Rock ON?

If you have heard the song “Sindabad the Sailor” from the movie Rock On and you often hum it because the tune appeals to you than hold on a moment and get hold of the lyrics. I would definitely classify this in the genre of ‘ROCK’. A heavy metaphor, with a modest message to follow one’s own dreams and harness courage to do what one is passionate about. Not paying heed to what others have to say and focus in our pursuit of satisfaction and happiness.

What I am trying to drive to at this junction is not what the song means, but the fact that this kind of music has the potential to revolutionize and provoke thought among the common masses. We have had decades of hindi music which have revolved around the same theme of “love” and they have become so ordinary that it wont be difficult for you to guess the line that will follow when you are given the first. We still haven’t had any success in hindi rock so far, A few good Indian rock bands like Moksha, Thermal in a Quarter, Parikrama, Candywalk have had success but limited may be because their medium is English which fails to send across the message to every person. Candywalk did make an effort strike a chord with the masses by roping in Palash Sen in one of their songs on Aids awareness.

Rock music can have inspiration from a plethora of themes from something as noble as friendship to politics, child labour, global warming….. and is not bound by any preconceived story lines. It can be used as a squib to ignite the minds of the youth. It can be used as a tool to awaken the feeling of esteem.

“I can’t believe the news today.. I can’t close my eyes and make it go away…how long” a line from the track “Sunday Bloody Sunday” by U2. This song was written after an incident in Northern Ireland where 13 Catholic’s were shot. This song brings back the memories of the inhuman act each time they perform the song on stage. Twenty five years have passed since then, but that incident made immortal by the song has an impact as strong as it did then.

We need songs that can give a reflection of daily sufferings of humans and pave a road to become a medium to propagate a message of social importance. Axl Rose came up with the lyrics of their famous track “welcome to the jungle” that portrays the inner feeling of a man who moved from a rural place to the fast moving city life.

Rock music allows listeners to paint their own interpretations like the song “Sindabad the Sailor” an amazing composition, and hats off to Javed Akhtar for the thoughtful lyrics. Cobain, is a master of heavy metaphor, the famous track “Come as you are” is just an example of how people expect you to be “as you are” and not put on a mask, he goes on to add a line “And I swear that I don't have a gun” has been interpreted to mean that Cobain "had nothing to hide from anyone".We need music to spread its tentacles and serve a bigger responsibility in nurturing the minds of the people, the youth and foster a sense of awareness for the problems that have wrapped the nation.