Is hardship and struggle needed to create great music?

If you need to be creative in music, then I would think that you have your own process for writing a song. I can't remember when I first got an idea for a song of mine. I know I was very happy when the idea came to me. I came up with another good one, in a sad mood, thinking of a woman I liked, but hadn't been able to connect with. I don't think one was better because it came from disappointment. The hard part comes when someone or other says 'this song is better than that one'. Perhaps the chords are great, but the lyrics are average, or vice versa. The fact that the listener gets your message is the main thing. I'm just not into music that sounds depressing or relates to politics in any way - it's not why I listen, though I'm sure some great music fits into those categories. It's just not in my collection.

 

I am not sure that Krautrock was related directly to any suffering. I agree that young people looked for new form of artistic expression but at the time German economy was expanding rapidly, most young artists came from middle class backgrounds. The pop music scene at the time was dominated by Schlager music which is sweet and sentimental and hardly likely to appeal to a rebellious young person.
In general I agree that great music can be a response to dark times, but equally it can reflect good times and access to new technologies, new drugs and desire to make money

 

I am not sure that Krautrock was related directly to any suffering. I agree that young people looked for new form of artistic expression but at the time German economy was expanding rapidly, most young artists came from middle class backgrounds. The pop music scene at the time was dominated by Schlager music which is sweet and sentimental and hardly likely to appeal to a rebellious young person.
In general I agree that great music can be a response to dark times, but equally it can reflect good times and access to new technologies, new drugs and desire to make money

 

I understand your point. However, I'm not a song-writer but I can think it through. I can listen and work it out for myself. I know when people have something interesting to say and I know when they're doing it in an interesting way. I can imagine how leading safe secure uneventful lives leads to blandness. I can hear it in the music.

 

I am not sure that Krautrock was related directly to any suffering. I agree that young people looked for new form of artistic expression but at the time German economy was expanding rapidly, most young artists came from middle class backgrounds. The pop music scene at the time was dominated by Schlager music which is sweet and sentimental and hardly likely to appeal to a rebellious young person.
In general I agree that great music can be a response to dark times, but equally it can reflect good times and access to new technologies, new drugs and desire to make money

 

I am not sure that Krautrock was related directly to any suffering. I agree that young people looked for new form of artistic expression but at the time German economy was expanding rapidly, most young artists came from middle class backgrounds. The pop music scene at the time was dominated by Schlager music which is sweet and sentimental and hardly likely to appeal to a rebellious young person.
In general I agree that great music can be a response to dark times, but equally it can reflect good times and access to new technologies, new drugs and desire to make money

 

I am not sure that Krautrock was related directly to any suffering. I agree that young people looked for new form of artistic expression but at the time German economy was expanding rapidly, most young artists came from middle class backgrounds. The pop music scene at the time was dominated by Schlager music which is sweet and sentimental and hardly likely to appeal to a rebellious young person.
In general I agree that great music can be a response to dark times, but equally it can reflect good times and access to new technologies, new drugs and desire to make money

 

Not always but it does help with the emotional side of things. There seems to be an honest, raw and gut wrenching quality to those that have come from that background!!!

 

Indeed, and in the case of McCartney, he did Tug Of War in the wake of John Lennon's murder, and Flaming Pie after Linda McCartney was diagnosed with cancer. Arguably two of his best albums. Point being, as perpetually happy as the guy is, personal crisis tends to light a fire under McCartney's butt. See also Band On The Run, when he had two fifths of Wings quit at the last minute.

I do, and made what I consider my best album during a period of personal turmoil. It's called Dark Days for a reason.

 

Hardship might one way but it will will only get you you so far. But there is another way. Imagination. That's what it's for. Fake it.

 

Hardship and struggle brings to mind the determination and hard work of Richard Weize, the founder of Bear Family Records.

 

Tis the sand that makes the pearl.

 

I don't think hardships lead to depressing music. Look at Marvin Gaye's What's Going On, as I mentioned earlier that record was created due to the hardships that Gaye faced but the record itself is very uplifting and introspective. I just think that people create their best work when put into a tight spot and under immense pressure.

 

What is needed is inspiration, which may come from hardship and sorrow or extraordinary happiness and contentment. And some artists are simply skilled craftsmen who know their business so well they can always be productive. Bach would be one of those artists IMO.

(I don't mean "simply skilled craftsmen" as a put-down. Quite the opposite.)

 

Yes, but one of the biggest knocks on post-Beatle Paul was that he was a little too content and happy and lousy fluff like 'Silly Love Songs' was the result.

 

You certainly can't help notice that a lot of good material has resulted from painful ends to relationships - in some cases entire albums.

 

I personally think that personal hardship and struggle is important to doing ANYTHING great or above the ordinary, whether it's music or art or sports or designing huge suspension bridges or inventing things. Sometimes it's inwards and internal but always there lurking somewhere.

I'm loads of fun at cocktail parties!

 

Is hardship and struggle needed to create great music?

No, but it seems to sell a lot of records

sean

 

If you are a writer of song who has experienced better writing through hardships, then you dont really know either. You can't make a valid generalization from one case.

 

I wouldnt say that hardship and struggle is needed to create good music but a lot of good music has been created from it..
Everybody is different - some writers are inspired by happiness and some by melancholy.. as a writer myself i can say without doubt that my best songs came from troubled times.
Contentment has always seemed to kill my creativity ..

 

It's something that facilitates creative drive. Any strong or overwhelming emotion really. Some positive some negative. A muse is necessary but not always that muse.

 

Paul's Mom died when he was a teenager, its been oft said that loss and Lennon loss when his mother passed (she was hit by a drunk driving off duty police officer) is one thing that bonded them.

Not to say Paul's childhood was as torn apart as Lennon's (where his parents asked him to choose who to live with at 5 yrs old and then after choosing his mother she dropped him off at his Aunt's to live and in a couple yrs started a new family without him initially being involved with her). He didn't meet his Dad again until he was famous (long thinking his Dad was some romanticized War hero only to learn he was a drunk, deadbeat Dad who tried to capitalize on John's fame with his own record release, etc. still John helped support him financially until he passed.

 

Hardship is not a substitute for inspiration, hard work, and musical training.

 

And how do you verify this? The vast majority of the music in my collection has no liner notes guaranteeing that the artist was suffering from any of the forces you mention.........

 

Totally agree! Besides, what constitutes great music? "Great music" is a wildly subjective term! As an example, I think this is a great song, and I'm bettin' it wasn't inspired by hardship and struggle; Perhaps more than a few drinks and off-color jokes!