Essay Sample on Social and Political Effects on Music

Introduction

In most instances, the popular music genres that are produced by various artists are usually based on the happenings in society. The artists rely on this piece of literature to sensitize the public on the issues that are happening in a community. Nina Simone is one great example of an artist that has managed to rely on their talent to sensitize the world and call for the need to end the various problems affecting society.

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Social Life

The social life is a significant fabric and component of the general society, and it plays a significant role in the way that people behave, the attitude they have towards each other, and the expectations that people have in a community. It is through music that these messages manage to reach the masses. Politically, some issues may be happening in a government that are adversely affecting a community, with discrimination and inability to get quality education being some of the issues that Nina was advocating for changes to be made to ensure that everyone was getting their right.

The public may not be in a position to ridicule the measures taken by the authorities, and this is where the music sector manages to criticise a government (Bansal et al., 2020). Culture is one of the major components that leads to the development of music. It is important to highlight that it covers the ideas and views that are held in a given region. On the other hand, music makes an expression of ideas, opinions, and emotions, and this is an indication that cultural views are usually highlighted in music lyrics (Bansal et al., 2020).

Certain Culture

A certain culture might value material objects and money, and this is likely to be represented in the music through the glorification of items that are deemed to hold great significance to society. There is an inextricable link that exists between the music and the context in which it is produced, taught, and consumed, and this was depicted through Nina’s music. In the field of ethnomusicology, there is a determination of how cultural and social factors tend to have an influence on the music practices that are handled in macro and micro ways (Bansal et al., 2020).

Music is often used as a core feature in the various social gatherings, such as weddings, and this enables it to make an expression of cultural beliefs and practices. One of the popular artists that have managed to make a representation of the ways that social and political ideologies have an influence on music is Nina Simone. She was an American songwriter, and singer, and her works managed to cut across various disciplines that included jazz, folks, blues, pop music, and classical styles (Barton, 2018). She was involved in civil rights activism against racial inequality in the United States, and through her music, she managed to call for the need to end discrimination and ensure that every human being, irrespective of their race, skin color, religion, or gender, was accorded the same level of respect and dignity in the country (Farber, 2018). Therefore, through her music, she managed to call on all people in the country and notify them of the social and political issues that were affecting society.

The world has, over the years, experienced gradual changes, and this is due to the realities of advancement and technological age. The musical elements in various facets are influenced and assimilated into various cultural components. It is critical to note that there is an amalgamation of different music cultures leading to the formation of the musical hybrids. Some of the main elements that have triggered genre development include religion, media, colonialism, and migration. Traditional music has also played a role in the development process.

The media has changed the way that it is reporting and the coverage it is giving to the music industry. When the coverage is widened, the industry had managed to improve, leading to the innovation of new genres that are a fusion of the past genres with some extra elements leading to the formation of a new system of the genre. The advancement in technology has led to the ability to create new lyrics and quality music, and this has triggered the development of genres over time.

In the process of analyzing the development of different music genres, there will be a review of the key releases that were done by Nina in the course of her music career. In 1954, she released the “Ne me quitte pas,” and this was followed in 1958 by the “Little Girl Blue” album, and it was in the jazz genre of music. At the time, she was working towards becoming a classical concert pianist. In 1964, she released an album titled “pastel blues,” which comprised the blues genre of music. She had started as a jazz musician but would move to blues with time, and it shows that the difference of times may have played a role in the changing genres and their development in the course of the music lifetime.

Cultural History of Popular Music

In this analysis, there will be a review of an album titled “Little Girl Blue” by Nina Simone that was released in February 1959. Bethlehem Records was the team behind its release, and it comprised of 11 tracks that included the song "You'll Never Walk Alone." The singer managed to portray her jazz style of music through this album though there was an element of the blues music style.

The album contains messages that can relate to what was happening at the time in the societal and social spheres. For example, in the song “You'll Never Walk Alone,” the singer states that when an individual is walking through a storm, they are supposed to hold their head high and never get afraid of darkness. Nina continues to state that at the end of a storm, there is a golden sky that awaits, and this was a resemblance to the problems that the people of color were experiencing at the time. It is critical to note that in the 1950s and 60s, the United States was at the height of discrimination, and a significant number of people were suffering due to oppression.

Nina was encouraging them that despite the struggles they were experiencing in their life, they should never let their heads fall, they need to walk with faith and understanding that good times are coming. The lyrics and the prevailing situation in the community at the time may have triggered Nina to join the activists’ movements to the extent that her lyrics become the theme songs and anthems for the movement.

Nina Simone had a significant impact on music, for she managed to influence many other artists. Additionally, the ability to play several music styles ranging from jazz, blues, and pop made her one of the iconic brands in the United States. It is clear that her music had a significant impact on matters pertaining to class, race, and gender issues, for most of the lyrics were touching on these issues that were significantly affecting society. With class, there are some communities that were suffering from discrimination, and they were regarded to be people of low class. Racism was a prevalent problem that rendered many people of colour jobless while others could not manage to get quality education and health care services.

According to the “The evolution of popular music: USA 1960–2010,” music in the United States has experienced considerable revolution, and this has led to a major revolution on the way that this piece of literature has been changing (Mauch et al., 2015). The author states that it is possible to note the stylistic changes that have happened in this sector for the period 1900 to 1975 in western classical songs, with Nina Simone’s music being one of the notable literatures that have changed with time. The history of popular music is often highlighted as a succession of distinct eras that are generally differentiated by revolutions. Culture is the main element that has triggered the changes experienced in the music industry in the highlighted period.

Significant Changes

Significant changes have occurred over this period, and this is the same way that the industry has also been adjusting to the situation in the sector. In the early 1900s, racism and discrimination were critical issues among some of the communities in the world, and in her music, Nina managed to bring these issues into the limelight, making the world know that some people are suffering from these problems. Therefore, it can be noted that music was widely used as a tool that enabled Nina to spread messages of togetherness and the need to end the vice in the country. The musical tools that the musician was using in the early periods of the 20th century have changed, and the advancement in technology has led to the development of advanced tools that are effective for they are managing to produce quality sounds.

The music has been changing with generations, and Nina Simone is one such example. Since the 1900s, it seems that every generation had the issues that were affecting them, and they are ones that were included in the music that she was offering her listeners. The language that she was using in her literature was changing with time, for it can be noted that in the 1960s, she was relying on poetry to deliver her messages. Therefore, it is possible to find that most of the songs at the time were about the difficulties that people were experiencing. The historical events were behind the changes in the music industry and the genres that were arising at the time.

When focusing on the cultural history of popular music, it is essential to look at the way Nina Simone’s music changed with time. The changes that were happening in her music is a clear reflection of the adjustments happening in the sector. The singer was performing several genres in the course of her lifetime, and this enables her to manage to interact with people from different walks of life. It is critical to note that the pow wow that is noted among the Native Americans started around the turn of the 20th century. At the time, it was claimed that the pow wow was a significant component among the black cultures. However, a good number of scholars believe that the process was initiated with the idea of appealing to tourists, and it only managed to have a tangential relationship with the Native Americans.

Conclusion

The Native American churches played a major role in the development of gospel in the country, with the Peyote songs becoming a fusion of the traditional music and gospel, and it was often used during ceremonies. The jazz, folk, gospel, blues, and country music from the Caribbean become popular during the first half of the 20th century. The Dominican merengue, Argentinian tango century, and Trinidadian calypso had a significant influence on American popular music. It is critical to note that Hawaiian music managed to enjoy early vogue in the early 1910s leading to the development of the country music genre. The Jews based in Eastern Europe were behind the klezmer music and supported significant changes to the American culture.