The other day a friend of mine needed some help in the philosophy behind U2. She had written in her SOP and now she needed something to support her statement during the interview. Just before I had started writing this, we had this extended conversation about how important and personal U2 was and how they reflected what we thought and our moods sometimes. The whole discussion was not about the songs, but more about the music and a line here and there. This was how the conversation went:
SHE: wht u doing up so late?
ME: nothin much had some work now watchin a movie plannin to write something into my blog don feel like sleepin off wat r u doin ?
SHE: i thought i'd come and dig some more info about u2, cos i have very nicely written in mica form that i admire u2's philosophy but i stiilll havent found somethingi dont know.
ME: lol yeah n wat is their philosophy exactly ?
SHE: i have no clue. bloody hell as if i knew i was gonna make it to the inetrview.
ME: hehe u said u knew some things so was just wondering
SHE: yeah, but philosophy?
ME: but then something made u think u liked their philosophy right ? which means there must b some link which u like evn though u wrote it just 2 get mileage
SHE: ahh , basically the whole thing about experimenting in the 90s.. they have albums and videos which pathetic and superb... and the constant humanitarian effort.. cant recall anyone else doing it. these two, thats all.
ME: wat bout their songs ? the lyrics theres a lot on wiki probably n the way they make u feel SHE: yeah there is yes, the way they make me feel is taken care of.. i was looking into lyrics n stuff now.. so basically time n again the have used their 'star power' to voice their concerns.. sarajevo, nelson mandela, suu kyi, martin luther king..
ME: yeah more like a political statement n if u don mind
SHE: haan
ME: how do they make u feel ?
SHE: yes? ooh. some of their songs have struck a connection with me, because maybe i was goin thru that phase or something... but they are special because , u know.. they voice my longings n irritations sometimes..so thats all.. nothing deeper you?
ME: i dunno
SHE: how do they make you feel?
ME: they do strike n the music sometimes does feel like it was exactly suited for me
SHE: yeah
ME: n most of their songs are pretty accurate representations of my confused state n my longing to b as simplified as possible and they are more of a personal thing true.. their shows r brilliant SHE: totally
ME: but i'd much rather listen to their songs with an ipod and the earphones on they seem to b only for me
SHE: same pinch.
ME: n don rly find a need to share them in public kinda feels like an invasion of privacy then
All this leads to another bigger question. What is the philosohy behind music ? Why do people say that they identify themselves with a certain song or a certain kind of music even though, when you ask them, they have absolutely no idea? Why is it that we keep playing the same song over and over again when we are in a certain mood. What is the philosophy behind music? What do we think about when we think about music? Why do some of us hate listening to Floyd after a certain period of time and switch over to something as stupid as John Mayer? What is the philosophy behind music? There a loads of references to the logic behind and the interpretation of certain songs. Most of us got a rude shock when we learnt that "Stairway to heaven" was about a hooker on drugs or that "every breath you take" is about a stalker talking about his/her victim. Which leads us to the question, would things have been different if these songs had not been spelt out? Would we have ever thought about the hooker if Rave did not come out with its list of misinterpreted songs. Is the philosophy the property of the singer or the listener?
Music is supposed to free us, or at least thats what the good ol folk at Woodstock said. But, with the dissection of music, is it possible to be absolutely free any more?
People say that piracy is what is killing the music industry. I think Rolling Stones, Rock Street Journal and Rave are killing it. Whats the use of your own identity if someone else does the thinking for you.
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