How Folk Songs Change the Idea of America Essay

Introduction

This paper explores how the works of Dyalan, Wilentz, & Marcus have changed my idea of America. These authors narrate their experiences of America by explaining the existence of folk songs in American music and describing the nature of American folk music in general. Through their works, this paper highlights violence, favoritism, and consumerism as widespread tenets of the American society.

These issues rarely featured in my general understanding of the country. Broadly, an analysis of the above issues shows that America is an imperfect country. Furthermore, unlike popular opinion, America exudes more similarities than differences with other countries. Evidence also shows that the American society is a sharp contrast of its global image of a peace-loving nation.

These evidences present significant ironies regarding America’s stature as a beacon of peace, equal opportunities, and an epitome of authentic human values. Therefore, most of the evidences provided in this paper highlight a sharp contrast between the “real” image of America and its publicized image.

Consumerism

One issue that emerges from Dyalan’s work is the highly commercial nature of America’s social, economic, and political spaces.¹ A comparison of folk music in America especially highlights this fact because the current nature of America’s globalized society has little space for folk music.²

Understandably, music always contains commercial content to keep the industry viable. However, the highly commercialized nature of the American music industry has taken away the heart and soul of the art. This statement suffices with the understanding that most musicians (even musicians that produce folk songs) need to survive.

Similarly, underlying this statement is the understanding that some fortunes and losses exist in the music industry. However, money and big business should not be the only measures that characterize the American music industry today. Thus, based on an understanding of American folk songs and mainstream music, it is important to acknowledge that America has witnessed significant changes in its cultural direction.

Notably, there is a sense of misdirection in America’s cultural compass because mainstream music does not have a defined cultural direction that folk music had. During his trip to New York, Dyalan said most of the songs played in America were dull, cowardly, and flabby.

Almost as if to mock the kind of music played on radio, Dyalan said American music sounded like it would appeal to people who lacked a brain.³ To affirm the lack of content that most American music had, Dyalan also said that most of the content played in American music reflected only “milk and honey.” There was little evidence that such music reflected Jekyll and Hyde themes of folk songs.⁴

The shift in cultural focus of American music made Dyalan to fear producing folk songs. Indeed, after realizing mainstream American music was different from past folk songs, he identified commercialization as the main factor that distinguished his type of folk song with mainstream music.⁵

Thus, while mainstream music was mellow and easy-going, his folk songs were “rough” and lacked the commercial appeal that most types of mainstream music in America enjoyed.

Based on an analysis of the above factors, it is correct to say America subscribes to a popular and highly commercialized culture that limits the lens through which other types of music exist. This narrow lens of perceiving music scares away people who develop a different type of music (mostly music that does not have a commercial appeal).

To some people, the commercialized and mainstream culture that dominates the American society is lame and intolerable.⁶ Overall, the problem with the highly commercialized nature of American music is the creation of a narrow style of performance that most musicians try to abide by (so that their music appeals to the public).

Therefore, most American musicians follow a narrow lens of music production, simply because it is commercial. This situation is unfortunate because most artists who produce non-commercial music do not receive airplay.

The highly commercialized nature of the American music industry also explains the influence that powerful record companies have in defining the success of musicians. Indeed, because of their commercial power, music companies define what people listen. Thus, today, in America, the success of music largely depends on its commercial appeal, as opposed to the character, content, and the quality of music that most musicians produce.

Favoritism

Based on an analysis of Dyalan’s chronology, another issue that also stands out as a surprising feature of the American society is the “crony culture” that exists in the music industry. For a country that prides itself in the access to equal opportunity, the inequalities and preferential treatment accorded to some music groups erode this credibility.

It is however, naive to believe social networks do not help people to succeed. Nonetheless, the extents that these relations define group success are disturbing. Certainly, as observed by Dyalan, music groups in America succeed because of the power of social networks (that span across counties and local jurisdictions) in helping them get performances.⁷

The existence of these networks creates an uneven playing field for music groups to succeed because some groups get preferential treatment, while others struggle to get one show. If left unabated, this situation may create hopelessness and despair among people who do not enjoy the benefits of these networks.

