music. I got a C-. When I asked the instructor why she replied; Do you really think music can change the world? I had this in mind when I wrote it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09rBsH9l8bg
That lady (the instructor) soured me on “higher education” with her “I’m smarter than you are attitude”.
Ulysses McCaskill
February 7, 2018 @ 6:18 pm
Heck of an article Trigger, and thank you for writing it. Great music has salvaged many a bad day for myself and I’d imagine so many others as well.
James
February 7, 2018 @ 6:45 pm
I hate to admit it but I secretly (without realizing it), base the music I listen to off politics. I’m gonna try to not do that and give people like Sturgill and Margo a second chance
Jtrpdx
February 7, 2018 @ 8:30 pm
Good idea. There is a vast musical world out there beyond Ted Nugent, Toby Keith and Kid Rock!
Lord Honky Of Crackersley
February 7, 2018 @ 7:17 pm
What is this?
hoptowntiger94
February 7, 2018 @ 7:40 pm
Wow! A lot to unpack there. Great read.
DJ
February 7, 2018 @ 8:12 pm
Woodrow Wilson Guthrie
He wrote hundreds of political, folk, and children’s songs, along with ballads and improvised works. His album of songs about the Dust Bowl period, Dust Bowl Ballads, is included on Mojo magazine’s 100 Records That Changed The World.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woody_Guthrie
wayne
February 7, 2018 @ 9:09 pm
Jtrpdx,
Sol you are saying that only right-leaning artists are the only culprits? Said like a true liberal.
Blackh4t
February 8, 2018 @ 5:01 am
A pet subject of mine especially when I go to folk festivals.
I love protest songs, BUT thats because they are so difficult to write properly.
You know you’ve succeeded when all people relate to it and understand each other. Like John Prine’s Paradise.
Or approaching the topic from a different angle. Many cowboys would have sung along to ‘this cowboys hat’ or ‘hippies and cowboys’ or ‘cowboy in a continental suit’ and didn’t realise they were being taught to respect other cultures.
As my amateur tip to other amateur writers:
Number one, listen to Springsteen’s ‘Ghost of tom joad’ album to learn how to make people feel the pain of other people even if they disagree with the overlying social issues
Number two, write about stories, and make a full backstory for your song so it rings true.
For example, no one cares if you keep saying that women are disadvantaged, BUT John Prine’s ‘Unwed Fathers’, Michelle Shocked’s ‘Prodigal Daughter’ and even Dori Freedmans ‘Aint Nobody’ tell heartbreaking stories of individual suffering that makes people want to do something to help.
So many good examples, and yet, so many people harp on stereotypes and make everything worse,
Peace
Trigger
February 8, 2018 @ 7:46 am
Yes, wasn’t it interesting how last year Jason Isbell and Margo Price were praised to the hilt for broaching important political subjects with their music, but you never saw a similar word about Dori Freeman. Not to knock the efforts of Isbell and Margo (they both received positive reviews here), but while those two made overt political statements that made them polarizing artists in the country realm, Dori Freeman laid it “between the lines” and was respectful to her entire audience and their sensibilities, yet few if any gave her praise for tackling important subject matter.
Kent
February 9, 2018 @ 6:02 am
“Not to knock the efforts of Isbell and Margo”
Well, I love Margo’s latest album. I can relate to them, In particular two of them “Heart of America” And “Pay Gap”, The first line in “Heart of America” Goes:
“My sweet mother gets up early in the morning She turns on the stove and she makes pot of coffee”
My Mother had to do just that. But she also had to light up a wood fired boiler we had to warm up the house. She usualy had to get up one hour earlier and than the rest of us.
And “Pay Gap” because now when I looking back on it she were almost like a slave. I mean my dad went to work, did his 8 hour of working time. And after that he didn’t do anything. And I bet my mother worked 12 hour a day without getting payed or even appreciation for the work she did. We children and my daddy just took her for granted. Kind like this songs “To Daddy” : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymtaxqsqZQg. Here it’s Emmylou singing it, I’m not absolutely sure who wrote it but I guess it’s Dolly Parton it does sounds like a song of her.
Anyway It’s songs like these three that is the biggest reason as to why I love country music.
James
February 16, 2018 @ 9:11 pm
I like protest songs too – such as don’t tread on me by earl dibbles jr , if the south woulda won by hank jr, guns by Justin Moore etc.
North Woods Country
February 8, 2018 @ 6:06 am
You can’t change a damn thing if you can’t articulate yourself without preaching. This is why I think DBT’s American Band is such an important album. We know very clearly where Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley stand politically, and yet both wrote songs for the album that spoke to everybody and addressed issues with care and eloquence.
