What does great music have? Most would say a cool beat, great lyrics and all the stuff most of the modern day music has. I believe it is something totally different. It has something in it that causes emotion, feelings, and a sense that it means something. Music does not need lyrics to get that. Music over time can gain or lose that emotional pull towards it.
In the 1970’s a lot of songs had those pulls to it by having lyrics about controversial topic. For example the song by someone that goes something like “War, What is it good for? Absolutely nothing.” That has the emotional pull towards it because it was a song that we still here sometimes today and it still relates to current day events that are proceeding in the exact same context as in the 1970’s. It was about the Vietnam War, and that has many similarities to the modern day war in Iraq.
In the 1980’s a new craze was starting to happen that certainly changed all of our lives today. Computer and video game technology was evolving. Back in the 1980’s the video games were not nearly as complex as they are today but would we remember Mario the same today if they had not had a Genius compose the music for it. Everyone today, or almost everyone today would be able to recognize the theme song from it. Throughout the game the music changed depending on the situation causing emotions. The game would be all happy beeps and bops until you get to the dungeon levels and the music gets a creepy feeling to it. Even today they use the same principles in games today. The normal game play will have relaxing music and when the game starts to get intense the music will change to fit what is going on in the game. No music compared to that of the old Nintendo video games though, they were amazing to do what they did with only 8 different sounds that they could make.
A similar thing occurs in movies. Movies that are considered classics later in time all had great music that had a sense of power behind it. Like Star Wars, it had some of my favorite music on it. Every time I hear the opening song that goes along with the credits I get goose bumps. That is a sign of a song with powerful meaning and thoughts behind it. The music from movies does not normally have lyrics but it doesn’t mater because just the mood of the sounds it creates can give emotions.
Thomas Wakerley
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April 2, 2008 at UTC:06 pm
131blog
I agree with Thomas. Surprisingly, one might call me boring, but I like listening to the different orchestra’s because I was in band before and I really appreciate the way each instrument produces a different sound. Therefore, I feel each instrument has a different emotion behind it. I always analyze this when I hear music in movies, video games, etc.
mOE wADUD
April 3, 2008 at UTC:33 am
Jenna G.
OK, Thomas. You have a number of topics that you could work with here. I think that music in video games could be a very productive essay. You could potentially research how music started off in games like Pac Man and trace it all the way through Grand Theft Auto and other games that allow you pick from a soundtrack of current songs. And there is ALWAYS tons of material out there on Star Wars. So you could do almost anything that.
April 3, 2008 at UTC:10 pm
131blog
i really like your explanation about music. i agree with you regarding the
fact that music triggers off certain emotions. its intresting how you point out the relationship with music in video games, and the association with
music and certain corresponding events like war.
mehriah