U2 has topped the charts with affected guitar riffs and spectacular, hair-raising crescendos for as long as the current student body at MSU has been able to appreciate music. In a month they will give a performance at Spartan Stadium, which raises the question, “What musicians will stand the test of time?”
The majority of music produced in recent years gives testament to an altogether depressing view of the music industry. Today, musicians are forgotten just as quickly as they are manufactured. The youth of America has turned away from the old paradigm of finding a band worth listening to and sticking with them. Rather, the music-imbibing youth find a song with a catchy hook, drink it in gluttonously for two weeks and then drop it for the next pop product full of synthesized soul and contrived talent.
Elvis Presley once said, “I don’t know anything about music.” He went on to say, “In my line [of work] you don’t have to.” This statement, as amusing as it might be, strikes a chord in my mind in times like these. I am writing this piece while Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition” plays in the background and it makes me wonder what the superstitious writing on the wall said. Will the future of music consist of chorus whose only words are “shots, shots, shots, shots, shots, shots”?
Looking at the lineup of talent at Wharton Center in the coming months gives some hope of revitalizing the youth with seasoned talent — but will it be enough to keep the attention of students desensitized to real talent? Tony Bennett will grace the stage Oct. 28, but thus far he seems to be the only star of the “golden days” headlining at Wharton. Plus, who knows how many of those seats will be filled with students.
Bennett is a star among seasoned connoisseurs of music, but between U2 and Bennett, there is a talent gap that needs to be filled with other musicians of the same — or greater — caliber. As long as the seats of Wharton can be filled with students looking to learn about quality music, the message of this article will be fulfilled.
But music comes in many forms; stars on center stage often are replaced by scores of men and women, costumed and bedazzled to dazzle audiences everywhere.
On the plus side, many Broadway classics will hit the stage alongside Bennett. Among them, “West Side Story,” “Cats,” “Les Misérables” and “Wicked” will be coming to the stage between June 2011 and July 2012.
David Leve, a former University of Michigan student with a pending decision to make about his music career, said this about the state of music:
“If I’ve noticed anything, popular music has begun shifting to cater solely to music you can dance to.”
Although this statement seems simple enough, I really hadn’t thought about it that way. Looking back, I began to understand where Leve was coming from. Melody, harmony and rhythm have begun to take the backseat in the musical world.
There is, for example, Lady Gaga. According to Leve, “Any of her songs could be played over any of her other songs, almost seamlessly.”
In the fall, Leve either will attend the Boston University School of Music or the Lawrence University Conservatory of Music in Wisconsin. Leve has conducted one of the only amalgamations of a marching band and university orchestra to date, so I felt his opinion held some weight in the realm of musical discussion.
Certain bands most certainly will stand the test of time. The bands that have lasted through this ongoing escapade of wannabe rockers and controversial prima donnas include — amongst others: Red Hot Chili Peppers, Creedence Clearwater Revival and Led Zeppelin.
As of now, none of the bands of the current generation will last due to a general lack of interest by the populous. “Bieber Fever” will fade, Taylor Swift will fizzle swiftly into the night and Lady Gaga will (hopefully) fall off a cliff.
Josh Cohen is a State News guest columnist. Reach him at cohenjo8@msu.edu.
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