If I said, right now, that you (the reader) have listened to or (at the very least) heard music in the last twenty-four hours, what are the chances that I’d be right? From phone applications, to video games, to music streaming services, to schools and public venues, and more, the likelihood of such a statement being true would be close to 100%. Now, if the question was more specific— did you listen to [insert artist name] or did you listen to [insert music genre] music in the last twenty-four hours— my confidence in giving a solid answer plummets significantly. All I do know is that this likelihood number, for all its increased specificity, might just be a little farther from 100% than the first. Anything which imbues itself as a part of daily life— school, friends, activities, food— we all have our own way of approaching, doing, or responding to such factors. And believe me, even from talking to the few musically-obsessed friends I have, music most certainly is one of these “factors” in life.
But why is this the case? The simple answer is, as the name implies, quite straightforward. People, just like what we consume, enjoy, and choose to do, are all very different. With a difference in personalities, lifestyles, mindsets, and more will obviously come a difference in music taste. If people enjoy different foods, enjoy the company of different types of people, and enjoy playing and watching different sports, music, like a friend or a favorite dessert, is no different. So then what’s the complex answer to this question? Does such an answer even exist? If it does, I am certainly not qualified to say or explain such an answer. But at the very least, so as to at least bring some level of satisfaction to you, the likely bewildered and skeptical reader, I can develop a theory. People tend to view music as a physical embodiment of themselves— that is, they perceive a song, an album, or an artist, to represent themselves, to carry a piece of themselves behind each word, phrase, and chorus. Again, this is a part of the reason why I believe there to be no complex answer to such a question. Even the theory I just gave you (theory might even be too strong of a word) draws its origins to the simple answer at the beginning of the paragraph. If one’s lifestyle, upbringing, and mindsets are different, so too are they different as a person— such a difference will obviously be highlighted in terms of music taste.
This leads me to my next question. Why do people even bother giving their own personal takes, reviews, and ratings when it comes to music? Is there any value to be had from taking a topic of immense subjectivity and morphing it into a state of pseudo-objectivity? For me, the answer is most definitely “yes”. Bringing a degree of subjectivity, and hence a level of personality into the otherwise personal topic of music holds more value than that of an opinion. It serves as a portal, a portal where one can see the pieces of one’s humanity, pieces otherwise hidden behind lyrics, verses, and songs. If music, and more specifically the act of listening to music, invokes a feeling of self-representation, then such discourse surrounding the topic is merely a publicizing of one’s values, background, and self-image— all principles deemed worthy of discussion, and rightfully so.
So, seeing as I have talked about music’s subjectivity for the last 584 words, here are some of my music-related “statistics”/takes so-to-speak (mostly hip-hop related, because that is my favorite genre), which you can use for your own interpretations:
- My top three music genres are hip-hop at number one (no surprises there), pop at number two, and RnB at number three.
- My most listened-to artists include Drake, The Weeknd, Kendrick Lamar, and Steve Lacy. My favorite album is “If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late” by Drake.
- I listen to hip-hop when getting work done (Lo-Fi and classical aren’t for me). I encourage everyone to try it at least once— it works surprisingly well, at least for me (subjectivity!).
- If I had to recommend one artist for everyone to check out (in my humble opinion), it would be Travis Scott. He brings some of the best production and flows in the music game, bringing a unique fusion between hip-hop and other alternate, psychedelic genres.
This is an interesting perspective on music and the choices people make concerning their dislikes and likes of genres. “Is there any value to be had from taking a topic of immense subjectivity and morphing it into a state of pseudo-objectivity?” This is definitely a question to ponder. I enjoyed reading this.
Hi Aarohan. I enjoyed reading your post. Even between me and my brother, with whom I share the same mindset, upbringing and DNA, arguments occur frequently over music, often resulting in us agreeing to disagree and putting on headphones, so I can see how it’s highly subjective. I think that discussing music is valuable not for just learning more about who you’re discussing with, but to also see different perspectives and try new things. For example, when I’m doing work, I try not to listen to music because I find it too distracting to actually do the work, but after reading your post, I’ll try putting on a hip-hop playlist while doing homework. I liked how you said that music is a reflection of humanity, which is something I’ve never thought about before in detail. My brother and I usually tease our mom for liking country music, but now that I think about it, country music just reflects her values, background, and self-image, and that’s beautiful in itself, so we should all just accept each others’ preferences and realize how diverse the world is to have many different styles and flavors of music that we can all enjoy.
A very interesting take on music and the tastes of different people in music. I often play a certain type of music when I drive, but whenever I hop into someone else’s, there’s a different type of music. I can definitively see how music can be so subjective. Many people say that music helps them study, and I like to believe it does for me too…only sometimes. I usually put on some music when I am doing work that doesn’t require any memorization (writing a blog or their comments, anything I do in my accounting class and other similar tasks). Whenever I need to memorize (study for a test), I try to avoid music. I also have to say, I love your music taste, my taste is quite similar. I absolutely love “If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late”, Jungle being my favorite song from it. Recommendation: If you like Steve Lacy and RnB, I would highly suggest Daniel Caeser, he’s one of my favorite artists. Great read!
Aarohan! This was an interesting read, and I like the philosophies behind your essay. The contemplation indeed boil down to a simple “everyone has different opinions,” but there is so much more to ponder about. I like how you compare the contemplation about music taste and bring it beyond music, talking about desserts, lifestyles, mindsets, and so much more. Your point about the pseudo-objectivity is also very good, as lots of people will take songs out of albums and rule them out as “the artist’s best songs.” When many people agree, it’s very easy to see song choice, something that should be very subjective, as something objective. I see this happening a lot when YouTubers make song brackets, and they rank a song above another, and lots of times the comments sections go wild. I also like the little viewer discretion type of message you include at the end when you state your opinions, which are worded like facts, but you are still careful about the subjectivity of music.