Last week, I was on YouTube and found myself watching the new music video for Kelly Clarkson’s People Like Us. I’m rather fond of both the song and the video, but what I found really interesting about the whole thing was the comments.
People seem to universally find the song inspirational, but their reasons for finding it so varies from person to person. Some people were lonely. Some people were bullied. Some people had gotten out of a bad relationship. Some people just liked the idea that there were people out there who were like them, somewhere.
It’s why music–and art–endures.
Music can touch your very soul, or make you smile, or cry. And while, say, the Moonlight Sonata has been a favorite for centuries, and many people might say it’s their favorite piece of music, each person would have their own reason for it to be so. That’s because we, as people, are transformed through our experiences. They shape us into who we are. People who have done different things, grew up in different ways, while both may accept a piece of music (or a piece of art, or even a story) as beautiful, they will have their own justifications for doing so.
And yes, stories count as art in their own right. Let’s take the Lord of the Rings. The trilogy is beloved by many, and it holds a certain place in my heart as well. Maybe it’s also one of your favorites. It’s one of mine because I originally read it in a rough time in my life, when I’d felt betrayed by the people closest to me, and the portrayal of Sam’s friendship and loyalty really stood out to me. There’s lot of good themes to LoTR, lots of reasons to like the story, but Sam was what I needed, and he’s why the story’s important to me.
As for Kelly Clarkson’s People Like Us? Well, I’m not terribly prosecuted at this point in my life, but I think we can all agree that it’s good to know that someone’s there for you.
What music/art/stories are important to you? Why?