Introduction
Philosophy and research have delved into the subject of happiness back to the times of Aristotle. Aristotle’s theory shows that happiness is the only good that is perused only for itself. Aristotle believed that actions perused for their own sake rather than to assist the individual in gaining something else are the highest form of good possible. Therefore using his convoluted logic perusing happiness for the sake of happiness is the highest search that any individual can achieve.
Life satisfaction is widely believed to be of central importance in human welfare. The correlation of satisfaction with life and an individual’s well-being is incredibly convoluted and difficult to create a relationship between these because life satisfaction is dependent on an individual’s values and ethical norms (Haybron, 99).
Philosophers such as Robert Nozick and L.W. Sumner’s work focus on the importance of happiness to be fully satisfied with an individual’s life. Sumner’s philosophical workplaces satisfaction with life as the center of his work. It focuses on the concept of well-being as authentic happiness. To be authentically happy according to this work, an individual’s values must be grounded in both reality and values that the individual created for themself (Haybron, 99).
Free Bird by Lynard Skynard and Going to California by Led Zeppelin are related in theme. Both of these songs focus on the lack of happiness that the singer has in their current location and relationship and how to be happy they have to leave and find something else.
Free Bird
In Freebird, the singer is asking a hypothetical question. “If I leave here tomorrow, would you still remember me?”(Skynard). This question is prompted by the lack of satisfaction that the individual has in their own life and the need to search for something more. Because some people are not satisfied with merely a good life causing them to want their lives to be better they keep searching for items or locations that they feel will improve their lives.
In the line: For I must be traveling on, now. Cause there are too many places I’ve gotta see (Skynard). This line is the explanation for why he had to leave which is important because leaving with no explanation would have caused the person he left incredibly pain and suffering. By having this conversation the reasons for why he had to move on are explained slightly and the reaction of the person he left would be received before he went.
In the line But if I stayed here with you, girl, Things just couldn’t be the same(Skynard)., since he has realized that he is not satisfied with his current life any attempt at staying and maintaining the life that they had built together would be an impossibility. Being satisfied or the lack of satisfaction will motivate an individual to seek out changes that they believe will make their life more meaningful to them (Haybron, 101).
In the line: Cause I’m as free as a bird now, And this bird you cannot change (Skynard). This line is telling the girl that there is nothing that she could do that would cause him to change his mind. The comparison between himself and the bird indicates the inability to change and draws a comparison between the futility of caging a bird and expecting it to sing. When freedom from a situation is desired then being restrained in a situation is similar to being caged. Finding happiness in this type of situation is a difficult proposition and the singer does not want to live that kind of existence.
In the line: Bye, bye, baby it’s been sweet love, yeah, yeah (Skynard). the singer recognizes that the time spent with the girl has been good, however, it is not enough to keep him content in the relationship or in that life.
In the line: Though this feeling I can’t change (Skynard) the singer is admitting that this feeling of inadequacy in his life cannot be changed by him and the results of this realization of this need.
In the line: But please don’t take it so badly, ‘Cause the Lord knows I’m to blame (Skynard). This shows that the singer understands that it is his desire for a new type of life that is causing the conflict in his relationship. When an individual is debating over two possibilities they will choose the one that they believe will make the individual happier (Haybron, 103). It makes no sense that an individual chooses a life path that they believe will make them unhappy because there is no possible way that the individual will succeed in that path without happiness. There is no reason for them to try to succeed and therefore they will not.
The song ends with the line: The Lord knows, I can’t change. Lord help me, I can’t change (Skynard). While the song does not discuss the type of environment that the two are living in it can be assumed that it is a pleasant one. The desire for a change once it has been acknowledged can not be denied. This person will continue looking for options out of this situation and the environment that these two individuals had created together will be destroyed by this desire for a new life outside of the confines of the old one.
The band Lynard Skynard is a well-known Southern Rock band that has entertained many fans with their songs such as Freebird and Sweet Home Alabama. Lynard Skinnier was attempting to become one of the best and biggest bands in the world(Dechert,135). While the band is known for having a political agenda that was considered offensive by some their musical contributions have influenced generations of fans and musicians (Dechert,135).
Going to California
In Going to California by Led Zeppelin the singer has chosen to leave the situation that he is currently living in to attempt to find a girl that only exists in his dreams. Analyzing Led Zeppelin is a difficult process because of his use of mythology, religion, and concepts from novels all mixed to form the songs.
The first line is: Spent my days with a woman unkind, Smoked my stuff, and drank all my wine(Zeppelin). The singer is focusing on the situation before he chose to leave. The woman that he is with currently, is described as unkind, while his time was spent drinking wine and smoking drugs.
The second line is: Made up my mind to make a new start, Going To California with an aching in my heart (Zeppelin). The singer has decided to change his environment and go off to find a new start. He chose to go to California and will probably go to San Francisco which was a large cultural center in the period that this song was written. He is not happy with the decision as he leaves with an aching heart but he still chooses to go.
