Did you hear that?!

-Posted by Jon Lunger, ArtsQuest’s marketing manager and pop-music conspiracy theorist.

All art has context.

Call it inspiration… call it the muse… whatever… art isn’t created in a vacuum.   What has me particularly geeked-up today is the role that art itself plays in the creation of other art.

Today, I’m talking music… imagine that.  But, my audible fixations aside, hopefully you’ll think this is pretty cool too.

Every musician is influenced by music they heard prior to writing their music.  Think about it.  Every sound, song, bird chirp- whatever- a musical artist has heard in their life has the potential to dramatically influence the music they choose to create.

That got me wondering about what today’s musical artists listen to when they’re recording their own music.   Obviously it has to vary drastically from person-to-person, but its something you rarely hear about.  Sure in the occasional interview an artist may give props to one of their favorite musicians, but when do we ever hear about what they were listening to while they themselves were actually creating music?

I’ve got two recent examples that I want to share with you.

1) Kings of Leon,  “Radioactive”

There’s no denying that I enjoy the rock music.  I do and I admit it.  While I haven’t been the biggest fan of KOL, this new single has truly excited me… so much, in fact, that I have purchased the new album (though I haven’t yet listened to it yet).

What got me particularly interested enough to buy this album, was what I perceived to be a heavy influence from the Talking Heads on this single.   The chorus (“it’s in the water… it’s where you came from”) to me screams of the Talking Heads, both lyrically and melodically.  It got me wondering… Were the KOL rocking out to some “Once in a Lifetime” prior to writing this tune?  There is water at the bottom of the ocean.

2)  Linkin Park, “Waiting for the End”

My theory is Michael Franti and Spearhead were on the boys’ playlist prior to dropping this track.

Listen/watch the official video here (YouTube).

Don’t get me wrong… there’s no stealing here.  I’m not claiming fraud.  It’s about inspiration (or at least my perception of what other people may or may not have been inspired by).

What do you think?