I’ve recently been thinking about the power of music. It started with this incredible video, which like this one, just makes me smile uncontrollably and then by the end, I find it so moving that I’m close to tears. There is something about music and dance combined that is extremely powerful.
Last night I was at a minor league baseball game and in between innings they do all kinds of goofy games and contests. But at one point, maybe the eighth inning, they played YMCA by the Village People. The crowd rose as one, as if they were commanded, and began dancing and singing along, and forming the letters YMCA at the appropriate place in the chorus. It’s a silly song but incredibly catchy, of course. But for most of us, it was a moment of pure joy, moving to the music, singing along together.
This kind of joy would not have been possible a century ago. Something about the beat and the amplification and the crowd enjoying it together. It is part of the reason musicals are so infectious.
Speaking of amplification of a different kind, over 20,000,000 people have watched those two videos I link to int he first paragraph. If you have not seen them, join the crowd. What a world we live in.
Share
{ 14 comments }
Great videos. I thought this one that I got off Seth Godin’s blog might be more fitting for a website dedicated to Hayek.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GA8z7f7a2Pk
What a great idea! Start an infectious dance that draws everyone’s attention away, then ransack their unguarded possessions and rob them blind!
(Wait; doesn’t this describe about 80% of the activities of political parties?)
Long live YouTube, and if it means that Paul McCartney’s is the last generation of superstar musicians to build private amusement parks, I say that’s progress.
Greek Hoplites sang a Paean during battle. Same emotional connection as today. I doubt you’ll find it on You Tube, though.
Russ – there is something even more deeply ingrained in our DNA when it comes to music.
Bobby McFerrin proved it to a group of neuroscientists: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ne6tB2KiZuk
Russ,
Don’t mean to be a killjoy, and I liked the Belgium video for a bit, but I think Jonah Goldberg’s reaction was about right when he said something like “the Belgians are the happiest people on earth!” I took Jonah to mean this was a government organized event, which seemed entirely plausible. Turns out it was a commercial of some sort. They rented out the place and choreographed every step–spectators and performers.
It does make you feel good; as long as you maintain the illusion that this is something other than a gov’t funded commercial to buy appliances, or some such.
Modern PA systems to make the event possible, cameras to record it, you tube to share it – not to mention the millions of supporting innovations. I’m so glad our benevolent central planners thought of all these things for our enjoyment…
“This kind of joy would not have been possible a century ago.”
Why not? Music wasn’t invented within the last one hundred years.
Maybe Libertarians should despise such joy because it shows how average people can get so worked up over something superficial. People will riot over a soccer game but won’t riot over taxes. Hence governments are quick to supply breads and circuses.
http://comedians.comedycentral.com/dane-cook/videos/dane-cook—i-gotta-dance
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQ3d3KigPQM
This T-Mobile dance video always manages to amuse me.
Russ you may be on to something. If Team Obama/Pelosi/Reid could just get a catchy tune to go along with their selling points of socialism we would all form a conga line to sing and dance our way into oblivion!
Russ you may be on to something. If Team Obama/Pelosi/Reid could just get a catchy tune to go along with their selling points of socialism we would all form a conga line to sing and dance our way into oblivion!
This one is great: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVJVRywgmYM
Thanks. Yes, tears in my eyes again. Just like when I saw the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace, went to see the musical Mama Mia, when I see the Nittany Lion come out on the field at a Penn State football game with the band playing, and when an especially wonderful hymn is sung in church. You are so right – music binds our wounded souls and binds us all together. Again, thanks.
{ 11 trackbacks }