I bet you've never heard of The Smiths

Emma Aviv '24

Webiste Designer

It’s so hard to live a life that is so misunderstood. I’m sure if you have an underground music taste you get it. Most people these days are obsessed with Taylor Swift or Drake, but no one ever knows what I’m talking about when I mention Radiohead. 

The reality is that many people lack depth, they lack a sort of intellectual maturity. How can you look at artists like Lana Del Ray and call them a lyrical genius when artists like Jeff Buckley exist? Understanding the mastery behind such lyricism is only for certain people. Those people do not listen to the Top 100 charts. 

Listening to music must be an existential experience, and you could never get that with mainstream songs or artists. I don’t want to hear the argument “it’s popular for a reason” because if it truly had any substantial meaning behind it, why would the majority of people understand it or relate to it? Nobody understands the meaning of “No Surprises” by Radiohead and frankly, I don’t think it is really meant for everyone; not everyone has depth like me. The song is full of deep commentary on the concept of living an unhappy and unsatisfying life feeling generally disappointed in the nature of society as we know it. 

I cannot even begin to stress how we have managed to stupify the literature of this generation. It all comes down to substance over pleasure. Simply liking a novel does not serve the purpose of reading. In my opinion, reading and literature should be reserved for those who truly appreciate and understand it. I miss when people prioritized analyzing classic literature and the greats like “The Catcher in the Rye.” Modern authors like Sally Rooney don’t understand the complexities of the world. We need to bring back authors like Donna Tartt and Murikami.