J.C. Comeau #9, Music and Myth

The music we listen to tells a story.  Whether its a story of simply having a good time, or a story that plunges us into the life of the songwriter; we are affected by the music we listen too.  I think there are many parallels between what authors and songwriters do.  In class, we’ve been learning about the impact that an author can have in his or her storytelling.  A songwriter has a similar impact.  Folk and country singers frequently use story to change the way we see others, but all music leaves an impact on us.  There have been whole movements in music that have been centered on the effort to change people’s perspectives.  We could look at the protest music of the 60’s, or the patriotic music of the 40’s, it was all written for a purpose.  Some music is written simply to appeal to us, some is written to inspire us, and some is written to challenge us.  But as we listen, we cannot deny the impact of music.  Therefore, I think it is possible to expand Lewis’ love of myth to a love of music.  Like myth, music allows us to experience something and to come away changed.  Like myth, music has been, and always will be, a part of our lives, a part of the stories we tell and the experiences we share together.