Dan Morris
February 8, 2018 @ 3:49 pm
You are spot on with that comment. American Band is one of my favourite albums, not only by DBT but by any artist or band.
EW in DFW
February 8, 2018 @ 6:48 am
I decided many, many years ago that if the music was good enough, I could ignore the politics.
North Woods Country
February 8, 2018 @ 9:36 am
Which is exactly why I can’t get into Margo Price. The music ain’t good enough to overcome her copy and paste leftist nonsense.
Ralph Sneed
February 14, 2018 @ 4:36 pm
Figures people like you would say that; what you just said is why music’s feeling stale right now.
Kent
February 8, 2018 @ 7:22 am
Very good article as usual Trigger.
“Since the very beginning of mankind and civilization, music has been used to inspire and uplift, to be a siren song to action, and used to tell stories that ultimately stimulate great change in the hearts of man, and the actions of leaders.”
Yes but that true for all forms of art. Writers like Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, Emile Zola, Gogol, Charlotte Brontë. They all wrote books that changed the the socity. But they (almost) never wrote political pamphlets. Instead they did it in a smart way, they wrote novels that refleced the CONSEQUENCE of the political system. Dicken’s novel Oliver Twist is great example of that. And it did change the brittish socity.
And sometimes I wish we had more songwriters that could write songs in the same manner.
I also liked this quote:
“But often the law of unintended consequences gets in the way when trying to change the world through music, just like it often does in the political world. Sometimes trying to bring people together for a common cause actually polarizes them. Sometimes trying to solve a problem”
And to illustrate this quote from your article I will, (as many times before…) use FAK…
About thre years ago Klara was asked by journalist. If she will be writing any political songs. And she answered: “I Don’t know, writing polical songs is hard because unlike “normal” songs there people can interpret our songs as they please. In a politcal song the message must be crystal clear with no room for interpretation.
And ironicly when they a year later wrote “Your Are The Problem Here” https://youtu.be/oxNaQjzA2to?t=19m22s and despite the fact it is NOT a political song most people think it is….It’s a song inspired by a rape case and nothing else. Some fans loved it and some of them hated it. And also, it was both written and recordet BEFORE the Harvey Weinstein affair and the #MeToo movement. So it has not any thing to do with that.
So I guess the morality here is: only write harmless lovesongs…
Trigger
February 8, 2018 @ 7:40 am
Dickens is a great example. By simply telling stories and creating characters, he was able to inspire more industrial-age reforms than many of the labor champions of the time.
Benny Lee
February 8, 2018 @ 10:56 am
That’s the special ingredient! You have to tell a story. If only there was a genre of music centered around plainly telling the real stories of real people…
RD
February 8, 2018 @ 11:50 am
As argued by E. Michael Jones and others, Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde was the beginning of the cultural revolution in the west. If you accept that, then it is certainly the most dramatic and disastrous example of music changing the world. Attempting to “change the world” is in itself, an evil, narcissistic cause. The project of utopian socialists. I’d argue that venture has killed more people than any other.
DJ
February 8, 2018 @ 4:09 pm
Would you say The Declaration of Independence was evil and narcissistic? It not only attempted to change the world. It did. The jury is still out on whether it was a good thing, or not. But, informing the world that Individuals have inherent rights can’t be bad IF respected. Kinda like religion. There are some good points made, but unless adhered to it creates strife and has, arguably, caused more death than any cause to date. Religion sells a utopia- The Declaration of Independence explains self evident Truths.
ALL conflicts begin with one forcing his will on another. I don’t think anyone forces another to listen to music he doesn’t want to hear.
DoubleCutaway
February 8, 2018 @ 8:38 pm
Country music listeners are simply your typical dumb, unsophisticated, fast food eating Murican carbon blobs who resent any music that they can’t clearly see their own reflection in. You demand an entire art form be warped to your own cretinous tastes you demand this even of artists whom you don’t like as in the case of that subtard bashing Neil Young.
The reason why country music died with Hank and his Black Male mentor was that white American music demands submission of its listeners as opposed to Black music which conquered the world by unambiguously singing of freedom and not hedging anything “in between the lines”.
RD
February 9, 2018 @ 6:37 am
What do you see when you look in the mirror?
Ralph Sneed
February 14, 2018 @ 4:33 pm
@Kross, those are my sentiments exactly; it’s radio> that needs to be improved, and once it’s improved, country music (as well as music in general) will improve. That’s why you all have to write your congressperson/senators and demand that the 1996 Communication Act be repealed, and a new version of the original 1933 version be brought back (and radio better agree to this, or it’s going to get destroyed by technology, as mentioned in this blogpost.
Personally, I’d like the current commercial North American radio industry to die, and be replaced by stations that give a crap about music and the communities they serve, rather than continue with the radio industry the way it is, but that’s just me.