“Good” and “Bad” Taste in Music: Visual & Performing Arts Essay

“Good” and “Bad” Taste in Music
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“Good” and “Bad” Taste in Music
“Hero” by Mariah Carey is my pick for a song considered to be in good taste. While my choice of music considered to be in bad taste is “My Humps” by Black Eyed Peas. Mariah Carey’s song Hero is deemed good taste my money since it contains bravery and strength messages. Furthermore, the artist is adored by many people owing to her previous impressive songs. Most people are attracted to Mariah Carey’s voice and consider any of her songs in good taste. Due to her influence as a brand, her music could be given a more positive listening approach than other musicians. However, I perceive the piece as good taste since the instrumental is soothing, and the song serves motivational purposes. Moreover, the work of music is accompanied by an organized composition full of rhythm and diction. The words used in the song are relatable to several societies worldwide and evoke emotions of strength and power. According to Songfacts, Mariah Carey’s song, “Hero,” received several accolades, and she also received letters from fans acknowledging that the music touched their lives (“Hero by Mariah Carey - Songfacts,” 2020).
On the other hand, My Humps by Black Eyed Peas gain traction due to its bad taste. This song’s content is objectively misled, and the lyrics are annoying for their simplicity and predictability. Because of the song’s theme, it was meant to target the mature adult population. However, it incorporates childish composition that does not relate to adults. The instrumental has a polyphonic feel that is harsh and disturbs the ears. According to Slate.com, the music is rated as bad music due to its ethical disorientation (Hsu, 2020). The song has received humorous responses, parody videos, and critics. Besides the song’s horrific composition and choice of ideas, the piece also incorporates a theme of sexual harassment, which was sensitive to the American population at the time of release.
Bourdieu’s idea of cultural capital suggests that music taste could be linked to social class and economic levels. Taste in music serves the purpose of classifying levels of cultural capital and identity. Moreover, this functionality can be seen as a competition since people strive to claim a certain degree of cultural capital and disregard other people’s cultural capital. From Bourdieu’s notion, the author might disregard songs that contain sensitive lyrics and consider them in bad taste. ...