Glossary
Music. Vocal or instrumental sounds (or both) combined in such a way as to produce beauty of form, harmony, and expression of emotion.
Brain. The mass of nerve tissue in the anterior end of an organism. The brain integrates sensory information and directs motor responses; it is also the learning centre in higher vertebrates. The human brain weighs approximately 1.4 kg (3 pounds) and comprises billions of neurons. Junctions between neurons, known as synapses, enable electrical and chemical messages to be transmitted from one neuron to the next in the brain, a process that underlies essential sensory functions and that is critical to learning, memory and thought formation, and other cognitive activities.
Collective identity. Refers to a person's sense of belonging to a group. The identity of the group, or the 'collective,' becomes a part of the person's identity. The idea here is that by participating in social activities, a person can develop a sense of belonging and an identity beyond the person. This sense of belonging can become so potent that it takes over other pieces of their identity.
Sense of belonging. A human emotional need to affiliate with and be accepted by group members.
Feelings. Emotions, especially those influenced by other people.
Politics. Activities that relate to influencing the actions and policies of a government or getting and keeping power in a government” “the opinions that someone has about what should be done by governments: a person's political thoughts and opinions.
Society. People of a particular country, area, and time are thought of primarily as organized communities.
Social Movements. Collective action by a group of people with a shared or collective identity is based on beliefs and opinions that intend to change or maintain some aspect of the social order.
Executive summary
This research aims to show the political impact of Music. The purpose is to understand that the political effect of Music starts with a sense of collectivity, which has an origin in the chemical reaction of the brain. The study shows that Music is one of many elements that can influence society by changing people’s views and emotions. To have an objective opinion, each person needs to listen to different perspectives and rationalize their feelings.
Introduction
Music is part of our daily lives, it is everywhere. Throughout history, new types of Music have appeared, and new technologies have been developed to create songs and reach different audiences. This can be seen, for example, with the decrease of the records industry to the rise of new streaming platforms (Richardson, 2014). One of Music's primary purposes (Lexico, 2022) is to transmit the musician's emotions, including their point of view and feelings on different subjects. This research focuses on how this transmission of emotions and ideas can impact politics and society. It has been possible to demonstrate that musicians have directly impacted politics and relations between countries in recent years Terrazas (2017). Collective identity is an important term for the research because Music can change people's perspectives.
Literature Review
Koelsch (2013) findings will be used to explain the chemical reaction of music in the brain, as well as Cross and Piñero (2004) study on how Musicians can become collaborators of political and social change. The speech of Martiniello (2015) will also be used. Some other big organizations have studied the impact of Music in politics, for example, UNESCO, which created the term and certificate of music cities. In the end, an investigation at the Goldsmith University of London that ranks the most iconic songs in Music will be used. The message of each of these songs will be analyzed to observe if they have any political overtones.
These findings are collected to prove that Music directly impacts political views. All of these starts with a sense of belonging and collective identity. This study shows that Music has political elements, contributing to a political transformation.
Music brain and sense of belonging
In the book Brain and Music (2013), Koelsch describes how Music impacts specific circuits in our brain that are active in empathy, trust, and cooperation, which is marked in four different aspects:
1. Music increases contact, coordination and cooperation with others; an example of this is from concerts, in which Music gives a feeling of cohesion and security that helps to survive.
2. Music causes the release of oxytocin, an essential hormone in social interactions, as it plays an active role in behaviours related to altruism, generosity, and empathy.
3. Music can promote cultural cohesion; an example of this is watching popular songs or listening to national anthems. These have always had the function of uniting and making people feel part of a community.
4. Music strengthens the theory of mind and empathy. In addition to processing the Music we listen to; our brain also tries to understand what the musician is trying to communicate.
Therefore, the benefits of music can be summed up in one conclusion: Music strengthens social ties.
Musicians as precursors or collaborators of significant political and social change
Music in contemporary times is considered an expression and a method of creating social relationships. In addition, some scholars such as Cross (2004) have come to consider it a mechanism to demonstrate the power of the bourgeoisie. Since ancient times, people from different social classes have listened to different music types, which shows their level of education and their position in the social hierarchy. "At times, music was a revolutionary, a critic of the established order, and an active participant in political and social change (Piñero 2004)." As a result, the musical productions of each historical period can reflect the values of the ruling class and the legitimate arguments in favour of power.
We can find critiques of the system inside of songs, transforming musicians into precursors or collaborators of significant political and social changes. It must be considered that the cultural activity carried out by great artists throughout history reflects their time, society and cultural context.
