The Myth of Miracle Years
It is often argued that music is a young man and woman’s game; that songwriters and performers do their best work quickly at a young age, and then burn out creatively.
This myth is described around mathematics, too. Consider author Edward Dolnick’s litany of mathematicians, and their ages at monumental accomplishments:
“Newton was indeed in his prime at twenty-three, for mathematics…Einstein was twenty-six when he came up with the special theory of relativity, Heisenberg twenty-five when he formulated the uncertainty principle model of the atom. ‘If you haven’t done outstanding work in mathematics by 30, you never will,’ says Ronald Graham, one of today’s best-regarding mathematicians.” (229)
But Dolvick later describes how the arts don’t follow this myth:
“Michelangelo completed the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel at thirty-seven; Beethoven finished his Fifth Symphony at thirty-seven; Tolstoy published War and Peace at forty-one; Shakespeare wrote King Lear at forty-two. But the list of artists who continued to produce masterpieces decades later than that–Monet, Cervantes, Titian, Picasso, Verdi–is long.” (231)
But contemporary pop music–and I’m considering classic rock acts in contemporary–does appear to follow the myth that the best work happens for the young songwriter or performer, doesn’t it?
Well, maybe. Is it the songwriting, or the music machinery supporting it?
Let’s consider factors that surround pop music:
1. Since the baby boomer generation, youth has been celebrated, with often too much regard. Because this is where the advertising money is, this is the age of the pop acts signed. (Kudos to Craig Ferguson for ranting about this!)
2. Pop music is not as much about deep artistic reflection, but catchy and superficial hits.
3. Pop music is still promoted by commercial radio, and those who invest in pop stars chose youth to have a longer…
The myth might be that music is for the youth, but that’s for pop music. A great song can be written by anyone at any age.
It might not be a pop song, or a song that music label exces will market, but it might reach the human experience, like War and Peace.
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