I’ve noticed that every time I turn on the radio, I hear seven or eight songs cycled through once, a set of commercials, and then the same seven or eight songs replayed over again in a different order. And while mainstream songs are catchy and upbeat, they tend not to be lyrically profound or thought provoking. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love a good pop song every so often as does everyone else, but in a generation so focused on art and culture, hundreds of artists creating deeper content are still being slept on as top 50 songs continue to play 24/7.
Logic, aka Sir Robert Bryson Hall II, dropped an album called “Everybody” on May 5, 2017. Between great instrumental beats and his clever lines, its message not only brings to light struggles he faced growing up as a biracial child, but also mental health and equality. These topics tend to avoid discussing in the public eye, so an album of its kind could be considered extremely unique. While the album was still number one on the Billboard 200 charts, I feel like the only song that received a lot of recognition was “1-800,” and although it is a beautiful piece that could potentially save someone’s life, his other songs on the album are arguably just as important and meaningful, yet still go unheard. I can say the same for Kendrick Lamar’s album “DAMN.”; the most played song on the album is “HUMBLE,” but the other songs shed light to important social issues as well and deserve more recognition.
Stepping away from rap, a lot of good alternative and indie bands are also still under the radar and utilize multiple different instruments to create their stories. If you listen to any indie or alternative track, I can guarantee you will hear layers of guitar as well as quality percussion, which differs from the simpler pop-style songs we hear every day. While the themes in pop songs are usually simple and romantic based, the themes presented in alternative songs are more colorful and can vary from social injustices to the deeper emotions we encounter throughout our lives.
It is a breath of fresh air to listen to music that makes you think outside of the box while forcing you to reflect on your quality of life. Underrated songs can also teach you about the artist’s life history which can highlight relatable situations we all go through time to time, as well as provide your playlist with something different. Music provides a sense of unity, and all kinds are meant to be appreciated. Pop songs are fantastic, don’t get me wrong, but it’ll do you some good to expand your playlist to other genres or artists you’ve yet to give a chance to.
*The thumbnail and media presented in the article are all courtesy of photopin.com.