How Music Defines You Essay

â€Å"I think music in itself is healing. It’s an explosive expression of humanity. It’s something we are all touched by. No matter what culture we’re from, everyone loves music. † This famous quote said by Billy Joel does a good job describing the way music can affect people. Different songs can impact people, change their moods, or bring back memories related to a certain tune. Each person, however, has their own unique taste in music; one song can be loved by one but hated by another, it all depends on our personal taste and what we can relate to. This made me wonder, what does the music I listen to say about myself? Do the lyrics define who I am as a person, or do I simply like songs because of the beat? As I looked at my top ten playlist, I saw that some of my favorite songs do describe me to a certain point. The first song I examined in my playlist was â€Å"Kids† by MGMT. I have always loved the beat of the song, but the lyrics of it never made sense to me. The words are like a collage of random thoughts strung together with what seems like no relation. However, as I looked deeper into the lyrics, I started to realize the meaning of the words. This song is filled with many emotions of a typical college student. Feelings of happiness, sadness, naivety, and nostalgia are present throughout the entire song. Upon further digging, I discovered that this was the first song the artists, Goldwasser and VanWyngaeden, wrote on arriving at college. They were nineteen, in a fantasy college world, and had a happy-go-lucky attitude. At the same time, however, they were longing for childhood; they had a fear of growing up and losing innocence. â€Å"Kids† is a great example of the way many college students feel. For me, I do not fear growing up, but I often find myself missing the past. Childhood was bliss and easy. As I grow up, I long for the days when I was younger, when work, homework, school, and the stress of everyday life did not matter. When you are young, you have no responsibilities to deal with, and although I live a happy balanced life, I often find myself wishing I was a kid again. The second song I analyzed was â€Å"Paradise† by Coldplay. Similarly to â€Å"Kids†, the song â€Å"Paradise† starts with the idea of childhood. â€Å"When she was just a girl she expected the world. But it flew away from her reach so she ran away in her sleep and dreamed of paradise† is the opening verse for this tune. It talks of a young girl with big dreams expecting the world. As the girl in the song grows up she finds that life is not as simple as she believed. â€Å"Life goes on, it gets so heavy. The wheel breaks the butterfly. Every tear a waterfall. In the night the stormy night she’ll close her eyes. † Those lyrics are a good example of how life has some downs, tears, and storms, but it talks of how the girl stays positive when the song says, â€Å"She’d say, ‘I know the sun must set to rise. ’† I think this song is a good reflection of me. I have big dreams for myself, but as life goes on I go through some bumps in the road. I have encountered many of my own stormy nights, but I know the sun will rise to a clearer and brighter day in time. I have learned not to expect things to be handed to me, but to chase after my dreams, and my own perfect paradise to a path of success. My final and favorite song I looked at was the song â€Å"Pursuit of Happiness† by Kid Cudi. Kid Cudi is my favorite artist, so it makes sense that my favorite song is one of his most popular. However, when I tell people my favorite artist is Kid Cudi, they give me weird looks because most of his songs do not describe me. The song â€Å"Pursuit of Happiness† is actually fairly dark and depressing. It talks of a person being empty and doing things such as drugs, smoking, and getting drunk. The character in the song finds these things as his only escape from reality. I personally think the song is brilliant. When I uncover the deeper meanings of the song, Kid Cudi is someone who I can relate to. The person in his song has been through some real tough times. I see his journey of trying to escape the pain of the real world by getting involved in all these things that give temporary bliss, but at the end of the song it is obvious that partying, drugs, and alcohol will not give you true happiness. My three favorite songs â€Å"Kids†, â€Å"Paradise†, and â€Å"Pursuit of Happiness† ended up describing some aspects of my life. I found that I could relate to all three songs which could be the reason why they are important to me. However, I am unconvinced that every song I like defines the type of person I am. I love music and it was hard for me to narrow down my top three songs. If I were to go on and look at every song I love, I am positive more than half would not be a reflection of who I am. My ultimate songs may describe some aspects of me, but I am confident that they do not define who I am.