Music is dead.

A short piece on why this phrase should be banned. 

Music is dead.

Those three words can rile me up more than Brexit or how to make a cup of tea. To sum it up in a cultural reference the older generation might understand: Bob Dylan famously sang ‘the times they are a-changin’’.

Almost 65 years later and we still haven’t grasped the message.

Hark back to the mid-1980s. Whilst I wasn’t alive then, I can picture the scene: shoulder pads, permed hair, power suits. What were these zeitgeisty individuals listening to on their Walkmans? It was most likely Wham!, Madonna, Duran Duran, Starship, Bananarama, I accept, you might have a little of The Smiths and possibly some R.E.M. However, my point is that music was hardly at its peak back when your hair could have comfortably housed a family of brick phones. Every generation has its Starship; it doesn’t mean we should begin mourning the loss of music as an art form.

Throwing in the towel and preparing the wake for this entire creative medium, is lazy. The title of this article is often thrown around by many, in a vain attempt to boast of superior knowledge in the subject of popular music. It can’t help but be indicative of a slight belittling of the younger generation. People say: ‘music is dead’; or ‘it wasn’t what it was’; or the ever-popular ‘in my day…’. However, if music died under my generation’s supervision, these comments are inevitably minor shots at Gen Z. I implore you to cease your judgement on an entire age group’s musical taste. That way maybe we can agree to forget the disasters from your youth (*cough* Milli Vanilli).

Artists such as Billie Eilish and Chilidish Gambino are a far cry from the simpering pop dribble most commonly associated with 21st century music. Eilish’s eclectic fashion taste and dark, musical themes are reinventing female stereotypes in the pop industry. Donald Glover’s songs portray a stark and honest depiction of modern life, with ‘This is America’ winning multiple Grammys and achieving critical acclaim for its nightmarish music video. Stepping out of the more immediate mainstream you can find REN, Chris Dave and The Drumhedz, Kate Tempest, Little Simz, the S.L.P., among others reshaping British music.

So to conclude, it is all too easy to reminisce of the good old days when music wasn’t ‘commercial’ or when the artists weren’t ‘strutting around in their underwear’. But do you know what’s harder? To go out and discover the new R.E.M.s, the latest Morriseys and Marrs. I promise that once you leave the confines of your musical arrogance, a whole world of artistic exploration awaits. And to conclude with the Folk King once more: ‘your old road is rapidly agin’…For the times they are a-changin’’.

Let’s start paying attention, shall we?

Author

Francesca Morgan

Francesca Morgan

Hi, I’m a passionate young writer and an aspiring journalist currently living in Leeds. I love stories, poetry and journalism. I hope you enjoy my pieces...

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