When I first started researching songs about ‘worldly success’ and ‘liberation’ I thought that it would be easier to find songs that fulfilled the worldly success aim. However, it ended up being the other way around. Although this might seem strange since it seems that we are always surrounded by messages of money, fame and power (the things that we, as a culture, have defined as the things that bring worldly success), it was easier for me to connect with the message of liberation.
To me, liberation comes in many forms. The area I focused on was the liberation of certain groups (sex, gender, race, etc.). There have been many movements in the past that have focused on some of these issues. Naturally, since we are a culture of free expression, the issues at hand have been made lyrical and turned into songs that openly play on the airwaves.
To me, liberation is simply the act of being liberated, or set free, from something. There have been many equal rights movements that have taken place throughout history. These movements are powerful in that they often change the way that people are thought of and act towards one another. For me, the one equal rights movement that hits home the most is that of equal rights for women. From the start of recorded history women have had a stereotypical image and role that they must play. For a long time this worked for women and they did not feel the need to push for change. However, this has changed. Now, women are acting out against what is considered the ‘norm’ and are demanding that things change in all facets of life. A song that captured this well is India Arie’s Video. She sings about only doing things if and when she wants and only doing things that make her feel good. She is sending the message that it is not only okay, but good to push for change and not fit into the little box that women have always had to fit tidily into. Her reason for doing certain things is to make her happy, not anyone else. Isn’t that the point of life?
As far as worldly success I chose to focus more on the peace aspect. Although these songs were harder to find than songs about power and wealth, I wanted to express what worldly success means to me. I think that peace, love and unity are more important and bring more happiness than money and power. Four of the five songs I chose for this aim have to do with the more humanitarian aspects of worldly success. ‘Money,’ however shows what I think most people attribute worldly success to.
Just as I did in my previous post, I found that the pop culture meaning of ‘worldly success’ and ‘liberation’ differ from the Hindu meanings of the paths. In Hinduism, achieving worldly success means attaining wealth, power and fame. This is much the same in the current pop culture understanding of worldly success. However, I think that there is still some difference. On the other hand, the Hindu meaning of liberation is seeking freedom from limitations. The classic example of this in Hinduism is getting out of the cycle of samsara. This is the ultimate act of liberation that one can experience.
