-
Essay / Theodor Adorno's views on pop music and capitalist culture
Theodor Adorno, German philosopher and founder of the Frankfurt School. As a die-hard Marxist, Adorno argues that capitalism has deprived humans of their creative freedom and limited them to their role as a tool of production. Capitalism reduces people to what they should do, rather than exploring what their abilities allow them to do. He argues that pop music poses a threat to civilization because of its opposition and obstruction to the path to social freedom. First by applying to music formulas intended to appeal to the masses, namely standardization; and by creating a false sense of freedom in consumer choice, namely pseudo-individualization, both of which are at the heart of caplist regimes, people are brainwashed into thinking that they are responsible for choices when in reality they are not. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayAdorno argues that pop music today requires artists to produce music in basic harmonic structures that are easily understood by the general public; its continued application hinders our ability to appreciate serious music and express our creativity in musical art. The standardized pattern that Adorno refers to consists of 32 measures and an octave and a note which make it easily reproducible by following a recipe. Thus, the formulated device (standardization) will guarantee the same familiar experience, regardless of any irregularity, and will not produce anything new. Unlike serious music, such as Beethoven or Mozart, which uses orchestras to produce their particular sounds and melodies, all instruments play together for the piece as a whole. This reflects Adorno's full and partial analogy, where the "totality" or unity of serious music cannot be compared to pop music due to its inherent fragmentation, or "the whole is pre-given and pre -accepted”. For example, Ariana Grande's hit single: "God is a Woman" ranked number four compared to the rest of the Billboard top 100 charts. However, we note that the structure of its songs is very similar to that of the rest of popular music: limited and characteristic use of instruments, such as techno beats, and a drum mix widely prevalent in a contemporary pop hit. Song chords are predictable and interchangeable without affecting the underlying structure of major and minor keys. While the repeated notes and teenage love lyrics in a sweet female voice make it easily stuck in your head. Empirically, Grande has arranged the music in a way that will be enjoyable and easily understood by different age groups. Unfortunately, this prevents him from exploring different musical genres/styles due to the constraint of popular demand; any deviation from this will result in the music not being catchy nor being lucrative for businesses. Using Adornos' idea of structural standardization illustrates the above mechanism. Thus, an artist aims for a generic reaction adapted to the listening habits of the population; New and complex ideas in popular music never function as a novelty, but rather as a "icing on the cake." For example, Ariana's prominent voice sets her apart from other musicians, but it does not overlay the underlying musical pattern. The artist listens to the listener and avoids spontaneity, as long as she respects the underlying musical pattern on display. Allowing him to produce 100.