Thank you, Karl Marx for providing the world (primarily esoteric college students) with this famous (albeit overused) axiom which can be mangled and altered to discuss anything and everything—in this case music. Not all of your contributions to this world have proved so beneficial, most notably communism. But back to music.

Music is a drug. Sometimes. Tolstoy and Rand essentially argue that art is an expression of the self in its purest form, and I believe this is true. However, I would like to take this further. The case study of contemporary pop music is illuminating in regards to this topic. Music harkens emotions that are completely raw and unrefined to the point of producing a feeling of euphoria for the respective listeners. This allows one to escape the reality of present circumstances as the emotions expressed are often at odds with what is acceptable in the drudgingly boring life of a 9-5 corporate robot.

In Douglas Kellner’s study of Friedrich Nietzsche’s critique of mass culture, he concludes that Nietzsche believed much of culture exists to distract individuals from the truth. This is arguably truer than ever in an age of constant connection to technology. A personal anecdote provides a thoroughly examined example of this. The other day two of my roommates and I were relaxing in the living room watching TV. It was during this enjoyable time of procrastinating from schoolwork that one of my roommates, Steven, began to jokingly start singing “Love Me like You Do” by Ellie Golding. After a few ear-piercing seconds of him singing this provocative song he shared, “It makes perfect sense, if you think about it, why this song is in Fifty Shades of Grey.” To this I replied, “Yea, the whole song is basically her saying ‘fuck me.’” Steve’s quick-witted response to this inappropriate comment was, “That’s the message of all pop music.” And as all of us twenty-one year old men continued to act like immature five-year-old boys, it dawned on me that this bleak comment is unfortunately true.

The message of most contemporary music in today’s society, regardless if it is pop, hip-hop, country, or rock ‘n roll is typically along the lines of: “Look at me and my awesome friends having an awesome time with our awesome things. Moreover, did I mention we are awesome?” Regardless if this music is extolling the awesomeness of sex, drugs, money, fame, or a myriad of other enterprises, which carry with them the tendency for vice-like behaviors, the message, is largely the same. In addition, while this irritatingly pedantic nature of the music industry’s memorandum is cloaked in fun beats, and up-beat rhythms and tempos, I contend that the ultimate message, which is disseminated by these cultural elites, is detrimental to society as a whole.

Upon further analysis, this message appears to be nauseatingly self-absorbed. However, if this is true, then why do people choose to demarcate substantial sections of the limited cerebral real estate they possess by electing to listen to this music? I believe the answer is simple: average, everyday people desire an escape from their mundane, arduous lifestyles and this music provides a glimpse of an alternative, more appealing, existence candidly described by Good Charlotte as being that of the “Rich and Famous.” Soccer moms and NASCAR dads alike secretly long for this way of life to be more than just a fantasy. This deep-rooted desire for recognition as an exceptional individual is refracted in various other forms of media such as movies like American Beauty. It is apparent why audiences so easily connected with Kevin Spacey’s struggle as an average middle-class dad in a whitewashed suburb longing for something more than his current life offers him.

The euphoria that pop music provides is analogous, as I mentioned on the onset of this essay, to a drug: a real, tangible drug with a sufficient enough potency to adequately altert the state of one’s mind. Writing in “The Moral Power of Music”, Basil Nortz makes note of this stating that, “Apart from the emotional effects that the progeny of rock music has on man, there are also verifiable physiological effects, such as the increase of adrenaline in the blood stream which makes the music physically addictive” (emphasis added). The drug of pop music is similar to any other drug in that it provides a sense of brief euphoria while, in the end, leaving the individual ultimately with a great sense of loneliness, and emptiness. Pop music transports its listeners to a different reality. Consumers of this music can listen to Fergie sing about her “Glamorous” lifestyle, Nelly rap about his “Grillz”, or Lil Wayne croak about being “Rich as Fuck”. The listening to this ultimately unfulfilling music provides a temporary escape. However, once the songs are over, consumers are reminded of their simple lifestyles, teeth void of bling, and meager bank accounts. Physical drugs are no different.

