Music is the universal language of passion and creativity. The amalgamation of every element of a song creates a story deserving of an audience. The art of storytelling through music has the ability to fill every crevice of an empty void with passion, light and inspiration. It can ignite emotions that make you feel depths you never imagined. It’s euphoria.
Storytelling without words
When you hear the start of a song, the first five seconds usually define whether you connect with it. The opening notes dictate whether the overall energy is upbeat, dark, sombre or whatever emotion it’s trying to incite. It can trigger a mood, a memory or familiarity. There’s a fine art in songwriting that goes beyond lyrics and poetry. The art of music is in the use of instruments to inflate the listener’s emotional state of being.
By playing the right progression of chords, it sets the scene for the story without too much exposition. The drums establish structure, forming a body for the scene unfolding. The bass lays the foundation, while each guitar riff, hook, and solo adds intricate pieces to complete the puzzle. The vocalist shapes the emotion through deliberate choices in their voice—placing vibratos, staccatos, and vocal runs with precision. Together, these elements actively tell the story.
Poetry and passion
A songwriter is, at heart, a poet. With the ability to convey emotions far deeper than surface level feelings would allow. They have the power to reach inside your mind and pluck words from your own experience and make you feel seen, connected and validated. When we hear a line that completely captures us, it invokes our desire for connection because in that moment of time, you feel entirely connected. We all find ourselves connecting to a song based on the lyrics and how it resonates with us. Whether it’s a love song, a song about heartbreak, a personal journey or a spiritual experience, the lyrics is the story. More often than not, the song itself becomes the story eventually.
When you hear a certain song that you had on repeat at a time in your life, you remember that period. It feels like you’ve travelled back in time and you’re reliving those same feelings, thoughts and memories of what that song meant at that time in your life. The art of storytelling through music can have such an out-of-body sensation that for a split second it’s disorientating. For some people, it might be a love song from a past relationship, or it might be their wedding song. For some, it might have been a song from their childhood or a song that represents a traumatic experience. The possibilities of impact are endless.
A voice for the voiceless
For me, the fragility of my mental health throughout most of my life has taken me down some dark paths. Music has always been my saving grace out of it. Hiding the mental and emotional war inside became a mastered skill because I felt misunderstood and alone. It felt easier to quietly cry at night instead of waking my sleeping partner. I’ve never been one to openly express my feelings because I have a tendency to minimise my own importance. At one of the lowest points in my life, I was so lost and hopeless that thoughts were often filled with not wanting to be here anymore and it consumed me— down to a plan.
I was at work when I heard it. A random mixed playlist on YouTube was on my computer and I heard it— three strokes of a chord and straight into the verse.
“I don’t even know myself at all, I thought I would be happy by now.”
It paralysed me.
“But the more I try to push it I realised, gotta let go of control and let it happen.”
The song was “Last Hope” by Paramore, the live version. I hadn’t heard it before until then and I remember being acutely aware of every instrument, every breath Hayley would take, the intonation of every word and every movement of her body. She sang with raw passion and it was penetrating.
“Every night I try my best to dream that tomorrow makes it better.
But I wake up to the cold reality that not a thing has changed.”
These words felt like a blinding spotlight has been thrust on me and there was nowhere to hide.
“And the salt in my wounds isn’t burning anymore than it used to.
It’s not that I don’t feel the pain it’s just I’m not afraid of hurting anymore.”
The accuracy of each word felt like a knife to the chest, exposing my secrets of the pain I continuously internalised.
“And the blood of these veins isn’t pumping any less than it ever has.
And that’s the hope I have the only thing I know that’s keeping me alive.”
There it was— hope. Hearing these lines filled me with such hope that I burst into tears. I found hope in the words that forged a connection between us and our the way the song was building to a crescendo, reflected the intensity of impact those words had in that moment in time. I felt it with every fibre of my being and it made me hold on to hope, no matter how hard things were.
“It’s just a spark but it’s enough to keep me going”
These are the words I hold on to when I find myself treading down a similar path.
The art of storytelling through music is in itself, an incredible masterpiece of creativity. Every song has an intended purpose and meaning behind it because it was derived from an artist’s inspiration. Each song has the power to resonate with people and create impact, no matter the story behind it.
There is always someone who will listen.
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