While surfing the internet, I came across a scientific blog that answered the question “Is there a perfect song?”
The article mentioned that perfection in songs is determined by how both people and their brains react to the song. The blog did not provide extensive research on the findings of perfect songs, but it gave the readers directions to conduct their own research.
I was very curious to see if there is a perfect song in my playlist because I, like many people around the world, would like to believe that I have good taste in music.
I scrolled through the playlists I created, and I found the song that I would try to see if it could be considered “perfect” or not.
“One” by jazz pianist Ahmad Jamal was what I believed was a perfect song. The song begins with a simple tempo with lighthearted notes that become chaotic, but this chaos sounds joyful like the laughter that comes from children spinning in circles.
The notes bounce from ear-to-ear (if the listener is using headphones) and are slowly resolved in a transition to the melody. The melody of the song sounds like what I imagine skipping in a lavender field feels like and just when I am comfortable, I hear a beat that sounds like a funky movie scene where someone from the 1970s is cruising down the highway with the windows down.
“One” then combines the chaos with the melody and the funky beat. This song awakens my imagination and for that reason alone, I would argue that the song is perfect. Unfortunately, my imagination was not scientific, and I wanted to test “One” to see if it was truly perfect.
The scientific blog mentioned that perfect songs are measured by the movement brainwaves of those listening to the songs. These waves display pleasure while listening.
Since I did not have the technology, nor the time to measure brainwaves, I decided to observe the behavior of people listening to “One.” During a study session, I asked if I could play music, and everyone said yes. It was time to test “One” to see if the people in my study group responded positively to the song.
As “One” played, most people continued to type and look at their papers. One person was tapping their pen to the beat of the song on their cheek. After the song played, I posed the question: “Would you believe me if I told you that the song that you heard was perfect?”
The faces around the room varied from confusion to disbelief to agreement. The person who tapped their pen to the beat of the song smiled and that was confirmation that they at least enjoyed the song.
The results from my experiment were not the results that I expected. I thought that more people would agree that “One” was a perfect song. That is okay; perfection is different for everyone. I will always claim that “One” is a perfect song, and I hope that I can eventually find a community of people who agree with me.