Let’s take a break from the heavy study for a second and look at sociology in a more traditionally fun way (although I find the “nerdy” reading pretty dang fun). I’ve considered myself a musician for a while now, both in practice and in appreciation. I can’t sing for crap (try as I may), but I know my way around a violin, and a bit of the guitar. I’ve always said music was my second language. Now keep in mind, I’ve also said that sociology has taken over my mind. What does this mean exactly? I can’t go a single day without associating sociology to something new. Heck, I’m currently drafting a post correlating a sociological concept to a Barbie movie.. A BARBIE MOVIE. I mean come on. If sociology has taken over my childhood movies, then of course it has also taken over my music. Fun fact: music can be a really large part of society. I know some would read this and say “duh”, but how seriously do we consider music as part of our society, culture, etc? That’s what this post will explore.
With a mind racing full of thoughts on waaaay too may things, I often find myself needing to clear my head. My solution to this has been really long walks. I walk laps around my college campus until my Apple Watch tells me I’ve hit about three miles, and then I’d do another one before calling it quits. While I walk, I do all of my thinking with music at a pretty high volume. What amazed me was that the thoughts I was having, whether about identity, religion, or various concepts, fit really well into the music I was listening to. This realization birthed my most recent Spotify playlist: “SOC100-04”. The title is my sociology class section, Sociology 100 section 4. What I’d like to do is take you all with me through the playlist, providing little insights into the cool, funny, and clever connections to the many areas of sociology I’ve been lucky to start scratching the surface of.
Here’s a link to the playlist (I sure hope it works…): https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0BI3wEF1PowznDVM4M1ORh?si=e79879e41e7c4a73
Let’s press play and begin!
- “American Pie” by Don McClean
This song talks about SO many sociological concepts. I’ll do my best to go in order. First, there’s the obvious role of music in society. American culture and society truly does love music, and I think that’s great. It was clear how the tragic deaths of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and “The Big Bopper” J.P. Richardson left a massive impact on American society. Part of what makes a culture is shared values, beliefs, norms of behavior, and material goods. In class we’ve extended this to include food and music. Music can very significantly connect us. McClean does a stellar job exemplifying that. But that’s not all. We all know my obsession with religion in society. Not only does he correlate religion to music in an epic way, he talks about the role, or lack thereof, of religion during a social tragedy. I think Don McClean also makes a very cool connection to Marx in the sphere of a nontraditional approach to religion that is somewhere between being anti-religion and pro-independent thought. This idea of a mortal soul being saved by music is fascinating. I find the idea of believing in God “because the Bible tells you so This motif appears a lot in the song, referencing the Christian trinity, but I like this idea of music saving our mortal souls. Music can do a lot of healing, that’s for sure. Let’s not forget about the direct reference to Marx and evolving society. “American Pie” is more than just a catchy tune, it’s bursting with thoughts on society. I’ve been singing it since I was a little girl, and it now holds a very different, a very special, meaning.
- “Money” by Pink Floyd
Did somebody say Marx? I promise not every song reminds me of Marx, but a lot of them do. It’s quite obvious that Marx doesn’t like capitalism, or this society centered on money. that’s what this song is talking about. The proof is in the lyrical pudding. “Money, it’s a crime. Share it fairly but don’t take a slice of my pie. Money, so they say, Is the root of all evil today.” This juxtaposition of sharing yet being selfish is exactly what Marx points out as being wrong in society. I really do think Marx could have written this song. Just imagine Karl Marx and David Gilmour jamming, it’ll give you the day’s smile and giggle. But in all seriousness, this song talks about wealth gaps, capitalism, materialism, all of that stuff. It’s not a song for little ears (one bit of profanity), but it is a song for sociological ears.
