The Obsession with Music in Different Languages

Words by Keyona Fazli, Writer

There is something sublime in the sensation of listening to music. Mind, body, and soul connect to the ears and move with the pulsating bass, rocking back and forth to a rhythm of ecstasy. In the words of Gloria Estefan, the “rhythm is gonna get you” and, indeed, music provokes the irresistible urge to move. As a child I remember listening to my parents’ music (as we all do); we spoke Farsi at home, which meant there would always be Persian music blasting from the speakers. What I did not account for was the exposure I received to music in Spanish, Arabic, and French. Of course, the dominant language of music in my household was English, but as a child you truly don’t notice different languages. Words blur together in a cacophony of instruments, removing you from reality and fuelling emotions through sensation and movement. You don’t – and are simply not able to – pay attention to the lyrics let alone their meaning, even if it is in your mother tongue. Songs that you worship as a child, songs that are frowned at by disapproving mothers, take on entirely different meanings when you re-listen as you grow older. Rihanna’s ‘Rude Boy’ I’m looking at you. Songs become more lewd or even possess the ability to make you cry to something that used to make you laugh.

There is a sense of universality when it comes to music; we feel almost spiritually connected to the inexplicable and, at times, it even becomes slightly obsessive. (I am slightly embarrassed to admit that at the time of writing this, I have listened to Charlie Puth’s ‘Light Switch’ 68 times. Yes, it was released 23 hours ago. Yes, I might have a problem.) Not to turn this article into a discussion about stats and academia, but a recent study in 2020 from Harvard deduced that music carries a unique set of codes and patterns that spans across nations. With over a century’s worth of music across 315 different cultures, the findings show that through analysing a song’s tonality, ornamentation, and tempo, it is possible for people to understand the meaning presented, regardless of the music’s cultural background. Whether you are listening to a mother’s lullaby in Farsi, a pop ballad in French, or a folk song in Hindi, the psychological purpose of the song can quite easily be identified.

Music is not, however, a fixed biological response with a single function; it is diverse in its worldwide ability to expose the brain to respond in a way that varies in formality and arousal. With melodies and rhythms that pivot between monotony and chaos, music does not seem to be linked to specific perceptual, cognitive, and affective faculties, instead, the response to music is a product of underlying psychological faculties that make certain kinds of sound feel appropriate to their respective social and emotional circumstances.

On this level, developmental psychologists have wondered whether music has any significant influence on some of the biological, psychological, and social factors that compose human nature. The function of music in human life is essentially social, promoting bonds between individuals, from the maternal attachment formed between mother and child through lullabies, to the stimulation of interpersonal relationships in social events such as concerts, parties, dances, and dinners. Music can thus be seen as a ‘social lubricant’, a form of artistic expressionism that brings people together, whether that consists of shared musical opinions or celebration and tradition.

To me, listening to music in different languages and from different cultures can provide a greater appreciation of cultures unfamiliar to oneself; as you connect to the timbre and cadence of the music, it reaches a part of your soul that is perhaps, even inexplicable to science.

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02673843.2011.650182

Haute MagazineMarch 9, 2022Comment