Classic Rock: Art for the Ears

Music is a big part of my life. Even though I don’t play an instrument, music consumes every minute of every single day for me. I listen to it walking to class, when I’m studying, falling asleep, and everything else in between. I’ll probably have significant hearing loss in the future due to my headphones being constantly in my ears. My iTunes library has a wide a range of genres, my favorite of which would be classic rock.

            

My love for classic rock was passed onto me from my father. As a child, I would never turn down an opportunity to go on a car ride with him because he would quiz me on every song that came on XM Radio’s classic rock station. My love of Led Zeppelin, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Fleetwood Mac, and an abundance of other bands bloomed from this one simple game. To me, this one particular genre alone is an art form. You can argue that any type of music is an art form but to me, classic rock is timeless, it will never fade out. Other genres, especially hip-hop and pop, go through fads and phases. While listening to a hit song from just last year, people already think it’s old and overplayed. Classic rock songs can’t get overplayed; they’re everlasting. 

           

In today’s world you don’t come across truly personal and creative lyrics as often as you did in say the ‘60s or ‘70s.  The lyrics from Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young’s Find the Cost of Freedom is a prime example of meaningful lyrics. “Find the cost of freedom, buried in the ground. Mother earth will swallow you, lay your body down.” In a time of war and confusion, bands like this had a lot to write about and express. You can have a whole history lesson by just listening to a couple of songs. The wide variety of stories classic rock songs contain and people’s interpretations of them make this genre so unique. The lyrics combined with the pure, raw sound of classic rock is what made me fall in love with it in the first place. There’s no auto-tuning or computerized sound. Every one of those groups in the classic rock category had natural talent for songwriting and sound. To me, that is pure art.