The Music Of Generation X

The Music of Generation X

Since the beginning of time the human beings have adored the soothing sounds of music. Music has affected the way people have behaved and dressed throughout different periods of time. Different groups have been formed based upon their preference in music. Take for an example in the music of my generation, Generation X, there are several different groups oriented by music.

In Generation X punks, gangs, alternative people, ravers, hippies, and pop rockers have all been labeled into groups by their preference of music. Music has also affected people mentally, causing problems in society like suicide, depression, hate/racism, violence, and drug addiction. I am about to examine five different song lyrics of my generation to demonstrate the different tones and concerns they convey onto society and my generation.

The first song I would like to analyze is "Jane Says" by Jane's

Addiction. The main theme in "Jane Says" is escaping drug use and addiction.

This song is basically set in a low class area. Jane is a girl who has had a heroine addiction. Her personal boundaries have been invaded and she wants out of the habit, "I'm gonna kick tomorrow…". She goes through depression and withdrawal, "She gets mad/And she starts to cry." Then the songs continues by talking about loneliness. Drug addiction is often the background for much of the music in today's society. People tend to idolize famous people and when they see or hear of their idols using drugs or drinking they follow the actions of the famous people. Another song in which I am going to discuss is written by

The Smashing Pumpkins. "Tonight, tonight" is a song about growing up. The song stresses the importance of time and how precious it is, "time is never time at all/you can never ever leave without leaving a piece of youth/ and our lives are forever changed/ we will never be the same." This song brings an opening light to society and makes them feel good and at the same time depressed. The music in our generation is real deep in it's tone, the feelings music can generate is amazing. Say you are listening to a happy song your mood will genuinely be happy, then say you heard a slow deep meaningful song your attitude will change somewhat. However there is different mus...

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...s of depression and loss of reality. The song looks at the downfalls in our society and how things went wrong. The line, "What ever happened to the Golden Rule?" says enough to explain my thoughts. The Golden Rule in my opinion is a major norm in our society, and with that out of the way everything is really unfriendly and depressing. "Looking for hope in a hopeless world" explains that people are trying to come out and have a life, but there are so many drawbacks that they are often stuck. The song also says that you have to keep trying:

You've got to listen to the voice inside

Peace and love don't compromise

Time is passing by

Can't be standing still.

Music in Generation X has had more affect on society than any other generation has had. More social groups have been formed and many more feelings have been expressed through our music. Society is overall effected by music and always will be.

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