A 10-year-old boy sits, his scrawny torso stretches to reach around the front of his fathers’ Gibson Les Paul. Rolling Stones magazine at his feet as the effortless riff of “Smoke on The Water” reaches out and touches his soul. A little boys dream to stand on a stage and influence a nation, an image so vivid in his mind. A desire to change the sound of music the way his idols did before him floods his body. The musicians that are the core of his inspiration, Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Eddie Van Halen and Eric Clapton.

These are the artists who could make music dance on a page. Who by forming the chords of some of the most classic songs ever written made you feel something, made you want to be something. These are the men who gave you a reason to hope, gave you a reason to dream. This authenticity, this desire to make good meaningful music is something that popular music is lacking in todays world. Popular music used to be the inspirational words of The Beatles, the feel good rhythm of Bob Marley and the all-distinctive tone of Kurt Cobain.

Today Kendrick Lamar fills our speakers, Bassnectar floods stadiums at halftime and the lyrics to get laid by every girl in the world speak into the minds of young men everywhere.

So what caused music to morph into this degrading sound we hear. Was it music that changed or was it the audience that changed it?

Music is incredible and has such an impact on our nation because its something we believe in, its something people care about. Somewhere along the way we stopped singing about honor, love, and beautiful people, and started singing about “Bubble-butts” and shopping with Macklemore in a thrift store.

Society is constantly changing and evolving, but if we can hold on to idols in other aspects of our lives, actors, religious figure heads etc., who says we can’t still jam to Nirvana and Bon Jovi. Why did it become socially unacceptable to listen to classic rock and a pre-requisite of the “cool club” to listen to Nicki Minaj and cuss along with Eminem.

The music of the ages taught men to be gentlemen, taught woman to expect nothing more than prince charming and told some of the most beautiful love stories and painted the most memorable pictures of friendship, loyalty, and good clean American fun. Were filling these nations young adults with the ideas that excess is the key to ones happiness. Instead of accepting the new music as the new normal, why not stand out.

Why not be the one person who still respects the art within the music, where it came from, where its roots are and where it should be going. Don’t just rap along with Jay-Z because you like the beat, listen to the lyrics, listen to the message and decide for yourself what you stand for. What do you want to let represent you, and what mark do you want to leave on this world?

kgunderson@mavs.coloradomesa.edu