By now, most have heard the song “Country Roads” by John Denver. It is an international icon. All it takes is a person to mumble the first few lines, starting with, “Country roads, take me home / to the place I belong” and a choir pops out of the woodwork to complete the refrain. For those who live in Virginia or West Virginia, it is stuck to their identity like super glue.
Needless to say, music has extensive influence.
Edward Buller-Lytton said, “Music, once admitted to the soul, becomes a spirit, and never dies.” Like a poet, the songwriter reveals their inward emotions, analyzes their outward situation and explores the gift of artistic talent. Music has the chance to embody the songwriter’s culture and share it with the world. Some countries — Ireland, South Korea and Austria, for example — are known for their music.
Last year, the number of streams of K-pop songs went up 42% across the world, according to Vancouver Sun. It is one of the top-five most-listened to genres, along with pop, hip-hop, EDM and electronic music, Latin and rock. The most-streamed song on Spotify is “Shape of You” by Ed Sheeran with around 1,159,205 steams daily. Directly after him is the Weekend with their hit “Blinding Lights,” as noted by ChartMasters. No shocker to anyone, Taylor Swift is the most-listened to artist in the world as of 2024, overthrowing Drake last year. Ed Sheeran is not too far behind her, based on a handful of sources.
Why do people love music so much?
The boring, scholarly answer by Dr. Robert J. Zatorre is, “The limbic system, which is involved in processing emotions and controlling memory, ‘lights’ up when our ears perceive music. The NIH further notes that the chills you feel when you hear a particularly moving piece of music may be the result of dopamine, a neurotransmitter that triggers sensations of pleasure and well-being.” This is scientifically correct, but there must be another, more creative way to say this.
Thankfully, Leo Tolstoy comes to the rescue. He said, “Music is the shorthand of emotion.”
Music makes people feel things: happiness, anger, sadness and so on. And deep down, everyone has the desire to feel something.
Music is, indeed, dear to the soul.
A distinction should be made, however, between popular music and culturally significant music. According to Sound Infusion, songs offer an avenue for people to share their culture’s beliefs, customs, holidays and more through the universal language and appreciation of music. In some ways, music is a way of embodying home.
Going back to “Country Roads,” John Denver paints a romantic picture of West Virginia as he reminisces about his local roots and past adventures. He talks about the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Shenandoah River in the first verse. By the time he gets to the end of the song, he has also mentioned his mother, the radio and driving. The entire point of “Country Roads” is about home. References occur more than eight times throughout, and the overall tone of the notes feels thoughtful, yet fun.
Like music, the concept of “home” is integral to the human experience. Everyone has a home, even if it is not a physical place. It can be a person, a book, a piece of art, a street sign, etc. The list goes on and on. You will always have this special part of being you.
So, when it comes down to the wire, culturally significant songs will always be important and necessary because it is one person — one group — saying to another: “Here is what I am. Let me show you.”
Johnson is an opinion writer for the Liberty Champion