The next line is: Someone told me there’s a girl out there with love in her eyes and flowers in her hair (Zeppelin). This line indicates the quest that he is embarking on to find a girl that he can love who will treat him better than the girl that he is with currently. This line also indicates that he has chosen to go to San Francisco to find the girl with flowers in her hair, a common hair accessory for the flower children of the hippies living there at the time.
After that, the line is: Took my chances on a big jet plane, never let them tell you that they’re all the same (Zeppelin). Zeppelin originated in Britain so to get to California he would need to travel on a plane to get there. This was a huge change that he undertook to find a new source of happiness.
The next line is: The sea was red and the sky was grey, wondered how tomorrow could ever follow today (Zeppelin). When seeking a new life path the initial change can be daunting. This line is explaining that the environmental conditions that he was experiencing represented the emotional conditions that he was feeling.
Followed by: The mountains and the canyons started to tremble and shake as the children of the sun began to awake (Zeppelin). It is believed that the children of the sun represent the individuals who moved to California to live and experience the Cultural Revolution underway.
The last verse starts with the line: To find a queen without a king (Zeppelin). The singer is looking for an individual who met the requirements he has in mind for a partner who is single and interested in him.
The next line is: They say she plays guitar and cries and sings… la la la (Zeppelin). He has heard that this individual can play the guitar which indicates that they have some things in common as well as offering some advice on where to look for her.
Following this is: Ride a white mare in the footsteps of dawn (Zeppelin). This could signify finding the dream since it has been so difficult for him to achieve it.
The next verse is: Tryin’ to find a woman who’s never, never, never been born (Zeppelin). The woman that he is looking for does not yet exist but he has to continue to look for her in the hopes that he will eventually find her.
Following this is: Standing on a hill in my mountain of dreams (Zeppelin), the singer is following his dream of being happy and has made the life changes that were deemed necessary to become happy.
The final verse is: Telling myself it’s not as hard, hard, hard as it seems (Zeppelin). He is trying to encourage himself to continue with the choices that he has made even though he is having some difficulty with his new life. By continuing on the path he can find happiness and life satisfaction he just has to continue his journey until he finds ultimate happiness.
Zeppelin uses distortion throughout several of their songs to represent important sections of the songs. The distortion of the songs represents the power of the song (Williams,2). There are very few distortions in Going to California which can be interpreted that the parts of the song that are free from distortion represent the emotional effect that the music and lyrics have on the band and their desire for it to be heard and understood by their fans.
Comparison and conclusion
Each of these songs can be interpreted to be the singer leaving their current situations to find a situation more to their liking. In Freebird, the singer uses two short stanzas interspersed with a very long guitar solo to illustrate the singer’s desire to be set free so that he does not stifle in the cage of his current home life. While he feels sorry for having to leave the girl he feels that there is no way that he can be happy or pretend to be happy in his current situation and must leave so that neither the girl nor himself are miserable throughout their existence together.
In Led Zeppelin’s work Going to California while it is harder to analysis the singer tells the audience in the first line that he is in an unhappy relationship and the woman that he is with is unkind. Because of that stimulus, the singer is willing to leave his home and journey to California to search for a girl that may or may not exist. He is willing to leave everything that he knows to have the chance of finding a better situation in which he can be happy. The lifestyle of the individuals living in California especially in the San Francisco area were individuals who through their lifestyle choices were trying to become more in tune with nature and ways to increase their happiness. By entering this area the singer is opening his mind to new experiences that he believes will increase his happiness level. The last line of the song is the singer trying to find the encouragement that he requires to continue in this path resulting in finding eventual happiness. Therefore it indicates that while he is not significantly happier in his new situation when compared to his prior situation he is willing to continue to search for the happiness that he believed he could find in California.
These songs through written in different times by different artists represent the individual longing for a better situation and the increase in happiness. Every individual has the right to be happy and the quest for happiness leads to lifestyle changes. These songs represent the choices that the singers made to find that happiness.
References
Berish, Andrew. “In the Houses of the Holy: Led Zeppelin and the Power of Rock Music.” Music & Letters. 84.4 (2003): 692-699.
Dechert, Renee. “Lynard Skynard: An Oral History.” Popular Music and Society. 24.3 (2000): 135-136.
Haybron, Dan. “Life Satisfaction, Ethical Reflection, and the Science of Happiness.” Journal of Happiness Studies. 8. (2006): 99-138.
Skynard, Lenard. Freebird. FROM LETSSINGIT.COM. Web.
Williams, Kent. Engaging Music: Essays in Music Analysis. Ed. Deborah Stein. New York: Oxford University Press, 2005.
Zeppelin, Led. Going to California: FROM LETSSINGIT.COM. Web.