Music is a fascinating thing. We listen to music every day, and some people cannot live without it. It is global, even universal. When someone is listening to music, there must be another person also enjoyin it at the same time, but possibly in a different country, language, room or style.
But, all music has its own meaning from its creator or by its listener.
At NDB, students can find their favorite songs in foreign language classes, like Spanish and French. Classes often include music to improve the students’ comprehension and speaking skills. However, students also listen to songs in languages they are not studying.
Senior Maegan Gomez has had almost four years of experience learning Japanese, a class she does not take at NDB, and she listens to a lot of Japanese songs.
She recommends the song “NIGHT DANCER” by imase, a Japanese artist. Gomez heard the song first on a Spotify shuffle playlist. She likes its metaphorical lyrics about a man who wants to dance with his love, but is not permitted. It is a story that is a mixture of good and bad.
“For me, it’s the rhythm and the beat [that makes me like the song],” said Gomez. “It’s something that can get me into a mood to kind of either dance around or simply sing. And, for me, it has a really deep meaning that I really like.”
Another style of music, K-pop, is a big part of modern pop music, which is popular around the world and has millions of fans.
Freshman Sarah Lee is a big fan of K-pop songs since her parents are from Korea. Lee recommends the song “ANTIFRAGILE” by the K-pop group Le Sserafim, which is sung mostly in the Korean language with some lyrics in English as well.
“I like the song because it has the message of not being fragile and being like a strong person,” said Lee. “And, it is also very upbeat. It gets me really excited for the day. In this all-girl group, except for Kazou [who] is Japanese, the rest of the members are all Koreans. ‘ANTIFRAGILE’ was their first comeback song.”
The language barriers of these songs can be difficult to overcome, but music ultimately brings communities of people together, regardless of any differences between listeners. The most important part of music is how you feel listening to it.
All music is good if it can bring you energy or peace, or just let you get into a mood of simple happiness, whatever the music’s language or style. Sometimes, it does not matter if you can understand only part of the lyrics because we have always known this language, the beautiful temperament.