- “The Weight” by The Band
Vague song title, vague band title, but amazing nonetheless. I’ve loved this song for a long time. I hate to disappoint, but this one also reminds me of Marx. However, this doesn’t remind me of Marx in the sense of what is wrong with society, rather the society Marx would have wanted to see. Here’s the top lyric for this one: “Take a load off Fanny, Take a load for free. Take a load off Fanny, And you put the load right on me.” Aside from always associating the name Fanny with a butt (that’s what my parents called it when I was a kid), this lyric is great. Marx believed in a “give what you can, take what you need” society. I connected that idea with this song. Granted it also talks about religion a bit (mention of the devil and Judgement Day), but the chorus is what stood out to me most. If you want a really good version of this song, check out the performance that The Band did at the Last Waltz. I have the remastered recorded version on my playlist, but the Last Waltz is perhaps my favorite.
- “Doctor My Eyes” by Jackson Browne
Since February, I’ve started every Tuesday and Friday with this song. Why? Those are the days my sociology class met, and this song reminds me a lot of my sociology professor. So this one isn’t associated with one particular theorist, theory or concept, but rather the overarching study of the world (and the badass woman that taught me for fourish months. I make no apologies for my profanity.) It takes a special person to open someone’s eyes like she has opened mine. I’ve had professors and teachers try to do what she did, but I truly believe I had to be where I am in life in order to be fully receptive. I find it incredible that the class I couldn’t see the board at all in is the class I learned the most in. I’m seeing the world in such new ways because of sociology. That is such an understatement, and I could very easily make a full post about this one song, but I will leave it there. Here are the top lyrics for this song: “Doctor, my eyes have seen the years, And the slow parade of fears without crying. Now I want to understand. I have done all that I could, To see the evil and the good without hiding. You must help me if you can.” and “People go just where they will, I never noticed them until I got this feeling, That it’s later than it seems.”
- “Rock Me on the Water” by Jackson Browne
This song is FULL of thoughts on society and religion. I think it might be my favorite song on the playlist. Jackson Browne has publicly stated that this song isn’t about the straight and narrow of religion (he names Christianity specifically), but rather the search for spiritual truth and understanding the world around us. I connect this song a bit to Weber and his idea that religion can spark social change. While this song seems to stray from the idea of institutionalized religion, it doesn’t stray from religious and/or spiritual identity. I’ve connected this song to Desmond’s Evicted, my own religious journey, and a lot more. I really don’t think I can pick top lyrics, you just need to listen to the whole thing.
- “Ramblin’ Man” by the Allman Brothers
This one is pretty simple, and is pretty loosely tied to sociology. I remember reading Durkheim’s “Anomy and Modern Life” for the first time. My only thought: huh? It confused the heck out of me. I saw Durkheim as a rambling man. This song also talks about the roles people play in life, and how each role serves a purpose. I think this is a more emotional perspective, but I nonetheless connected it to this functionalist idea surrounding roles in society. The fictional protagonist of this song talks about life as a rambling and wandering person, touching on his role in various different settings. There’s also this recurring idea of “trying to make a living and doing the best I can”, which I think pretty nicely sums up functionalist thoughts. Functionalism isn’t a radical call for social change, but rather a slightly more humble acceptance of what one is meant to do in society. For this man, it is rambling and wandering, and I found that kinda cool.
- “Lawyers, Guns, and Money” by Warren Zevon
A wild story about a fleeing felon, this song reminds me a lot of Durkheim’s “The Function of Crime”. It does have a bit of profanity in it, but I think appropriately placed. This idea of lawyers, guns, and money being the way out of an illegal situation correlates our legal system with the committing of crimes, which I find ironically funny and fitting. Just as Desmond wrote how poverty was the cause and result of poverty, this song talks about how the way out of crime is more crime. Durkheim always argued that crime serves a very specific role. I wonder what he’d think about connecting crime in this manner to one of the largest macro-structures of American society…
- “Another Brick in the Wall” by Pink Floyd
This is another song that I associate with the class I took, in addition to the macro-structure of our education system. This idea of a cut and dry class structure is the exact opposite of what I experienced this last semester. I always find it incredibly beneficial to see my professors as whole people, and my sociology professor made that very easy. She not only taught, she shared. I think that sharing helped me understand a lot of what she taught. There wasn’t a single opinion or bias forced on me, nor was there any emphasis on traditional education structure. So instead of being “just another brick in the wall”, this class was a big sidestep from traditional education, and I loved it! This also means that we were able to explore the “forbidden” topics and perspectives that modern society doesn’t want in the classroom. This song reiterates to me the personal thought that every college student should take at least one sociology class.
