“What do you mean you haven’t heard of Pink Floyd’s the Dark Side of the Moon, it’s a classic!” said a flabbergasted casual associate, who could not believe that during my existence on this earth, I had never listened to the music of Pink Floyd.
I later found out that Dark Side of the Moon was released in 1973 and eventually went onto sell 24 million albums worldwide but widespread commercial success or critical acclaim of this artistic offering did not filter through into the type of music that touched my formative years.
Pink Floyd was not played in the household I grew up in neither was AC/DC, Fleetwood Mac, The Beatles or Led Zeppelin not because of any inherent music based prejudice but within the DNA of musical offering, not everyone swims in the same gene pool…and that is perfectly okay.
If it wasn’t for the backdrop and influence of music within a social setting, it is very possible that I may not be here writing these words and even during my childhood music was not only an integral part of my existence but the very air my mother would breathe…
At a time when mainstream radio lacked soul therefore (unintentionally) my mother turned into my resident DJ and I grew up in a household that was largely influenced by the smooth and/or soulful vocal styling of artists like Sam Cooke, Nat King Cole, Bobby Womack, (early) Michael Jackson, Prince, Teddy Pendergrass, Randy Crawford, Stevie Wonder, Luther Vandross, Jeffery Osborn and Anita Baker…
To name a few…
That is not to say that other genres of music were not also present but the foundation of our musical experience was steeped in the rich legacy of a soulful kind. As I attempted to branch out and explore my own musical identity this took me into the musical landscape of Aaliyah, R.Kelly, Boyz II Men, (early) Mariah Carey, TLC, SWV, En Vogue, Usher, Lauryn Hill, Brandy, D’Angelo, Brian McKnight and a little known group named Destiny’s Child…
To name a few…
But my deep rooted love for R&B naturally leaned into hip hop, house, reggae, dancehall of the same era and over time melded into other genres which surprisingly lead me into the world of alternative rock, classical, opera, country, pop, jazz, and indie music. I enjoy the thrill of finding that song, album, instrumental, band, artist or voice and marvel at how it ever escaped my attention in the first place?
As the generational lines in musical taste increasingly becomes blurred, a larger appetite broadens across, cultures, countries and continents. The sole purpose of music isn’t to be forced into the mainstream consciousness by repetitive top 40 playlists, constantly recycled on an eternal loop.
It may sound crazy but there are a generation of people that are totally unaware of Madonna, her musical legacy or influence on mainstream pop, simply because in a digital age an individuals musical taste is not defined or controlled by mainstream radio programming. Radio is still an essential and very influential vehicle, but the beauty of living in a digital era is that each individual can unearth music in their own way…which is why my 10 year old son can fall in love with the music from Gorillaz that predates his birth by six years.
Am I aware of the vast musical back catalogue of Pink Floyd?
No.
But you should also be forgiving of the fact I have no knowledge of the full discography of The Backstreet Boys, The Rolling Stones, Def Leppard, The Spice Girls, Britney Spears, The White Strips, Oasis, Coldplay, Future or the Migos and I’ll be okay with the fact that you may not be aware of the back catalogue of great songs recorded by Donnie Hathaway, Patti LaBelle, James Ingram, The Carpenters, Ludovico Einaudi, Diana Washington, Jill Scott, Miguel, Jazmine Sullivan or The Clarke Sisters.
The beauty of music is not just the sonically pleasing sound or the melody that evokes a memory; its the discovery because our introduction to music is as varied as we are individual. So although I have yet to experience the dark side of the moon, I’m pretty certain that music will continually push me toward the brighter side of the sun.
Until next time.
O’Jays it’s over to you….
Well said, Ty. And I’ve come across that response before, too – unfortunately from my own generation towards yours though also from older generations about mine!
We’re all brought up listening to what is around us at the time – from what we hear in our family and from our peers, and then – if we’re lucky and/or open minded – it widens out. Sometimes I’m appalled by the people whose tastes never move beyond the familiar.
I know quite a lot of the artistes mentioned in your post, particularly the soul ones as I still adore soul.
My own tastes have gone through a whole range. I was brought up on classical music by my dad, and sentimental popular-jazz classics (like the Nat King Cole songs I posted about on my Facebook recently) by my mum – who hummed her way through my youngest years, and my sister’s love of pop via cover songs! (That’s a whole story in itself, lol) Then I got into soul, ska, reggae, blues… and it goes on and on. And – of course, as it’s my generation – ah… Pink Floyd! 🙂
Oh and I mostly discover music via Youtube.
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Val I love music from the 40’s, 50’s, 60’s and beyond but some music I just wasn’t exposed to until later and some music both (both older and younger) I’m still discovering!
But we should be allowed to discover music and it shouldn’t just be assumed we know about it, because like you say usually our first introduction to music is through our family and friends not radio.
I remember when I first heard classical music by Chopin it was so beautiful I cried! 😊
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Great post. And some great music mentioned. I grew up listening to a lot of older stuff then my tastes grew as I got older. I listen to a lot of different genres now.
The O’Jays closing it out was great too haha.
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You make a great point, because as we grow and change what we want from our music grows and changes to.
When I was younger I just wanted a good beat, now I want great lyrics and melody too.
I love music that speaks to me no matter what genre 😊
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I have never heard of Pink Floyd!! I’ve seen T-shirts at H&M that say Pink Floyd with the rainbow lol. Music is definitely a cultural thing. My mom listened to the same music your mom listened to, so of course that is what I ended up listening to myself. I am 28 now so I listen to a lot of the newer R&B and Hip Hop, but
I try to expose myself to other genres of music too. I love Maroon 5, Adele, and John Mayer. I love music period it just makes me feel good!
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Exactly! Growing up we all have different musical influences of our parents, then we start to discover music for ourselves, I also love the music artists you mention because as you say good music is good music 🎶
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Ty,
I have chosen to nominate you for the Liebster award, you may choose to decline or accept this award. The following link will have the details: https://fitness9555.wordpress.com/2017/07/18/liebster-award-100/
Shay-lon
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Thank you so much Shay-lon! 😊😊😊
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You’re welcome Ty
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Oh, Amen!!!! Lol
Beautifully written and speaks of my is truth and history. Good stuff!!
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Thank you so much!
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