Analysis of the Musical Playlist on Voyager’s Golden Record

Voyager’s Golden Record Musical Playlist Analysis
Student’s Name
Department, University
Course Number: Course Name
Professor
Due Date
Voyager’s Golden Record Musical Playlist Analysis
The famed Voyager Golden Records are part of Carl Sagan’s project of 1977, which incorporated two phonograph records aboard the two Voyager spacecraft launched at the time (Witze, 2017). Its purpose was to send sounds and images that portrayed the culture and life on earth for extraterrestrial beings who may come across them. Initiated by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the project’s purpose was to compile a summarized record of the earth’s history and culture in a single album that included a message from the earth. The album, which contains a blend of music and greetings translated into multiple languages, was sent as a mixtape without a record player, hoping that the extraterrestrials would figure out how to play it. To a large extent, the alum was an intended communication whose sole purpose was to tell any intelligent being in space who came across it about the planet earth, its people, and the diversity of eras and cultures (Brown-Schimdt et al., 2016). Considering that there was uncertainty regarding the existence of such beings and whether any being would come across the record, it was purposed to be a time capsule that described the nature of humanity, one which would either communicate the essence of humanity presently or long after its existence.
The Golden Record consists of three basic things; photographs, greetings, and 90 minutes of music, which comprise the record’s bulk. Considering that the intention was to amass a diverse compilation that expressed the earth’s culture, I feel that there is music produced beyond 1977 that would communicate more effectively. This does not imply that the music included at the time is ineffective, but rather, the music suggested portrays the modern culture better. To capture the modern spirit of humanity, I would replace “Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, First Movement” with “We are the World” (1984). I feel that this is the single most effective song that defines humanity in terms of interconnectedness and universality. Assuming that the record would be listened to by alien beings, the song would be critical in exemplifying the extent to which planet earth is humane in terms of caring for each other. It would provide the most significant image and definition of the earth as a society beyond culture. The mention of God in the song would also be critical in explainin...