Taking it Seriously

For a very long time I’ve had an ongoing debate against myself if music needs to be taken seriously or not, or how seriously music should be taken. This started when I found it hard to confidently state that I like an actual band and the music I was listening to, and not just their songs. I felt for me to truely state that I like a band I need to not only like their music, but what they stand for as well.

Well I think I’ve come to a conclusion in this debate, that music does not need to be taken seriously. My favorite bands such as Jimmy Eat World and Valencia take every line they write seriously, and try to influence their listeners and help them through their daily struggles, but bands that do the opposite should not automatically qualify them as failures I now know.

I realized this mainly through listening to the new All Time Low album. I have always had fun listening to All Time Low, but could never actually determine if I liked them. Their songs were about partying and girls, and often very shallow. Their new album is nothing different, in fact, it may be even worse in terms of message, but it is a really fun album. All Time Low would never be a band I tell my kids about and how they changed my life (unlike Jimmy Eat World and Valencia), but that doesnt mean I shouldn’t listen to it.

Their new CD, Nothing Personal, is a great summer album. Whether just driving with the windows down or partying with your friends, it puts me in a good mood. When really thinking about taking music seriously I realize many of the most famous bands in the world didn’t take it seriously. Blink-182, one of the bands of our generation, by no means took (take, I guess, new music is in the works apparently) music seriously. Even songs by the Stones and Beatles are simply about having fun or chasing girls. I guess sometimes music can be used just to have fun.