Rhyan Harrison Getting lost through Music

Music is one of the most influential aspects of human existence. Music has the power to make one feel a certain way, just based on the sounds and melodies that one hears.  It also is a unique platform for one to say something deeply profound and meaningful. The example that Dr. Redick used was the song Message in a Bottle by the Police. This song gives a great example of hidden meaning in music. It talks about the writer/musicians being castaways, being away from society, and needing to be rescued. They send out a message in a bottle, hoping someone will read it and be able to rescue them from whatever they needed to escape from. This brings up an incredibly interesting idea, most surrounding modern music. For many people, and I think we see it a lot in mainstream rap, music is just a way to make money. People will make music about things that they know will have a lot of record sales, such as booze, sex, drugs, and illegal activity. However, we see a dramatic shift in the content of music when we switch to different genres. For example, when we go to pop, its a lot of time about being outside, and having fun at parties. Then, when we switch to contemporary Christian, we see worship music that's made for a totally different reason (Most of the time). This brings up the question, does Christian music have a hidden meaning? What is the purpose? Do the lyrics serve the same purpose in the song "I can only Imagine" by Mercy Me as the Police's song? What is the difference?

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