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The lack of "real world complaints" and "anger" in popular music genres helps keep the masses docile

Been thinking a bit about this, popular music (the ones that hit top 100 charts or whatever) never has lyrics that point out real problems or point to culprits and how they’re fucking our shit, which is very easy to find in punk rock and some variations, as well as rap.

Of course, part of the problem are the record labels themselves, which often hold artists “hostage” in order to profit off them. Bigger ones will obviously prefer to avoid having such lyrics become popular.

Still, there seems to be absolute zero songs in certain genres that even come within 10 meters of talking/singing/teaching/bringing awareness about situations that affect a LOT of listeners, even from far away, and would be extremely helpful in spreading some knowledge.

Granted, doing so is easier said than done, a catchy tune that calls out big oil’s many attempts to burn the world, or big pharma’s frequent price gouging, aren’t things “any idiot” can come up with. But that nobody outside “angry” genres seems to be doing it is what saddens me.

Norgur ,

Dude, you are overthinking this. Like, you spent longer thinking about the alleged pacification of masses by agenda driven producers than said producers spent thinking about the songs in question.

There is no agenda and/or purpose behind this. You just made the mistake to assume your views on one of the most subjective topics possible (music) are fitting for music in general. That's not the case.

You might like a little rebellion, commentary, what have you in your music. You might like to express the issues that move you via music. Many others don't.

The charts are, what people are actually listening to, so don't mistake the charts for something that's only pushed by labels or something. It takes listeners and labels to push something into the charts.

That doesn't say that there are never songs of the critical variety in the charts or anything. It's just rarer.

ICastFist OP ,
@ICastFist@programming.dev avatar

Fair points

you are overthinking this. (…) You just made the mistake to assume your views on one of the most subjective topics possible (music) are fitting for music in general. You might like a little rebellion, (…) others don’t.

Guess that’s why it’s a shower thought :P

Still, it’s something that I (over)think about every now and then, probably for dumb or wrong reasons.

galloog1 ,

“And all she wants to do is dance.” Nobody ever remembers the rest of the lyrics.

There’s a great podcast called Wind of Change on if the government is involved in music and specifically that song. I’ve never seen it and most government programs are highly documented and focused on Hollywood by giving them access to resources. The US Army is not going to let you borrow tanks if you are going to put them in a bad light. That’s just dumb. This is actually one of my dream programs to become involved with on a personal level.

KermitLeFrog ,

the charts are what people are actually listening to

But this statement by itself is incredibly disingenuous. Artists and record labels literally have to pay Spotify to get their songs to be played in the algorithm. Yes, it is technically what people are listening to but it’s actually almost always which record company decided to break open their wallet the most for that particular song.

Fleur__ ,
@Fleur__@lemmy.world avatar

I feel like pop songs are incompatible with the kind of message you’re proposing. Pop songs need to be generic, lighthearted and catchy to receive as wide an audience as possible.

kaffiene ,

U2, Midnight Oil both managed it

Shurimal ,

But that nobody outside “angry” genres seems to be doing it is what saddens me.

There's a lot of "non-angry" (ie no thick distorted guitars and screamed vocals) music that has strong political themes and social commentary going on. A lot of folk, blues, EBM, EDM, reagge, dub is about the struggles of the working class, people of color etc, has anti-capitalist, anti-war and anti-globalisation message.

Leslie fish
Asian Dub Foundation
Later VNV Nation (early works are stylistically more "angry", but thematically similar)
Covenant
Chip Taylor
Shamen
And many more

Eldritch ,

90% of people have never heard of Electronic Body Music. And that’s a conservative estimate lol. Same goes for dub. Most may have at least heard of reggae and passing. And only generally associate wub wub wub with EDM.

If it isn’t the forcefed to them over radio broadcast, most people have never heard of it unfortunately. But yes, EBM postpunk and all those others are all pretty good for calling out society and the problems in it. They just aren’t popular, or at least never played on broadcast radio so they can get popular. But let’s be honest, who doesn’t like a good song about eating the rich.

Shurimal ,

You're right, of course, but my point is that it's not only metal, punk and other "angry" music, or more precisely, music that is aesthetically an acquired taste. There's a lot of mellow, danceable and catchy music that has themes other than "Ooh, baby, baby, yeah, aha". That this sort of music is not played on radio is a completely different problem.

Take a listen to eg VNV Nation's Tomorrow Never Comes and tell me it couldn't be a nr. 1 hit on radio and in clubs. It has all the making of a good catchy pop song, yet has some very thoughtful and contemplative lyrics.

vsg ,

I’m pretty sure that there still are a lot of songs about social issues.

ICastFist OP ,
@ICastFist@programming.dev avatar

That was not the point I was making

Rhoeri ,

Are you serial saying that modern music isn’t angry anymore? Because it ALL sounds angry to me.

I miss the 80’s when things were far less angsty.

ICastFist OP ,
@ICastFist@programming.dev avatar

No, I’m saying some genres completely lack anger and seem to rarely, if never, touch or try to bring awareness to problematic issues

Sanctus ,
@Sanctus@lemmy.world avatar

Fit For An Autopsy exists. Listen to them. They just had a tour like last year.

tegs_terry ,

Are they ‘popular music’? How much airtime are they getting on mainstream radio? Where are they in the charts?

Sanctus ,
@Sanctus@lemmy.world avatar

They packed the Nile, man.

Jaysyn ,
@Jaysyn@kbin.social avatar

System of a Down, Flobots, Rise Against & Rage Against the Machine aren't popular music?