For example, Dyalan says this situation left him feeling vulnerable and desperate, but according to the statement below, he was not going to allow this situation to affect him. He said,

“It went to the very root of things, gave unfair advantage to some people and left others squeezed out. How could somebody ever reach the world this way? It seemed like it was the law of life, but even if it was, I was not going to sulk about it or, like my grandmother said, take it personally. Family connections were legitimate; you could not blame anyone for them.”⁸

This conviction insulated Dyalan from the challenges of the music industry. In fact, he says, it reached a point when he was not surprised if he lost his band because of favoritism.

Dyalan also portrays a negative picture of some American educational institutions because he portrays them as extremist and intolerant. For example, he gives the example intolerance to diverse personality, as the main cause of his friend’s (Ray) expulsion from a Southern California military school.

Ray’s quest to pursue a new job at a tool and die factory, in Brooklyn, also shows another instance where America’s credibility comes into question because Ray equated his working conditions to the experiences of Jews in Nazi concentration camps.

This view is a sharp contrast from the commonly held belief that American workplaces are employee-friendly. His contempt for work prompted Ray to talk about the history of the Nazi concentration camps in Europe. This insight further brings to our attention the nature of Israel and America in the post-Nazi era.

Violence

Based on the story of Pretty Polly and her murder, Sean and Greil’s folk songs show that America has a culture of violence. This culture is historic because an excerpt from Sean and Greil’s article shows the existence of violence since the 1600s.⁹ Different people have documented this violence (including traditional folk songs that dramatized and animated the experiences of victims).

The existence of violence in these historical excerpts sheds light on a very dark component of American lifestyle – obsession with violence. Indeed, this analysis shows that the American society not only condones violence, but also uses it for entertainment. Some of the violence attributed to America’s history is horrific.

For example, in the colonial era, North American Indians tied their enemies’ legs to poles and pulled them apart, until they tore their bodies apart. Evidence of people burning alive, and women and children dying in cold blood also exist. This dark history is a sharp contrast from America’s peace-loving nature.

A deeper analysis into the above issue shows that America has many ironies. For example, although the nation is a global beacon of peace, the country has participated in some of the world’s deadliest and horrific conflicts. The Iraq war and the Japanese atomic bombings are a few examples of global conflicts that come to mind.

It is therefore unsurprising to see that a country, which prides itself as a peaceful nation, struggles with gun control concerns and rampant crime. Such national concerns show how deep-rooted America’s culture of violence is. Certainly, although America appears to be a peace-loving nation, it promotes violence at different levels of the society.

At the government level, America is involved in the global supply of arms. Some reports show that the nation controls about three-quarters of the global arms supply.¹⁰ This statistic alone paints a grim picture of America because it is beyond logic for a country that prides itself in promoting global peace to be at the forefront in producing some of the most sophisticated weapons.

Still, at the government level, it is crucial to point out that America harbors among the deadliest weapons. For example, America has among the world’s deadliest nuclear weapons. Again, ironically, for a country that dictates how other countries should use nuclear technology, it is surprising that America has nuclear weapons in the first place.

Dyalan says that he was born in the Second World War era where war ravaged the world.¹¹ Many countries had participated in this war, and America was a part of it.

The involvement of America in the global destruction of human societies in the Second World War era also changes the idea of America as a champion of peace and prosperity. Indeed, it is difficult to contemplate the extent that America contributed to one of the world’s deadliest conflicts, while it enjoys a global reputation as a peacemaker.

Like the folk songs narrated by Sean and Greil, America also appears to be among the biggest exporters of violence in the world.¹² Unapologetically, America exports physical and virtual violence to the rest of the world. Certainly, some of the “sickest” horror stories have come from America.

For example, Sean and Greil explain the Ted Bundy and Ed Gein stories as some of the most horrific serial killer stories to exist in the world. Mindfully, these serial killers and rapists hail from America. These examples offer an insight into why America also leads other countries in exporting violence through video games and films.

Particularly, American film and game developers tap into a “sick” mentality and obsession with violence that exists within the American society. Indeed, it is also unsurprising to see some of the best selling non-fiction works in America concern violence.

