Music to my ears

AD ANGLES

1 When words make love to music and vice versa, a song is created. There is a perfect balance between the two and that is why the impact is strong. The music connects en masse and the lyrics make the imprint everlasting.

The use of music in Indian art forms is nothing new. As a country we have a strong oral tradition where music has ensured that wisdom has been passed on in a memorable way.

It is linked inseparably to drama in India "" the nautankis of Maharashtra, the jatras of Bengal and the swangs of Punjab, for instance. Even our epics are written in verse and performed as musicals.

Today the situation in our country in terms of the music industry is unique. The standalone music industry is not a robust body and the main source of music for the masses is the film industry, specifically Bollywood.

There is little denying that music and songs are the main element of a movie; they make the product stay with us long after the film is over. They express emotion, often replace dialogue, add to the drama and, sometimes, even cover flaws in a story. They have been and remain an integral part of an Indian film.

For the marketers of music, whether as a film or as a stand-alone pop music industry, unravelling the psyche of the people who buy and consume music as a product could be interesting.

On the one hand, the music market is rife with talks about standards of music slipping and sniggers about "inspiration" "" how sources from across the border are passed off as originals, how the influence of past musicians refuses to die, and how old wine is packaged in new bottles. And on the other hand, you have slickly packaged but miserably talented artists who generate initial interest but not sustained sales.

Is there some truth in these accusations or are they the gripes of a motley group, some driven by nostalgia and others by cynicism? It would be difficult to isolate reasons. But what I can share are things I felt compelled to try and understand better.

The first aspect that ought to be understood and questioned is, are we really a country of music lovers? Our historical legacy seems to tell us so, but things somewhere have gone badly off-course.

Today, music is not loved for music's sake. It is in our lives as a substitute, probably to make up for the lack of expressions or as an escape from reality. It's become more of a reflex action, a habit.

Hardly any attention is paid to the creative construct of the song "" the composition, lyrics or the intricacies of instrumentation.

We seem to give in to the enjoyment of a song not so much for its individual standing but for the bigger package of music and what it does for us.

It is "" forgive me for saying this "" much like what happens when someone starts "Ek sardar tha.... The muscles of your cheeks automatically stretch, the lips start curving upwards, readying for a smile and the eyes crinkle. Your breath collects itself, preparing to explode in a guffaw and, if there is flab, it is ready to shake. And all this, before the joke is told, just at the start of the first line.

This is exactly what happens when music is played. A set of pre-felt, pre-experienced emotions surge up and numb us into "enjoying" or tolerating the song, however mediocre.

Perhaps the perceived role of music in our lives has become bigger than our love, understanding or respect for music. And over the past couple of generations we have shed the discerning quality about music; for us it has become just one big block "" "music".

Most Indians don't buy music; and they don't really care about the quality. Instead, they buy a block of emotions and moods "" nostalgia, romantic, spurned in love, devotional, techno, dance. Here's an example.

The disdain, grudging acknowledgement and, now, full-blown acceptance of the nasal singing sensation of recent times is not perhaps so much a case of recognition of quality music/ singing or otherwise, but the identification a large section of masses have with the underlying dejection it projects.

It has little to do with musical values and more with the listener's psyche and stage of life. It is the voice of the emotional have-nots that has found resonance. Little wonder, then, that quality is not demanded and mediocrity is settled for.

Look at the past 50 years and you will see that most songs fit into set categories: love songs, sad/separation songs, celebration songs and dance numbers. Occasionally, you have bhajans and philosophical songs by peripheral service providers "" the gaadiwaan, the wandering banjara, the maanjhi.

Then there is what I call the "gold chain" of Indian music. Isn't it typical of Indians "" we wear the best, most stylish clothes and then proudly display our gold chains, whether they go with the clothes or clash dreadfully. In the film industry, the irrelevant song enjoys this unshakeable status.

It is a song that happens suddenly, in the midst of high drama. A storm, the hero and heroine running away... and suddenly the scene shifts to some tribals singing a hoo la la number.

Forget capturing or treating the strange couple with suspicion "" instead, they are dragged into a hut, clothes their size miraculously pulled out and then they, too, burst into song and onto your senses. Such a song unsettles the movie. It does not fall into the genre of the songs that move the story forward.

But if that song is incongruous, equally absurd is the songless-film school of thought. It just doesn't work in India. What is more important is that blocks should be broken and space should be created for new styles, new kinds and different approaches. We shouldn't use music to always take us into a comfort zone. A quest for familiarity, for the same old kind of music is against the very DNA of things creativity.

As an audience we must realise that music is magical. Music is used to stir an emotion deep inside, to introduce use to new feelings, open new windows in our souls and breathe new life into our consciousness.

Genuine music lovers welcome ample room for experimentation, exploration. They accept new genres of music where intricacies are appreciated and there is awe and respect for musicians as an art form and not just as three-minute entertainers.

The onus of this is as much on us as listeners as on the creators. But for marketers, to best exploit the given circumstances, perhaps the understanding of the prevailing consumer psyche and how music is consumed in our country is a greater imperative.

Prasoon Joshi is executive chairman and regional creative director, Asia Pacific, McCann Erickson