Music in times of social movements
The 60s were years of transformation, and many student movements took place worldwide (Gob Xalapa, 2021). During this time, most of the music played on the radio was rock and roll and blues, specifically protest Music. This was also heard in The Beatles and Elvis, in the Teen Tops, Angélica María, Enrique Guzmán and Alberto Vázquez. All this Music was consumed by the generation and the people who participated, for example, in the 1968 movement in Mexico. Another essential aspect to highlight is that the generational rupture is marked through Music and breaks with a social class scheme characterized by an exacerbated conservatism.
Movies such as Los Olvidados and Los Hijos de Sánchez emerged in Mexico, with true stories of minority groups fighting against the government system. Those were years in which the Hippie movement and Black Power emerged, whose philosophy was adopted by middle- and upper-class students who sought to break with submissive behavior.
Political elements of Music
The political elements of Music start from its rhythm, commercialization, or the artist's attitudes. It is an essential tool for the political participation of discriminated groups, for example, immigrants and ethnic minorities. In addition, he stated that Music is a complement to political participation.
He added that the impact of Music could be classified into three categories:
• Confrontational- the most common and shows an image of social divisions; it also generates fear.
• Deliberative- Build an identity; an example of this is the national anthem
• Pragmatic- achieve goals that artists seek, promoting changes. An example of this is feminism and labour rights
During the conference's conclusion, he commented that Music is not only a protest tool but can also express the positive and joyful parts of society (Martiniello, 2015).
Music cities
Since ancient times, great philosophers have talked about the importance of Music and how it causes a relationship between states "Without music, life would be a mistake" (Nietzsche,1888).
Large organizations have studied the impact of Music on politics. UNESCO Music Cities are those cities that have generated a fundamental socioeconomic change for their development through the music industries, which impact our daily lives by improving both the lives of their inhabitants and the general set of the territory in which they live. Some examples are:
• Amsterdam- has a night mayor responsible for coordinating and increasing the nightlife and music scene.
• New York- housing construction initiative for musicians and artists.
• South Africa- uses Music to foster social integration and raise awareness of development issues.
• United Kingdom- studies tourism caused by the music industry.
Most iconic songs in history
According to Grierson (2015), these are the ten most iconic songs in history:
• 'Smells Like Teen Spirit (Nirvana)- breaks all schemes and is considered the anthem of a generation
• Imagine' (John Lennon)- considered a hymn of peace.
• 'One' (U2)- talks about what the members were going through at the time and the political and social situation that was going on at the time.
• 'Billie Jean' (Michael Jackson) talks about people, in this case, women, who get together with people to get fame and power in a certain way.
• 'Bohemian Rhapsody' (Queen)- marks the beginning of a new era, Rome with all the schemes in a way never seen before and has a bit of various musical genres.
• 'Hey Jude' (The Beatles)- has a tremendous emotional charge and is full of positive and antidepressant messages.
• 'Like a Rolling Stone' (Bob Dylan)- is a symbol of change in culture and politics. It was internationally famous and connected people globally.
• '(I Cannot Get No) Satisfaction (The Rolling Stones) is one song that incites rebellion and change. Plus, it is provocative.
• 'God Save the Queen' (Sex Pistols)- is a direct attack on the English crown. It was banned from all BBC media.
• 'Sweet Child O'Mine' (Guns N' Roses)- is a rock song; this song is mainly about the singer's girlfriends.
Discussion
As it could be observed, Music creates a sense of belonging caused by the oxytocin in our brain. This sense of belonging creates a bond, which origins a collective identity. This collective identity develops in society, and people start to connect and identify with the singers. When the singers transmit their ideas, they can become precursors or collaborators of political and social change.
Also, if you analyze the most iconic songs in history, you can observe that most of them talk about political or social subjects, and they seek for change.
When Music takes part in a political movement or transmits political ideas, it has different political elements, and that is what Martinello (2015) says. Some cities have started to use this in their favor and started to use Music for social and economic development, and these are called the music city.
As we can see, Music is an element that impacts us directly, but it is not the only one. There are a lot of different elements such as language, fashion, and more that can impact society without us even noticing (McRobbie, A., 1999).
Conclusion
It can be observed that Music can create significant changes in people’s lives, and it can even directly impact a country's politics. Music can be used as a political tool because of its impact on people's brains and chemistry. The hormones released by our brain can create a sense of belonging and collective identity. This influences each person's perspective and get to manipulate our political opinions. It is common not to realize that society is impacted by different elements, music and different aspects such as language, fashion, and more. Being conscious of the fact that some external elements have a direct impact on our subconscious can help us rationalize the situation and understand our feelings.
Recommendations
The findings and conclusions will suggest these recommendations to have an objective point of view without being manipulated.
- If you learn about the chemical impact of Music on the brain, you can explain why it can manipulate our political views.
- To understand our feelings, a good option is to rationalize them and find where they come from.
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