Chapter 42

This chapter focuses on rock music and discusses the power behind not only the sound of the music, but the words within the songs as well. One argument brought up in the excerpt is that critics of rock music often make the mistake of focusing too much attention on the words of the songs and not enough on the music. Lyrics are often simple, however when music is added it changes the entire situation due to the emotion that is generated by the music itself. The impact of this rock music is very powerful. The size, lighting, power of amplification and some of the rituals in different rock concerts suggests this power is ever increasing. People are drawn to music of all genres because they want to experience the emotions and feel the passion in the music and in the voices of the singers. This conclusion may explain why music plays such a large role in the lives of younger people. Younger people relate to a lot of their favorite artists and it may help them get through different periods in their lives. I agree with him on this fact, as I personally listen to a certain type of music depending on my mood at the time. The music I listen to definitely shows the type of mood I am in at a certain time. Berger compares this to an earlier chapter where he explains that children cope with many of the stresses in their lives through fairy tales. Berger concludes the chapter by saying that he believes it is not only the quality of a singer's voice that is important, but the lyrics of the songs and the actual music is just as important.