'Rock Around the Clock'

Ever notice the lyrics of songs these days? I'm sure, like me, most people belt out the lyrics to their favorite tunes, at least every now and then. This means that those who do are conscious of the words that these songs are comprised of. What, I am wondering, is the effect of these words on our daily lives? Do the similarities between people cause them to share musical interests? Are the plights of our souls compounded by the stories we listen to daily through the lyrics in the songs we choose?

I got thinking about this because of the recent changes going on in my life. I noticed a couple of years back how I went through stages with the music I most commonly enjoyed. At times, perhaps the most peaceful in my life, I enjoyed the simplicity of themes, mostly love, and the sound of innocence from artists such as Taylor Swift. This is contradicted by other periods in my life when I would turn from the angelic, teen song-writer to an angrier, harried version, Alanis Morissette. Now these stages could be months apart, but there were also the daily changes from old-school R&B, perhaps a little R. Kelly or Boys 2 Men when I was feeling sensual or SIA when I was feeling fragile to Rebelution during a playful mood. It is only recently that my tastes are undergoing a change and I feel uncomfortable with what my ears have been allowing my heart to tune into. I say this light-heartedly and mean no offense to light rock followers. Even though it is a reaction to turn the song when one of these starts to play, I have recently let them play on and it has been to my enjoyment. Like a sneaky, heavy handed bartender, this music sweeps me off my feet and it is utterly out of my control. I feel childish as my body reacts to the outdated lyrical allusions and positive beats. I probably shouldn't be complaining, but it is weird, like an out of body experience.

It did get me thinking though about the causes for the change. If, indeed, it follows with my recent re-conversion to a life led by faith in God and therefore a more "pure" approach to the daily life, in the Christian sense of the word, are my ears and body filtering the appropriate material on a sub-conscious level or is my brain on terms with my heart and making the best effort to remain one whole rather than parts divided?

If this is confusing, I should probably back up anyway. I am suggesting that what we listen to affects what we think or how we think even on a daily basis. I am thinking that modern music, within the last 20 years or so, is typically based on love. All types: unrequited, fantastical, sensual, dangerous, flamboyant, obscure, innocent, familiar... What is, and has been, the effect of this on society? Do we mimic the music and is it a cyclical situation (I won't call it a problem because that is entirely personal at this point and unfounded)? I don't have the answers here, just somethings I'm thinking about. Comments welcome!