Elysian Mind: 1.2 British Music

As a music maniac, I have a lot to say about the ups and downs in British music.

It’s just like yesterday when I first heard the song “hey jude”; in fact I want to go back in time and recall the extreme euphoria that struck in my mind. The hopefulness of the lyrics, and the vulnerability of the melody moved me. As my adventure back to 60s and 70s goes on, more awesome British rock bands manifested, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones all “rocked” to my core. In fact, those songs carried me through my junior high, it was literally my musical remedy for the academic pressure.

Uncontrollably, a universal tendency to “popularize” music occurred. The genres of music become more obscure than ever, singers from all over the world simultaneously composed fast-selling, no.1 hits like an assembly line. UK is one of those countries that spoiled by this phenomenon.

One of the cause of this conundrum was the presence of numerous reality TV singing competitions, more fresh voices emerges; but those singers that’s been voted by the public(or the judges) are obviously very “pop”(popular). As a result, other factors besides their vocal ability might get in the way and blind the spectators’ perspective, such as the outside appearance, the family background, etc. One of the most striking example is One Direction, a British pop band that comes from UK X-factors; from some of their pop hits such as “What Makes You Beautiful”, or “Best Song Ever”, I heard nothing but a meaningless love letter towards a female. I am disappointed towards British music for the first time.

It’s not that I resent singing competitions, in fact, I love to watch them once in a while (especially The Voice in US because Christina is a judge), and I have to say there are some very good talents that came out of those competitions nonetheless. Leona Lewis is one of the “good product” from those shows. She is the champion of UK X-factor season 5. After the big win, she released a single — “Bleeding Love” which is a great showcase of her stunningly immaculate vocal cords. Continuously, every song in her discography are rich in emotions, they all convey some kinds of raw feelings through her lyrics and vocal.

In the 60s, the glorious British kind of rock and roll rules the world, but modern days’ pop culture erased a part of the triumph. In spite of the self-destruction, British music can still resurrect from the ashes with more great vocalists like a phoenix. This strength and resilience is the reason why British music can still reigned the world unceasingly.

---- Alex S.