When Society Has A Pulse - An Essay

At the Moulin Rouge, there’s a room of swinging chandeliers and plowed fields of velvet where onlookers’ gazes float to an oak platform littered with embellishments. Lights flash. Music thunders. As mature ears begin to shrink to deaf fetuses, black ribbons cha-cha and tango. They caress the ordinary imagination with open arms. Pianissimo snares rumble, as if the drums are lolitas ushering your fantasies to a brothel mattress blanketed by rose petals.1

“Come with me,”2

whispers the voice. Mesmerized eyes and lips are motionless. When she offers a slender hand, your emotions have no choice but to surrender to the sweet, feminine aura oozing into the atmosphere. Cloth curtains scrunch on either side like an accordion. What happens next is a cold bucket of ice water at the sign of an early sunrise. Eyes are pried open, witnessing something more than an eighth wonder. No, the tantalizing showgirls adorning flamenco gowns can only be noted as “Spectacular, Spectacular!”3


Music is indeed spectacular. Its role in society is a lot like a crosswalk on a Seattle afternoon. Over on the right, there’s a CEO clutching a leather briefcase hoping to freeze time in order to be prompt to an ever important video meeting. Next to him stands a single mother with her two boys. A protective arm lies across their chests as a taxi zooms by. On the other side of the asphalt, a teenage girl stands. Her thumbs are punching the keypad on her cell phone. Charcoal outlines blue eyes. Fishnet tights reveal patches of pale skin. Look to the left, and you’ll see a grown woman dressed in flowery church attire. An ivory purse hangs loosely on her shoulder. Like the average street corner, melodies can transform into something distinct; a rebel on the edge of revolution. On the other hand, it can also be chameleon; a tune lost in a sea of the status quo. Either way, tunes hum softly in the air, reviving a lost soul; evoking a curious child. The heart starts to pound and a pulse begins to liven. 4

When society has a pulse, it is musical. It is universal. Sure, a song is made of the usual: eighth notes, quarter notes, staccatos, slurs and ties. Four-four, six-eight, cut time, it’s all the same. Why, then, can a song be so popular? A song or even a measure of a few notes may just be one rhythm. That one rhythm though, will be read a million different ways. To a newborn, a mother singing "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" may just be a soothing lullaby. When a couple years pass, that same song could be helpful to the preschooler who is trying to remember her A-B-C’s. 5

A melody is not only universal, but is also a huge part in self-expression. Ironically, the way an individual chooses to show their personality to others through music has many varieties. For example, a dancer will translate a song’s message through body movements. Beats of the rhythm are like the heartbeat, sending signals to the hands and feet, arms and legs. Kicks, spins, pliès and jumps are all used to communicate a message of the heart, soul, or upbringing. The author, however, may write lyrics to demonstrate everyday living, controversies, happiness, or emotional turmoil. The instrumentalist who whistles a reed reveals his message through a couple ritardando phrases. Some may be squeaky while others are smooth and fluent. The vocalist will often sing a song he or she believes in as if they are a spokesperson or ambassador for the song topic. If the singer performed a song about something that they didn’t agree with, what purpose would it have?6

While the medium of self expression is an important part of music, what you portray with a song is even more essential. If you were to listen to the radio for a day, you would hear songs about a wide range of topics. For example, Bomshel’s "Fight Like A Girl" is about women finding strength to persevere when doubted by others while Madonna’s "Take A Bow" tells of a relationship that ended up being a façade. Lyrics will describe typical subjects like these, but other times, they will discuss more controversial topics. An obvious display of this is Patti LaBelle’s Lady Marmalade , a song about prostitutes who take pride in their profession; especially in the phrases, “Voulez-vou coucher avec moi, ce soir?” and “Itchy gitchy yaya dada.” Music is meant to carry a message. Sometimes it’s audible and other times it’s psychological, but no matter what, that message will be able to shock, relate, and tell some sort of story. 7

Colorful corsets and tiered skirts are visible on both sides of the stage. Trombones and saxophones sound their lively notes, dancing across sheet music in your ears. Smiles run across male faces as netted legs take flight. Pretty soon, the infamous cabaret is swaying, heavy from arousal. Yes, courtiers grin because of the stench of sensuality that hangs in the atmosphere. You, however grin because the melody of the show tune is syncopated with the everlasting rhythm of excitement. Yes, it is realized that music is Spectacular Spectacular! when a broad man garnered in black booms, 8

“Ladies and Gentleman, welcome to the Moulin Rouge!”