Sunday, October 21, 2007

music?

So I was driving in my truck this afternoon, enjoying the nice weather (though it's still unseasonably warm here for Oct.) I had a cd in my truck's player from a cd I put together from some songs i have from itunes. When it hit me...
Since the beginning of time, I'm Positive that Man (and woman ;) have been playing some form of music. Even if it were something simple like drums. Then along comes sheet music. I don't know when sheet music was invented (wikipedia gives a vague answer here of before the 15th century). There has got to be what "thousands? Millions? of people in the world right now who are either writing music or at least active musicians right? So is it possible that we can finish writing all the music that can be written? I don't mean lyrics, I mean the actual harmony/melody. Ever since I posted that video a few days back of the kids playing "video killed the radio star" that tune has been stuck in my head! Has that melody EVER been done before in the history of music? What about another country? Is there some monk in Tibet right now, humming that melody and thinking he just made that up?
Just something to think about.

fyi> I think what triggered this thought was a recent clip I saw on Mtv (I was amazed to actually see someone singing on it!)... This girl was singing and gyrating on stage with original lyrics, but she was singing (or lip syncing) to a beat/melody that was originally done by the 80's band Soft cell called "tainted love." They I think remade the song from Donna Summers? - nope... wikipedia to the rescue again. The song was originally recorded in 1964 by Gloria Jones. Re-Recorded in 1975 by Ruth Swan, then re-re-recorded in 1981 by soft cell, and I just learned re-re-re-recorded by Marilyn Manson in 2001. Maybe this answers my question... if artists are just re-recording the same songs, maybe we have run out of music?
(side note: Both the soft cell video and marilyn's video are on youtube. I'm surpised to say that I found the soft cell video MUCH more disturbing than the Manson video.) Ooops, add one more to this list... the Pussy Cat Doll's remade the song also. ugh. ok... youtube has it all... Here is Gloria Jone's 1964 recording - though I suspect someone else added these images? And the hits just keep goin... here's another one by "Milk Inc" - never heard of her/them. Ok, I think I'll stop looking now... I just found the WORST cover of the song by "coil".

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I have always had tremendous admiration and respect for anyone who writes music. It has little to do with whether or not I like the sound of what they've written. It just amazes me that they only have 8 little notes to work with and arrange in a creative and original fashion. Especially compared to writers of books, who have thousands and thousands and thousands of words from which to choose. To do so much with just do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti-do is truly surprising!

me said...

oh my! you crack me up. i can so picture you writing this and looking up all of those vids....lol.

cyen said...

Two "V's" :)
Ver > exactly! Though I guess there are a few more "flats and sharps" thrown in between some of the do, re, mi's but still! :)

Val >
I know! What should have been a 10 minute post, took me like an hour cause I kept finding all those videos (and had to watch them all!) :)