For example, “killing Kennedy” and “Killing Lincoln” are some of the best selling non-fiction works to exist in America. Although violence is essential to art, the extent and irony of violence that exists within the American society is a sharp contrast from the image it strives to maintain as a peace-loving country.

Conclusion

The contrasts of the American society highlighted in this paper paint an imperfect picture of the country. Such contrasts are somewhat surprising, especially because America enjoys the global reputation of being an oasis of hope and peace. While this reputation may be largely true, the evidence provided in this paper shows that America is a country of sharp contrasts.

For example, America enjoys the reputation of being a country of equal opportunities for all. However, the challenges experienced by Dyalan in penetrating the music industry show that some sections of the American society still exude favoritism and nepotism. This analysis contradicts my view of America, as an international student, because it distorts the idea that America is an equal-opportunity society.

Thus, through such an example, it is difficult to conceive the idea that America is different from countries that struggle with nepotism, tribalism, and such negative attributes of the society.

The extent of the similarities may vary, but unlike popular opinion, the evidence provided in this paper show that America is not an ideal state. While it is important to acknowledge that there is no perfect country, it is unavoidable to highlight the differences that exist between the real picture of America and its publicized image. One issue that has emerged as a special characteristic of America is the obsession with violence.

Although not widely acknowledged, the evidence provided in this paper show that the American society “adores” a culture of violence and aggression. This “obsession” manifests through international politics and art. The theme of murder that exists in Pretty Polly’s story also shows how violence dominates the American social life. Indeed, most the political, social, and economic successes of America stem from a history of violence.

Lastly, this paper identifies consumerism as a key tenet of the American lifestyle. It shows that the consumer culture has led to the death of folk music and instead birthed the problems witnessed by folk musicians in trying to penetrate the American music industry. Since the obsession with consumerism manifests in different aspects of the American society, there is a distortion of authentic American music.

Concisely, in the past, artistic creativity mostly defined music productions. However, because of consumerism, creativity now fits a narrow scope of mainstream culture. The society has accepted this eventuality as part of America’s culture. Overall, this paper highlights violence, favoritism, and consumerism as the most surprising elements that folk songs reveal about America’s culture.

References

Cantwell, Robert. When We Were Good: The Folk Revival. Harvard: Harvard University Press.

Dyalan, Bob. Chronicles. New York: Simon and Schuster.

Sante, Luc. Kill All Your Darlings: Pieces 1990-2005. New York: Verse Chorus Press.

Smith Ethel. “How Commercialization has Harmed the Music Industry.” Entertainment Scene. Web.

Thompson, Nicholas. “America’s Culture of Violence.” The New Yorker. Web.

Wilentz, Sean, & Marcus Greil. The Rose & the Briar: Death, Love and Liberty in the American Ballad. New York: W.W. Norton, 2005.

Footnotes

1. Bob, Dyalan, Chronicles (New York: Simon and Schuster, 2004), 2.
2. Robert Cantwell, When We Were Good: The Folk Revival (Harvard: Harvard University Press, 1996), 36-40.
3. Bob, Dyalan, Chronicles (New York: Simon and Schuster, 2004), 2.
4. Bob, Dyalan, Chronicles (New York: Simon and Schuster, 2004), 2.
5. Luc Sante, Kill All Your Darlings: Pieces 1990-2005 (New York: Verse Chorus Press, 2007), 154.
6. Ethel Smith, “How Commercialization has Harmed the Music Industry,” The New Yorker.
7. Bob, Dyalan, Chronicles (New York: Simon and Schuster, 2004), 2.
8. Bob, Dyalan, Chronicles (New York: Simon and Schuster, 2004), 2.
9. Sean Wilentz & Greil Marcus, The Rose & the Briar: Death, Love and Liberty in the American Ballad (New York: W.W. Norton, 2005), 37-41.
10. Nicholas Thompson, “America’s Culture of Violence,” The New Yorker.
11. Bob, Dyalan, Chronicles (New York: Simon and Schuster, 2004).
12. Sean Wilentz & Greil Marcus, The Rose & the Briar: Death, Love and Liberty in the American Ballad (New York: W. W. Norton, 2005), 37-41.