The Superficiality of Pop Music and Happiness

[Arch Stanton]

There is the Olympic pop concert in London today. I guess the idea and expectation is that people watch it and become joyous and happy. But any happiness is only superficial. Listening to pop music doesnt solve any problems.

There are a huge number of clinically depressed people in this country. It runs into millions. If a depressed person wanted more than an anti-depressant, ie a counsellor on the NHS or treatment such as CBT (Cognative Behavioural Therapy) , they would have to wait a year or 18 months for an appointment. However, if the person makes a suicide attempt, only then are they seen more urgently. It is a national disgrace - but hey - no worries, I think the idea is that you go and see your favorite pop group and all your anxieties and problems just go away for good like magic. Some of the treatments you may get after waiting 18 months wait may not suit you anyway, such as CBT isnt effective for everyone and if you wanted psychotherapy you might have to wait an extra 12 months more.

There are all sorts of very difficult problems in this world that can take a huge amount of time to resolve, if at all. A lot of it is down to deep rooted societal attitudes. For example, typically neighbours turn a blind eye if a woman next door is obviously suffering bad domestic abuse and violence.

Pop music is everywhere and it is taken for granted but really it is superficial garbage in comparison with the tough realities of life. All property owners in London are seeing their property values plummet (by 5% in the last month alone). I am sure it is giving some people sleepless nights are they could well be in negative equity soon. Anyone foolish enough to buy a property now may well lose 30% in the next couple of years.

All the celebs on TV, top footballers, pop stars, and MPs are isolated from many of the world's tough realities as they earn mega salaries. The pop stars just want to sell more records and get richer. Some times the pop songs have vapid lyrics to do with for example world peace or "go out and get it" or "reach for the skies", as if a pop record would make any difference.

I also feel cynical about Glastonbury - why bother ?

[dynatech]

Arch, depression is everywhere and so is superficiality - they are by-products of one another. Of course, much pop music is superficial but most of it doesn't pretend to be otherwise.
I found temporary salvation from my own worries this week by discovering Nathan Barley on youtube - better than medication

[Arch Stanton]

Nothing wrong with pop music per se. It is just that it is everywhere and has such a huge centre stage in modern culture. It is diificult to avoid for example it is in Newsagents, Supermarkets, Hairdressers and Taxis for example.

I forgot to mention that most anti-depressant medication is of dubious worth and effectiveness anyway and can be addictive. What some people would like most is just the chance to talk through their problems and issues with someone so at least they can vent. Unless you were trying to commit suicide you would have to wait about 18 months just to do that on the NHS.

[dynatech]

Pop music is being devalued by over-use within the hopeless superficiality of modern life - note the decline of the NME for proof. How sad for a generation to grow knowing there's little left to discover and nothing left to do that hasn't been done before, but being told constantly everything has to be 'new' to be worthwhile/relevant. No wonder they're mostly angry and/or depressed.

[Lizard]

Olay, are you clinically depressed? or is it just that you find depression depressing, why pick on pop music... what about budget airlines, television, lads mags, gordon brown, 24hr 7 day a week supermarkets......the list is endless!

[number 6]

Nathan Barley,now there was a classic show if ever there was one. Shame it only ran for one series. Best Chris Morris has done imo,even better than brass eye.

[Jonone]

Arch, do you not think you're making a massive generalisation about music ? It's not some monolithic, undifferentiated culture suited to the kind of 'one size fits all' description you offer. Yes, some of it is vacuous but some of it isn't. Furthermore the stuff that you and I may deem to be less worthwhile means something to someone, often in large numbers. It's just not yours or my 'cup of tea' and we console and congratulate ourselves for having better taste.

In a sense all art is superficial because it's not real life. It's artifice. If you take a painting like Picasso's Guernica it's one man's expression of his feelings about the chaos and horror of the Spanish civil war. It may try to represent the events and experience of war but how can it .. it's art .. but still people connect with it.

Similarly pop music can bear witness, describe, comfort, celebrate, distract, amuse etc but I agree with you that whilst there are those that, until recession started looming, would have you believe that things just keep getting better and better if it was really true why would we need so much distraction from 'real life' ?

[Jonone]

What about the samaritans ? They have helplines don't they ?

[Jonone]

Re 'newness' as Billy Childish said:

"When people say my interests are old fashioned, I say, your idea of what is modern in architecture or music or clothing is based on an idea of what people thought might be modern in about 1920, or if you want to give them the benefit of the doubt, let's say 1960. It's as if they decided that Logan's Run wasn't a warning about the future, but a recommendation."

[Arch Stanton]

We have so many distractions from real life (that includes fiction such as Hollywood films, comedy and soaps) - that most people dont know enough about "reality". People are not wise or clued up if they dont know about reality. Most people dont understand even the fundamentals of the psychology of human relationships, what mental heath means, the mechanics of bullying etc.