Wootz ,

Yes, but how often do you see them in mainstream media these days?

Jaysyn ,
@Jaysyn@kbin.social avatar

So now the qualifier is mainstream media & popular music?

Wootz ,

The qualifier listed by op was “popular music”

CarlsIII ,

Those are definitely the most popular artists in our current day. Rage out out a new album only 20 years ago.

Jaysyn ,
@Jaysyn@kbin.social avatar

SOAD has new songs out now & are working on a another album.

Rise Against released an album last year & the year before that.

Tom Morello released an album in 2021 & also has an XM radio show.

CarlsIII ,

Is SOAD currently popular? Ministry just put out an album with a lot of political lyrics (like they always have) but I wouldn’t consider them a currently popular band either.

Also, Tom Morello’s solo output is not Rage Against the Machine, and if you heard it, it would be pretty clear to you.

Companion1666 ,

i don’t treat music, or any entertainment medium, associated with reality. whenever i watch or listen to something, i want to be transported to the world the artists created.

like listeners who listens to whatever top charts now, they want escapism and we should not give a damn about it. the real world is depressing enough, you want to extend it?

eupraxia ,
@eupraxia@lemmy.blahaj.zone avatar

Escapism is a valid reason to enjoy music, but catharsis is a thing for some too. Sometimes it’s helpful to hear someone artfully articulate something I feel but haven’t put words to. When I’m frustrated with the world I put on some Against Me, rage about things for a bit, and then feel better.

miak ,

If you care for music that touches on climate change and class disparity, you could check out King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard’s albums Infest The Rats Nest and PetroDragonic Apocalypse; or, Dawn of Eternal Night: An Annihilation of Planet Earth and the Beginning of Merciless Damnation.
I really enjoy those albums even though I don’t typically get into Metal music. For something that’s not Metal, the song Plastic Boogie from their album Fishing For Fishies is also great.

sarcasticsunrise ,

“Less Talk, More Rock” and “How To Clean Everything” by Propagandhi were released damn near 30 years ago and sadly that shit is still relevant

Th4tGuyII ,
@Th4tGuyII@kbin.social avatar

While there may very well be a conspiracist element to this, I suspect that it's simpler than that. For a lot of people music is meant to be their escape from reality, so having reality interject ruins the experience - as such any songs that try to capture that simply don't get as popular, so end up in alternative genres

DarkMetatron ,

That is it for me. Music, like PC games and Movies/TV Shows, are my escape from reality and I don’t want to have that tainted and ruined by real world, politics or the like.

bitsplease ,

Yeah, popular music - by definition - is going to have a broad appeal, and pointing out major problems with our society is always going to be at least a bit divisive, especially when the issue is split in party lines

Candelestine ,

Well, John Lennon tried but someone shot him. Imagine was an intensely political song though.

CarlsIII ,

Truly the most popular current artist

Candelestine ,

Would a more current musician dying make you feel any differently?

CarlsIII ,

About whether or not your post was relevant to OP? I would have to see.

Candelestine ,

Oh. Something happening in the past influencing how people in the present act isn’t that unusual.

CarlsIII ,

Are you trying to say that there isn’t any currently popular music with “angry” lyrics because these artists are afraid of being killed, based on John Lennon being killed?

Candelestine ,

I wouldn’t go so far as to call it a singular purpose, things are seldom that cut-and-dried, where this person over here made the choice they did just because of that one, singular, reason.

I would call it an influential event in the chilling of political music though. Which is a little ironic, since if I remember right, the guy that shot him was just mentally ill.

CarlsIII ,

Would your view change if I revealed to you that current popular artists DO have songs featuring “anger” and “real world complaints?” Here‘a one example. I’m not a huge pop fan so I don’t currently have any other examples at the moment.

https://youtu.be/k0QWX2M7W7M?si=21KV20GBdYGDWT6t

Candelestine ,

No, I was aware that exceptions would exist, as trends are merely trends, they do not mean something is true 100% of the time.

I imagine op was also aware that political pop songs still get made, and was not trying to say that zero exist.

CarlsIII ,

I suppose there is technically some hedging in “seems to be absolute zero”

Candelestine ,

Yea I guess I missed that part. I just skimmed the post, the gist they were going for wasn’t too hard to figure out.

CarlsIII ,

Isn’t the stuff that’s popular only popular because that’s what people want to hear? That’s what the people who only like popular music tell me.

Chip_Rat ,

Hey OP, have you listened to what's on country radio these days? EVERY other song is about how alcohol is so useful (to party, to forget your ex, to enjoy being poor, to self medicate after a 70 hour work week). It's bonkers. And the other half still reference drinking.

Long Neck Bottle has nothing on these insane anthems that encourage drinking and being happy being poor. It's a perfect pacifier for a demographic that is largely impoverished with very few ways to escape poverty. Might as well have em singing along about how the cold beer they have means being broke is fine.

ICastFist OP ,
@ICastFist@programming.dev avatar

Where I live (not USA), most songs on the radio are about:

  • having fun at a party/show/bar
  • the joys of being single (flirt and kiss everyone)
  • betraying your wife/husband
  • crying about being betrayed by your wife/husband

It’s common to have a mix of those things in a single song

scytale ,

Music of rebellion makes you wanna rage; but it’s made by millionaires who are nearly twice your age.

-Porcupine Tree

DickFiasco ,

Damn, that song was written for this thread.

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