Music: What's in your noggin?

Bono, the famous lead singer of the band U2, once said, "Music can change the world because it can change people."

Hmm...interesting. How does music change people? Well, how do you feel when you listen to music? Now you're thinking, "Well, it depends on what music...duh!" Yeah. Duh. It does depend on what music. That's my point. Different kinds of music make people feel very different emotions. And even those emotions may vary from person to person. For example, when some people hear the song "It's a Small World,” they feel light and happy, as if they could just float away with the clouds above their head. Others wish they could hide their heads under a pillow and escape from the singing puppets as quickly as possible. Another, more common example could be rap music. Some people seem to love rap. I'm not really sure why. I personally can't stand it—mostly because I can't understand a bit of the lyrics. Besides that, the harsh beat makes me want to curl up in a corner and hide!

But no matter what emotions you may feel when you listen to any type of music, you know that you certainly do feel emotion. Everyone does. Music is one of the strangest phenomenons that I have discovered in this world. It is, in essence, a language. But it's also much more than that. It's more descriptive than words or pictures, and it can evoke emotion more quickly than anything else I know. It's crazy how a set of re-arranged scales—simple notes formed into a melody—can penetrate the human heart deeply enough to cause such sudden emotional responses!

Because of this peculiar ability, many people have labeled music as a truly wonderful thing. I would agree with them. Mostly. Music can also be a very dangerous thing.

I had a conversation with a couple of my close friends the other day about this very issue. It started when one of my friends commented that she absolutely loved the way a certain song sounded. Then she started to sing it. I was quite surprised to hear the lyrics which poured out of her mouth. Sure, the melody was nice...but the lyrics? I had never heard such perversion come out of her mouth! I asked her if she knew what she was singing, and she replied, "Oh, I don't care about the lyrics! I'm not really listening to them anyway. I just like the tune."

What?? You just like the tune? Do you not realize that every time you think of that tune, something else comes to mind with it? Whether you think you are listening to "just that cool guitar solo" or not, the lyrics will indeed force themselves into your mind. You can't avoid them. They are as much a part of the song as the melody. In fact, they are the melody!

I replied to my friend by saying that I can't ever listen to music containing lyrics I don't like. I would rather not have them floating in my brain. I have been called a "goody-goody" or other similar names many times for this choice, but I don't care. Anything I put into my head is never going to leave, and it's always going to come out eventually, whether I like it or not. For this very reason, I am extremely careful with what I allow into my mind—especially when it comes to music. Many people think that they can avoid the negative portions of a certain song, but that is impossible. Have you ever had a song stuck in your head? Well, which part stuck? The bad part? Yeah...that's what I thought. Music is a powerful force. And, like all powerful forces, you can't mess around with it. As the old saying goes, "If you play with snakes, you'll get bitten."

So what kind of music do you listen to? What emotions flare in your heart when you listen to it? Are those the emotions you want in your life? Are they beneficial? Or are they slowly eating you from the inside? Do you want them? Let me ask that again: Do you want them? I don't care about your friends. This isn't about them. It's your mind. Be careful what you put into it.

"Music can change the world because it can change people." How is music changing you??