American Culture (international success and recognition) --->English Language--
----> Music----> the World
The Anglo-American culture, English language and Music are all interrelated. The English language, which represents American and British cultural dominance, is used by these countries to extend their power and influence in the world. Music is one of the ways by which they can convert foreign countries to their beliefs and customs. Although music does not have practical use like language, it is tightly connected to people's daily lives. Can we imagine our lives without it? Through music, we express our feelings, confess to our loved ones, cry over a loss of dear ones, and cope with life in all its diversity. Today, some live off music; others need it on their daily basis as a cup of morning coffee.
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This is a model which explains the trend by
which an American culture tries to extend its power through music using
English language as a means to cross over to other counties. This model can
also show the reverse trend, where other countries, primarily European
countries, which, by using English in their songs, try to reach American shores. This
is a two directional model. Although it is relatively easy for the American
acts to get recognition in Europe, it is difficult for European
non-British acts to become successful in the United States (European Music).
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Behind the Curtains
Foreign bands as early as the 70s tried to get the attention of the American audience by employing English in their lyrics. Remember ABBA or Scorpions? Today foreign acts are even more eager to use English lyrics.
By comparing the lyrics of past and present bands, there is a tendency towards more complex English lyrics among contemporary song writers. The bands like the Cardigans and Ace of Base, which were popular in the 90s, used simple words and phrases and were mostly singing bad relationship and love. The songs of Phoenix, Avicii, and Swedish House Mafia deliver better quality lyrics, which are mostly about life, future and ways to cope with reality. The audience is becoming more demanding towards the musicians. Lyrics do matter judging from the U.S. music charts. Songs with some philosophical content and house elements like in "Don't you worry child," or complicated English lyrics about vague "fantasies of Paris" and some strong instrumental leanings like in "1901" prove to be effective on American listeners. Phoenix in their interview by the mojo.com shared their opinion on singing in their second language. Like Italian language in opera, English is the only language of contemporary pop music (Interview with Phoenix). Likewise, in one of her interviews, Nina Persson, the Cardigans vocalist, revealed that the English music inspired her band from the very beginning. Moreover, she felt like being a non-native speaker could be a positive thing, because she could play with the language, even creating mistakes which would make songs more interesting (Interview with Camp).
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In the last twenty years, we have witnessed various music genres dominating the charts at different times. In the 90s, pop songs were leading the industry. What we see today is the mixture of pop, house and techno music. Alternative bands are also on the rise. Music genre matters when it comes to global success. Dance songs do well even if they are in foreign languages, provided they make the dead rise. The examples are "Gangnam Style," "Danza Duduro," and "We no speak Americano."
Ludovic
Hunter-Tilney draws similarities between “Gangnam Style” and “Macarena.” Both
Psy and Los Del Rio attract audiences with their quite creative dance moves and
fast music. Despite their achievements, most of the world pop singers come from
the English-speaking countries. The United States, the United Kingdom and
Canada are the leading country in the global music market (Ludovic Hunter-Tilney). They are establishing popular music and, by doing so, influencing
other counties to comply with their norms. As Ludovic Hunter-Tilney said, “With
power comes arrogance;” many Anglo-Americans perceive their pop music as
superior to foreign performances.
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Top Image: http://rippedclub.net/motivation/not-getting-results-with-p90x/