Hello
once again, I hope you have had (or having) a productive day. Once again, I
want to thank you for finding the time to read my blog, it is an honour to know
that there is someone out there who has the time to read what I have to say
about certain matters. Please leave your comments on the comment box below for
either contributions or criticism; both are welcome.
Today,
I want to talk about TIMELESS MUSIC;
when I say Timeless Music, I mean the sort of music that has lasted through the
ages and have become classics even though we have not listened to all of them,
we must have read about their impact on society and values. I am going to
divide this topic into two parts. These parts are the Secular and the Gospel
categories of music. When I talk about Secular music I am talking about the
sort of music that does not have any spiritual connotations but the lyrics from
this sort of music are timeless and are covered by various artists through the
ages.
Before
I start, I would like to tell you why I decided to write this topic. I am a big
fan of TV shows like The Voice, American Idol, X- Factor etc. These shows
feature ordinary but talented people singing songs that were song by popular
musicians and I wonder “how has this particular song survived through the
ages?” Songs like “Ain’t no Sunshine” by Bill Withers, “The Thrill is Gone” by
BB King and so many others have been covered not just by ordinary folks on
reality TV but also New generation artists.
As
an avid music lover and songwriter, I have read and observed some factors that
produce timeless music and I want to share those factors with you.
One
of the factors that I think produces timeless music is the lyrics. The lyrics
of a song determine the weight the song will carry on the human spirit. Whether
we like it or not, we are influenced by the words we hear. This is not
restricted to just women as we are meant to believe. The lyrics of a song
contain promises, dreams, aspirations, failures and praises that are carefully
constructed to create a good song. A secular song like “End of the Road” by
Boyz II Men is one of my favourite songs because each verse tells the stories
of their regrets and hopes towards their lovers. Songs like that are covered by
other artists all over the world because the lyrics have made a lasting
impression on the heart of people and have inspired people (like me) to be
great lyricists. Other artists who I believe compose great/timeless lyrics are
Lionel Richie, Phil Collins, Bill Withers, Ebenezer Obey and others.
Another
factor that I believe creates Timeless Music is the instrumentation of the song
they have written. The producers of these songs are very skilled in various
instruments and thanks to the digital age, these producers are able to create
memorable sound tracks that will live through the ages. For instance,
Instrumental soundtracks for the song “Take me Home” by Phil Collins have been
sampled by artists like Bone Thugs and Harmony who made their own version of
the same song another example of a well known covered instrumental soundtrack
is “Human Nature” by Michael Jackson which has been sampled by artists like
Chris Brown in his famous song “She ain’t you”.
And
the most important factor I believe creates Timeless Music is character.
Character, is (I believe) the most important catalyst that creates Timeless
Music. When I say character, I am talking about that personality that makes you
who you are, and your ability to transmit that personality into your music.
Artists like Lionel Richie gave the vibe of a soulful/emotional/vulnerable man.
You could feel the sincerity in his voice and his lyrics. He brought that
personality to songs like “Hello”, “Say You Say Me”, “You are the Sun” and to
mention a few. Another artist who brought character into his songs is Michael
Jackson. He brought every emotion you can think of into his songs ranging from
happiness, sadness, frustration, anger, jealousy, lust and others. The songs
where he emulated these emotions are seen in songs like “Earth Song”, “Give in to
me”, “Human Nature”, “The Way You Make Me Feel”, “Dirty Diana” just to mention
a chosen few.
Most
people go into music because everyone is doing it not because they love it. For
you to make timeless music you have to learn how to be open and when I mean
open I mean you have to convey emotion. If you can’t, I suggest you take acting
lessons. Also you have to be an avid reader; this is a skill that I must
confess I am still practicing. Also, you have to be patient with yourself.
Creating timeless music takes time and you should create time to think and get
your lyrics together in a correct and concise format. Also, you have to have
faith in yourself. You should not doubt your abilities as an artist. People may
boo you and crush your hopes under their feet but as long as you are alive, you
can always try again. The people who we see as stars today never gave up on
their dreams, they were rejected and criticised because they did not do what
everyone was doing in their day. If you doubt me, ask “The Beatles”; their
story can be read on Wikipedia.
There
is a saying in Nigeria, “Better soup na money kill am” in other words to make
something good, you have to invest in it. It may not be money as the proverb
states; it could be your time, energy and self education on the subject of
timeless music. Keep the dream alive and don’t give up.
I
look forward to reading your comments on the box below.
E-Mail:
johnnyogah2000@gmail.com
So
everyone, LIVE LONG AND EXCEL.
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