The Effect of Lyrics in Music on Society

practice of medicine and its linguistic processal means has function an integral comp starnt of fraternity as it constitutes an essential part in most states lives. The orgasm of MP3 players, ipods and similar gadgets has cemented the widespread reach of medical specialtyal comedy lyrics, especially among the so called MTV generation. While this dit cannot be called into question, the exact power of lyrics on inn at larger is disput open and is the subject of overmuch contr oversy. The reason for this is the shortage of look for on the said subject. In response to public concern over the ruinous piths of stated lyrics, much has been said and written about it save in that respect is little(a) scientific shew to back up opposing claims. A shell outful analysis of the existing research literature, however, pauses that the lyrics in harmony exercises a dim govern on society and to a greater extentover, there is disturbing evidence to show that it does more(p renominal) harm than good.Arguments and Counterarguments about the Effect of Lyrics in MusicIt has been argued that the melodic satiate of melody has precious little fix on the collective psyche of the masses and that the tenseness on its pervasive influence and comprehend harmful effects is largely uncalled for. The marrow of songs is subject to interpretation, it has been claimed and as such depends but on the listener and his or her somebody perception.Besides songs nowadays are mould with intricate meaning and severely task the cognitive skills of the listeners who usually misinterpret the lyrics or simply dont care about them. Some are of the mental picture that it is solely music as irrelevant to its lyrical content that affects the masses. Studies conducted by Rosenbaum and Prinsky as easy as Wass et al. baffle support this claim by revealing that listeners read reported that song lyrics are not peculiar(prenominal)ly important to them and that they are more attracted to qualities of music than they are to the lyrics (qtd. in Hansen & Hansen 178). totally these viewpoints are misleading as they undervalue the sheer insidiousness and impact of the lyrics in songs. The awe-inspiring normality of whang music bears testament to the tycoon of words, particularly since rap or coxa hop focuses entirely on the lyrics and music merely serves to accentuate the clever pun and inherent themes. Thus the genre of rap music with its attendant controversy and madden fan following high slatternlys the immense effect lyrics have on society.Further Hansen and Hansen have concluded from their studies that despite low levels of lyric comprehension and recall of song lyrics, listeners were able to extract themes of sex, suicide, violence, and satanism from songs by popular heavy metal groups using established processing (178) . On the basis of this and separate studies, it whitethorn be concluded that the lyrics in music have the ability to wor k on impressionable minds, influence beliefs, sterilise ones outlook towards life and later on at an overt level, affect the deportment and actions of individuals.Lyrics whitethorn enable people to become cognizant of socially relevant issues and sympathise with their fellow humans. But more practically that not lyrics of popular music appears to sire harmful effects that have knockout implications for our society.The Harmful Effects of Lyrics and Its Impact on SocietyOver the years, the lyrical content of music has undergone a metamorphosis of sorts. lyrical themes no longer celebrate amative love and peace but animate pleasures of the flesh, antagonism and medicine use. Therefore people have become increasingly implicated with lyrics replete with sexual and violent overtones, particularly their influence on youngsters.This concern is not misplaced because in the words of Hargrave and Livingstone, studies reveal consistent messages in music lyrics that may be consider ed harmful including messages promoting violence among boys / men, discriminatory messages, or those encouraging early grammatical gender among young girls / women (109) . Contemporary music abounds with alarmingly casual descriptions of lustful and violent activities and has had the effect of desensitizing the masses and prompting individuals to scram unwise decisions.With regard to the accusation of harmful effects, lyrics have been directly implicated as a study by Rubin, West, and Mitchell (2001) give that fans of rap and heavy metal music scored significantly higher on measures of aggression than did fans of other musical genres (Giles 67) . And of course it is these particular genres that have come under molest for their brutal lyrics. Thus there is little doubt as to the effects of explicit lyrics on listeners.Thanks to the offensive hooey conveyed by songs, many of the evils that plague our society can be directly link up to the lyrics in music. For instance the increa sed incidence of sexual activity among adolescents, teen pregnancies, drug use, violence against homosexuals, women and other minority groups may be traced to the lyrical content of music. In view of the existing evidence, the pervasive effect of lyrics cannot be taken lightly as it threatens to undermine the very foundation on which society is based.ConclusionIn light of the evidence outlined above, one may safely assert that the lyrics in music affect society to a large extent. In addition to their profound influence it is found that their effects can be harmful to the individual as well as society. Therefore the impact of lyrical content cannot be ignored or underestimated and further research is imperative to determine its exact nature.Works CitedGiles, David. Media Psychology. Mahwah NJ Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2003.Hansen, Christine, and Ranald Hansen. Music and Music Videos. Media Entertainment The Psychology of Its Appeal. Eds. Dolf Zillmann and beak Vorderer. Mahwah NJ Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2000. 175 96.Hargrave, Andrea and Sonia Livingstone. Harm and criminal offense in media Content A canvas of the Evidence. Portland Intellect Books, 2006.