Dear Editor,
I hear the ticking of the clock
I’m lying here the room’s pitch dark
I wonder where you are tonight
No answer on the telephone
And the night goes by so very slow
Oh I hope that it won’t end though
Alone
I am writing to express my views regarding the trend of pop songs in the city about loneliness, like the one above, named “alone” by Celine Dion.
As a teenager who always keeps track of what the latest songs are and how the trend goes, I find there are lots of pop songs having their lyrics keep mentioning how the characters crouch in a corner and sigh for being alone. They are similar and have shown a common characteristic- creating a dismal atmosphere either by mentioning a heavy rain, a pale night, heartbreaking news about the end of a relationship or an unanswered phone call. In my opinion, this is certainly not a good trend as it is harmful to both the development of teens and society.
First and foremost, it is detrimental to the personal development of teenagers. Since those songs push teenagers deeper and deeper into loneliness and make them think that they and the characters being alone in those songs are alike, ill feelings, such as feelings about not being cared for or loved, will then develop within the teenagers’ minds. This lowers their sense of security and negatively affects their self-esteem and thus their personal development.
Second, the trend of pop songs about loneliness can greatly hinder the development of interpersonal relationship of teenagers. According to the Bandwagon Effect, when teenagers as a group share pop songs stressing too much being lonely, they will be forced by the effect to listen to these songs. As these songs are presenting the concept of cutting the ties with reality where friends and family exist and locking oneself into one’s dark room without allowing any light to enter it, they constrain themselves into the vicious cycle and hence this damages the linkage between themselves and the outside world. Therefore, the development of interpersonal relationship of teens will be impeded.
Third, it may build a lonesome atmosphere and promote distrust in our society, which is not harmonious enough already. If these songs are publicized in a magnificent way or become popular of their theme, more people will listen to them and so more will be identified and share the loneliness. This situation will surely darken the city. Since some of the songs even promote “being lonely is better and no need to trust in others”, the harmful effect to the city may even be worse.
Some may say the songs can give a chance for people who sing or perform the song to express his or her unhappiness or loneliness, or to gain sympathy and satisfaction, which can be a channel to release stress. However, I think there are already enough pop songs about loneliness that people can get satisfaction in. If it turns out to be a trend, it will only bring bad impact to both the teens and society.
If more pop songs about loneliness are published, possibly they will harm our society as a whole as they emphasize loneliness as well as individualism. This will only make our society more diverse and heterogeneous, which should never be our common goal.
I sincerely hope that in future, there will not be so many pop songs with sentences beginning with “I” and upholding the concept of loneliness. Also, I look forward to seeing teenagers stop saying they are being lonely, as they are always not alone. They should have support from friends and families, shouldn’t they?