In the wake of Prince’s tragic passing, I have been thinking a lot about what makes a musician “great.” Is it the number of records they’ve sold? Is it how many number-one hits they produce? Is it how often they are played on the radio? These quantitative analyses might be indicative of an artist’s popularity, but it is not an accurate measurement of an artist’s greatness. In order to assess an artist’s greatness, we must take a more qualitative approach.
Great artists challenge ideas that are widely accepted by society and are brave enough to remain true to themselves. By this standard, artists like Elvis Presley, Kurt Cobain, and Amy Winehouse are truly great. Elvis pushed the boundaries of conformity that plagued the 1950s in America. Kurt Cobain added a sense of rebellion to the 1990s and questioned what it means to be “accepted” by society. Amy Winehouse was open about her sexuality and substance abuse, despite the criticism she received for her behavior, which showed that she was unapologetic for being herself.
Most recently, an artist by the name of Matty Healy could be considered great as well. Matty is the lead singer for a band called The 1975. Matty and his bandmates write and sing songs about many unorthodox topics, such as drug addiction, atheism, and intimate details of their life (ex. their song "She Lays Down," which discusses the postpartum depression suffered by Matty’s mother). However, as a fan of this band, I must say that it is not only their music that is appealing. Just as many other great artists, Matty Healy has created a highly sophisticated persona that shines through in everything he does. He described this persona in his song, "The Sound," calling himself a “sycophantic, prophetic, Socratic junkie wannabe.” Behind all of these big words, Matty is basically calling himself a philosophical people-pleaser who dabbles in illegal substances and tends to be inspired by other great artists.
Despite their numerous commonalities, these artists cannot be categorized, and they would probably be offended if they were. Another quality of a great musician is their individuality. Great artists are one-of-a-kind. Whether it’s their sound, their appearance, their theatrics, or their personality, there’s always something unique about a great musician that sets them apart from the crowd.
As Kurt Cobain once said, “They laugh at me because I am different; I laugh at them because they’re all the same.” It is impossible to fully grasp the impact that these artists have left on the world because they have all touched our hearts in different ways. One thing is for certain: great artists encourage everyone to embrace their true self.