- “Imagine” by John Lennon
This song reminds me a lot of Marx… again. Conflict theory often gets this reputation for being the raging liberals that don’t listen to anybody yet preach to everybody. I think the root of conflict theory is the desire to see a better world, which is exactly what this song is about. It does align with Marx’s views on religion and the idea of “sharing all the world”, which only makes this connection better. I like that a calm song like “Imagine” can be associated with a theory that is so often misunderstood to be overly aggressive.
- “Lean on Me” by Bill Withers
I now present to you “Lean on Me” by Emile Durkheim (featuring Max Weber). Ok not quite, but you get what I’m trying to do. I connected this song with both mechanical and organic solidarity, two of Durkheim’s teachings. This idea that “we all need somebody to lean on” is organic, and this idea that “I might have a problem that you’ll understand” is a little mechanical (we have things we can help with and things we can’t. Think about it through a more structured industrial lens). It also has this religious undertone that is indicative of Weber, much like Jackson Browne’s song. That motif isn’t too prominent, demoting Weber to only a featuring name in my opinion.
- “Big Yellow Taxi” by Joni Mitchell (Covered by Lennon & Maisy)
I cried ugly tears when Joni Mitchell removed her music from Spotify (I’m not kidding…) but I do love this cover. This song was in my “top five” post, so refer to that for more thoughts. I connected this song to capitalism, social roles, and social movements (charging a dollar and a half, hey farmer farmer, and more). I also think there is a bit of a reference to past societies with the chorus, which has lead me to think about our contemporary society versus the societies of Marx, Durkheim, and Weber. Still thinking about that one…
- “Closer to Fine” by the Indigo Girls
I’m not the biggest fan of the Indigo Girls’ vocals, but their lyrics and acoustic guitar are stellar. This song makes direct reference to the education system, but is also about the role of spiritual thought (I loosely use the word “religion” here) and the reality that we won’t have all of the answers about anything. I am in a very big question stage in my life, with a lot of things. One, obviously, being sociology. However, there comes a point where understanding the world doesn’t have a singular answer, but rathe multiple from multiple sources. In all honesty, hat makes me happily frustrated. Have fun with that oxymoron.
- “For What It’s Worth” by Buffalo Springfield
This was a big anti-war song during (I believe) the Vietnam War, but that’s not where I’m going with this. This song is another Marx one. Marx called for a lot of looking around and understanding what is wrong with society. What Durkheim called a small case of anomie, Marx called a major social issue. That’s what I think of with this song. And it’s just catchy. I also associate it with the general study of sociology, at least my own, that is. I wish I had taken my sociology class sooner. I believe it is so important to educate youth in this way, calling for them to stop, recognize that sound, and look at what’s going down in the world around them.
- “Grazing in the Grass” by Hugh Masekela
This song has no lyrics, but every time I had a breakthrough in understanding a sociological topic, this song was how I felt. Studying society is no way of “grazing in the grass” but when your mind finally makes that click, it’s pretty awesome feeling. I have always said that I hate dancing, which is pretty true. I’ll also add that I have two left feet and can’t dance whatsoever. But, there have been two major areas recently that have made me want to dance. Sociology is one of them. I get myself all excited thinking about everything I’ve learned, and before I know it I’m dancing my way through my long walks. I look crazy, but that hasn’t stopped me before. I could go off on a tangent about animals and the use of animals in both Marx and Durkheim’s teachings, but I’ll digress for now. This post is long enough.
This playlist is evolving, meaning still growing. I don’t know how long it’ll end up being, but I do know one thing for sure: these songs (amidst many readings, prayers, and thoughts) have gotten me through sleepless nights, big questions, and some victories. So as the figurative “we” continue endeavoring through both the beauty of sociology and the mess of my mind, let’s keep a few lyrics on hand.
I’lll see ya again, and probably very soon!
Humble Chutzpah 