A blank stare. That’s what I saw in the 24-year-old female singer’s eyes when I showed her a video on You Tube of folk singer Joan Baez singing “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down.” If you’re old like me, you will remember the song was a massive hit in 1971, reaching No. 3 on the Billboard charts.
When the video was over, I was hoping the light bulb would go on inside her and she would display half as much as enthusiasm for the tune as I have. But no such thing happened. Instead, she just looked at me with an expression that said, “I don’t get it.”
For all of those who wonder why the music of today isn’t nearly as good as in eras gone by, the singer’s reaction to Baez’s song holds the key. In a word, it’s values.
You may be thinking “what?” But hear me out as I connect the above scenario to my point.
As I see it, our misguided values are responsible for the destruction of many things, including the music business. Years ago, when people wrote and performed music, it was mostly because it made them feel good about life and focus on something wonderful and uplifting. Those folks weren’t looking for a big financial payout, just a chance to exercise their creative abilities for fun and relaxation.
Even when major record labels started popping up and signing talent, the artists clearly valued making great music above hefty royalty checks. And this mindset is what freed them in the studio and on stage to be artistically brilliant.
And when I say brilliant, I’m talking Fleetwood Mac’s “Rumors” and The Beatles “White Album.” Music really doesn’t get much better than that, in my opinion.
With the success of those albums and countless others, the supergroups of the 1960s and 70s were making lots of money, or so it appeared. Suddenly, someone following a music career could potentially become rich beyond their wildest dreams. That’s when music started losing its brilliance and misguided values began rearing their ugly, shallow and ignorant heads.
I’ve observed that many human beings believe that having lots of money will make them someone special. And if fame is attached to that, they really think they are “All that, with a cherry on top.” Well, if one values the idea of achieving wealth and fame with their talent over the idea of achieving personal excellence, it’s going to be impossible to turn out anything that’s worth a darn.
Putting it simply, money and fame are without and creativity is within. External things always fade away. But everything that’s born out of our deepest internal passions, lives on forever in some way, shape or form.
The greatest example I can think of this is the old hymns. If you take a very close look at the words in those songs, they will bring you to your knees. They lyricists who penned those words wrote from the heart and were definitely not in it for the money. Their songs brought forth truths so profound they are almost beyond our comprehension. They impacted us on a very deep level, which is why they are eternally woven into the fabric of our Christian culture.
That’s what great art should do; speak to us in a way that makes a lasting impact on our lives. That’s truly the litmus test to its eternal quality.
So if a tremendous and timeless song like “The Night They Drove Ol’ Dixie Down,” still stirs up my emotions, why did it fail to move the young singer I know? First of all, she doesn’t hear stuff of that caliber these days, so she has no reference to what an exceptional song should sound like or how it should make you feel.
Those of us over 40 can still recall the intense joy we felt the first time we heard a Rolling Stones rock anthem or an Elton John ballad. It was indescribable and we, as well as the artists, valued that feeling greatly. And it certainly wasn’t because these songs reached the Top 10 on Billboard or sold millions of copies.
I believe that my friend’s values about what she expects from music are tainted because she equates an awesome song in the present day with a famous artist who is at the top of the charts and rolling in dough. In other words, to her, a song only has worth if it’s continually pushed in your face and fame and fortune are attached to it.
But you can’t blame her for thinking that way because that’s the message society sends out nowadays. Rather than just allowing ourselves to be totally swept away by a stellar lyric and melody, we first have to place a value on it based on its worldly success. If it hasn’t been up for a Grammy, it’s probably crap, right?
Well, a lot of stuff up for a Grammy IS crap, and so the cycle continues. We value crap and we just get more of it.
One of my fondest wishes is that an artist or group will emerge with music so unbelievable that it will transcend all the BS and wake people out of their media-induced stupors. Someday, I hope that music will once again be loved, appreciated and valued by both fans and artists simply for the amazing and powerful gift that it is. No money, just magic!
Until then, I’ll keep listening to my 1970s singer/songwriter CDs and do my best to forget the last 30 years in music history ever happened.
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