THE INFLUENCE OF MUSIC

Some looked at him as a god, some viewed him as the devil. Parents were cringing, while daughters were drooling . Whether you like him or hated him, In the 1950’s, Elvis Presley brought Rock-n-Roll to the forefront of culture and music hasn’t been the same since.
In the 60’s, they took over the British airwaves. Then they conquered America. After that, the world was at their feet. Instead of duplicating the sound of previous pop-culture hits, The Beatles were so unique, record labels kept slamming the door on them because they never heard anything like it and they just weren’t what the music industry needed. This led to be one of the biggest music industry blunders in history. The Beatles have sold over 1 billion units world wide.
They helped tear down the 60’s free-love movement. Rumors of Satanism and mysticism plagued their image which they welcomed. A band of mystery that people really had trouble figuring out. Led Zeppelin set the bar for Rock-n-Roll. Their number one hit “Stairway to Heaven” is the most played song in the history of album oriented radio.
He was no longer Little Michael. He was a young man who taught the world new dance moves while he serenaded everyone with his soft voice. Michael Jackson has the most
# 1 hits in music and the album “Thriller” is the world’s best selling album. No single person dominated the pop-culture scene more then Michael Jackson did in the 80’s.
In 1990, Nirvana was the final blow to the hairband era. They didn’t care for makeup. They didn’t want to look good. They just wanted to do music. They wanted to do it loud and with a message: “look at what you’ve made me”. They became the voice of the post-boomer generation and they were tired of the world. The music scene was in desperate need of a makeover, and Nirvana delivered in every aspect.
Music is the most powerful tool in the shaping of youth culture. It shows the world what’s to be worn, what words are to be used, and how to dance. Youth desperately look to the music world to help shape their image and define who they are. Music is the mirror to how we view ourselves. And artists have helped us put an image in that mirror.
When was the last time we sat down with a youth and asked to “see in their mirror”? Granted, the music may be extremely horrible and may resemble the sound of a cat getting its face smashed in with hammer (with a tight beat in the background). But have we taken the time to see how these kids view themselves? We become so quick to introduce these kids to artist like Stellar Kart, Switchfoot, Lecrae, or Skillet. If we want to be edgy, we give them P.O.D.’s newest album. Instead of passing onto youth what you believe they may like, first take a journey into their world to see who it is they are. Evaluate their culture first, as Paul did in Athens.

“Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: "Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you.” ACTS 17:22-23