Lyles: The problem with (some of) today’s music

“Oh what a night” we had Saturday evening at the Frankie Valli concert at the Pala Casino. Like most boomers, my wife and I have been fans of Frankie Valli and the Four Season since high school, having spent hours listening and dancing to the dozens of songs he made famous. We went expecting to be entertained, but were blown away by the experience.

The performance was beyond remarkable. Mr. Valli’s voice, even at age 82, is as strong and versatile as ever. With the backing of four very talented singers and an eight-piece orchestra, the music was superb.

During the two-plus hour performance, we enjoyed one gold-record hit after another virtually non-stop. We had forgotten the volume of the amazing body of work Mr. Valli produced during his six-decades long career.

We also enjoyed watching the audience. As song after song commenced couples would cuddle together, hugging, embracing, or even exchanging kisses when the recognition of that song triggered special memories from their past.

I’ve never attended a concert that triggered such broad-based feelings of attraction between couples as we witnessed Saturday night. By the end of the concert, at least half of the people in the audience looked like teenagers watching a drive-in movie, lost in their private and wistful world. The nostalgic atmosphere was filled with an excitement and allure that was both amorous and innocent. It was romantic, but in a dignified way. It was the sixties.

It made me realize just how important music is to shaping our culture, and even more important how important it was to shaping the culture during that particular era. Almost all the greatest songs of that generation were love stories. Sixties songs like “You’re Just Too Good to be True” still play at weddings because of their sentimental and respectful message. Although we never thought much about the culture while listening to all these great songs, by embracing this music we both created and enjoyed a time that many remember as the peak of the American experience.

Music is equally as powerful in shaping our culture today. The cynicism, negativity, narcissism and lack of dignity and respect in today’s music is a key driver behind much of what is happening in America. Instead of creating strong feelings of affection and reverence toward others, much of today’s music objectifies women, vilifies authority, and generally denigrates the human race. It is both immoral and corrupt.

Listen to some of today’s music, and it is not that hard to see why people whose attitudes have been molded by this garbage can develop a twisted enough mind set to think that shooting police officers or innocent people in a mall might somehow be perceived as heroic. It is not that hard to realize how this trash causes many listeners to become unpatriotic, disrespectful toward others and narcissistic. The optimism, affection and dignity of that permeated our culture in the sixties has been demolished by today’s music.

Just as our movie theaters have become the “church of the masses,” so our songs have become the “hymns of the masses.” The scary part is that music is more ubiquitous than ever. During the sixties people could listen on radio, television or a phonograph. Today’s technology has made it possible to listen all the time, anywhere and many do. For many, yesterday’s occasional activity has become an addiction.

Today’s music isn’t all bad. Some of it is very good. But we can’t ignore the bad. We need to remove the cancerous garbage music that is corroding today’s culture with more music that uplifts rather than denigrates.

Lyles, a Poway resident, is a management consultant and best-selling author. Reader comments, either online or through letters to the editor, are encouraged.