I still vividly remember getting high for the first time. As a college freshman, two of my friends, Mikey and Alek, effectively transformed a dorm room into a hot box, and they invited me to join them in this endeavor. Simply put, the feeling was unlike anything I had ever experienced before. Nothing could stop me. I was a god. As I frantically paced about the room trying to process this new sensation Mikey employed his best efforts to calm me down while Alek assumed the role of philosopher and explained that what I was experiencing was not being high, but I was instead enjoying the sensation of illegality. He calmly reasoned that “The Man” does not want me to experience this. However, despite this otherworldly sensation, I woke up the next morning still David John Inda: a scrawny, socially awkward, college freshman. I was not a god, I was not even an exceptional man by any standard. The only aspects of the previous night that actually constituted reality were the existence of my two friends: a levelheaded pal Mikey and a libertarian drug-addict named Alek.

It is apparent why sex, drugs, and rock ‘n roll go together as well as peanut butter and jelly (or cannabis and Papa John’s Pizza). These three activities produce a sense of euphoria that allows an individual to escape their present circumstances. In addition to the drug-like nature of pop music, it also serves as an act of rebellion against socially accepted norms, such as the taboo nature of discussing topics like sex or money. As explained in the article “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier. Why?” despite the best efforts of the state, one’s musical tastes and preferences cannot be shaped or molded by a high-level government bureaucrat. The complete autonomy found in music, along with its medicinal nature, is arguably what deems it so attractive by so many. Throughout all of history, this has never been truer than it is in today’s hyper-technological world. With services such as Pandora, Spotify, and YouTube functioning as the dealer, ready to offer a quick fix at any time of day, and personal smartphones serving the purpose of a bong, or pipe, music allows individuals to escape their circumstances at any time.

This is disappointing, as it appears that the original purpose of music, as an art form to be appreciated for its inherent beauty and aesthetic value, is becoming lost as masses of people have distorted its true intent. Additionally, it appears as if one cannot escape the medicinal effects that pop music offers its listeners as Adorno notes that, “The whole structure of popular music is standardized.” The pedantic nature of all pop music as verse, chorus, verse chorus, bridge, chorus chorus chorus is nauseatingly unoriginal to the trained listener. However, to those who are mesmerized by this form of music, undoubtedly they are too engrossed by the euphoric effect which it offers to realize its utter lack of originality.

Terry Teachout describes an aesthete as, “a person who is mainly interested in beauty.” It certainly was the case that previously, this was the manner in which people approached the art of music, as an avenue that expressed beauty as it was perceived by the artist and wished to be conveyed to an audience at large. The previous generation’s greatest superstar dazzled audiences with his transcendent dance moves and songs about women that haunted him: Billie Jean and Dirty Diana among them. His music connected with audiences due to it being patently authentic. People did not listen to the King of Pop as a means to forget about their mundane lives, but rather as a means to be engaged with the world around them. Socially conscious songs such as “They Don’t Care About Us” and “Man in the Mirror” had a uniting effect around a central theme of social justice. Conversely, the music of today’s stars merely isolates its listeners as it allows them to focus inwardly on the lifestyles they wish they could indulge in. While the voice of the previous generation was uniting, that of two generations ago was revolutionary.

While the fight for American political independence may have ended in the 18^th century, the struggle for cultural autonomy continued into the 1960’s as the British Invasion transformed American radio in ways no one could have imagined. However, while the commercial success of a certain musical foursome may have not been predicted, it is easy to understand why their music resonated so strongly with the American populace. Writing almost exclusively about the most universal of human emotions, love, (along with the occasionally mention of a vibrantly colored underwater vessel or a mystery woman named Jude) it is clear why the music from this era is still idolized by fans today. Not to mention the countless dorm rooms across America donned with a poster of Abbey Road, and four visionary musical pioneers walking across it, mine included.

As this essay draws to a close, it is imperative to ask: What will it take for consumers to demand more edifying music reminiscent of days past? Has society as a whole become so self-obsessed and materialistic that it is beyond melodious redemption? It is essential that lovers of music everywhere continue to hope for popular songs with more substantial content than what is currently produced. But, as we anxiously await the arrival of an audio savior, we must hunker down in the euphonious trenches, praying for something other than an endless loop of Miley Cyrus twerking on MTV.