Success & Liberation

Success
The Pussycat Dolls, "When I Grow Up", Pop, 2008.
Kanye West, "The New Workout Plan", Hip-Hop, 2004.
Akon, "I'm So Paid", Hip-Hop/R&B, 2008.
Nelly, "Number One", Rap, 2001.
Montgomery Gentry, "Something to be Proud Of", Country, 2005.







Liberation
Yael Naim, "New Soul", Folk, 2008.
Zac Brown Band, "Free", Country, 2010.
Mae, "Release Me", Alternative, 2007.
Jay Sean (ft. Nicki Minaj), "2012", Pop, 2010.
Sugarland, "Something More", Country, 2005.

      I did not have an excessive amount of trouble finding songs for either of these two aims. It seems to me that there is a relatively equal number of songs about success and about freedom, probably because of how deeply engrained these ideas are in American culture and psyche. This country is built on the principles of liberty and freedom; for centuries, the United States has been a beacon of these ideals throughout the world. Americans love their freedoms and will fight to the death to ensure that they are not trampled upon. However great it may be, this concept of freedom has been the cause of much turmoil and disagreement throughout our nation's history. Is there a limit to our freedom? At what point does one person's liberty hinder another's? The principle of liberation can be applied to lots of different situations and its meaning differs for everyone. The song "Release Me" by Mae is about finding a love that will free you from the things in life that hold you back from happiness; it's about realizing what truly matters in life and the freedom that comes with that knowledge. In contrast, the song "2012" by Jay Sean is an anthem to partying and having a good time without a care in the world. If we can "live like it's the end of the world" then we are truly free from any other worries. Ultimately, both songs leave the listener feeling optimistic. I believe that the Hindu aim of liberation is meant to incite the same kind of emotion.
      Success is another key component of American society, measured most often in wealth and fame. In Hinduism, success is measured in much the same way. The difference is, however, that Hinduism recognizes the fleeting nature of success; it is a temporary thing and should be treated as such. It is when people think that their wealth, fame, and/or power will last forever that they encounter problems. The pursuit of happiness is a right bestowed upon all Americans that has become synonymous with the "American Dream". In this country, it seems that one is only successful if he or she has a white picket fence, 2.3 kids, and a silver Lexus. It is truly a shame that the scale of one's success is not measured in love, friendship, charity, or other such ideals. I was not surprised to find lots of songs about getting rich, being beautiful, and being famous. In the song "The New Workout Plan", Kanye West satirizes the female quest to be good-looking and in shape as a means of attracting men and using them for their money. Sadly, to some this is seen as "success". The principles of liberation and success are prevalent in American pop culture. Though I believe that our ideas of liberation are very similar, I don't think we understand or respect the concept of success to the extent that Hinduism does. If we recognized that it is a temporary thing, maybe our culture would not be so obsessed with it.

Pleasure & Community Service

Pleasure:
Akon, "I Wanna Love You", Hip Hop, 2008.
Billy Currington, "Pretty Good at Drinkin' Beer", Country, 2010.
Katy Perry, "Peacock", Pop, 2010.
Elton John, "Something About the Way You Look Tonight", Pop, 1997.
Christina Aguilera, "WooHoo", Pop, 2010.







Community Service:
Clay Walker, "The Chain of Love", Country, 2000.
Carrie Underwood, "Change", Country, 2009.
Tommy Shane Steiner, "What If She's an Angel", Country, 2001.
Martina McBride, "Love's the Only House", Country, 1999.
Young Artists for Haiti, "Wavin' Flag", Pop, 2010.

     I observed that the concept of pleasure is much more prevalent in American pop music than community service is. It took me no time to go through my iTunes library and find five songs about sex, drinking, love, and all things pleasurable. On the other hand, I had to think long and hard about songs that spoke to the subject of charity and good will. I knew that there were country songs that I had heard in the past that addressed this topic but I could not remember their titles or who sang them. I ended up having to do some Googling to find the songs. On the other hand, I could rattle off five songs about pleasure and happiness that I listen to regularly in just a few seconds. Of the five songs that I did find that are about community service, four are country songs. While I know that there are pop songs about charity and service, they are much less popular. I think that this has to do with the general audience of these two genres. Songs about angels and spreading love to others will probably be more openly embraced by a forty-year-old mother of two than an eighteen-year-old high school senior. Their priorities and life experience, in general, are simply very different. I realize, of course, that this is a very simplified generalization. However, the lack of songs about community service in Top 40 music must speak to something.

     I am not surprised that pleasure is a more popular topic in today's music than community service. In general, people want to hear songs that are light-hearted and fun, songs that make them want to dance and have a good time, and songs about enjoying life without taking things too seriously. For some, the way to enjoy life is to get drunk and party with friends, while for others it is all about sex, whether you're into the "Peacock" or the "WooHoo". (We don't discriminate!) In Hinduism, it is understood that pleasure is a temporary thing and that it must be attained in a moral, intelligent way. I am not sure that today's pop music, or pop culture for that matter, is too concerned with morality or intelligence. Compare a song like Elton John's "The Way You Look Tonight" to "I Wanna Love You" by Akon. While Elton John's is romantic, Akon's is degrading and rather immoral. Unfortunately, in this country sex sells and until that changes, pop music will continue to be about pleasure.