Pop music is more than it seems

In his chapter 'Popular music, affective space and meaning' Christopher Partridge 
raises the point that there needs to be more of an "appreciation of music as a dynamic medium in the construction of social and personal identities" (Partridge 182). An interesting point Partridge brings up is the lack of research and theory about the practices of listening and dancing in response to music, its aural properties, and how music can aid in constructing one's self identity. Instead, the focus around music research is   towards analysing the musicians' religions and their lyrics. Music is real, full of emotion, and livid; it is only through such an understanding of music that one can begin to understand its cultural, personal, and religious significance--its affective space as Partridge explains it. Partridge writes about sociology, emotion, and popular music. The focus on popular music draws away from the opinion pre-1970s that the supposed effects of pop music are deduced from the music itself, as opposed to the affective space the music creates. Although popular music is a part of the everyday lives of people recreationally, for example via the radio or an IPOD, it is also a way in which agency and identity are created (Partridge). Partridge pushes the reader to take pop music seriously, as it is provides connections between social situations, identities, and beliefs. 


Image: http://summerwrites.wordpress.com/2011/06/04/pop-music/


Source: Partridge C. 2012. Popular Music, Affective Space and Meaning. In Lynch G. and J. Mitchell with A. StrhanEds., Religion, Media and Culture: A Reader. 182-193. London and New York: Routledge.