Success and Liberation Aims in Hinduism through Pop Culture

Liberation:

Eddie Vedder, "Society," Folk, 2007.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRUGvArWXLk

U2, "Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For," Rock n' Roll, 1987.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pb1XXs7e7ac&feature=related

Bob Dylan, "The Times They are a Changin'," Folk, 1964.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PiRQypcldG8&feature=related

City High, "What Would You Do?" Hip Hop, 2001.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zLsbbafdgg

Queen, "I Want to Break Free," Rock. 1984.

Success:

Notorious B.I.G. "Mo Money, Mo Problems," Rap. 1987.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twkh0YiInPM

Jennifer Lopez, "Jenny From the Block," Hip Hop, 2002.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dly6p4Fu5TE

Kanye West, "Stronger," Hip Hop, 2007.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsO6ZnUZI0g

Everclear, "Like a California King," Rock, 1992.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PA1lWA-MpVA

Weezer, "The Greatest Man that Ever Lived," Rock, 2008.

I actually had a lot of fun looking for songs about liberation.  Of course the first song that I thought of was Queen's super hit "I want to Break Free."  The song is obvious in its focus on breaking free - breaking out of the cycle.  This is the intention in Hinduism.  Hindus want out of the wheel of Samsara - the repetitive cycle of death and rebirth and death and rebirth... reincarnation. 
Eddie Vedder's song from the movie "Into the Wild" spoke a lot about liberation.  Vedder's song talks about liberation from society - awesome song.  I thought about the idea of leaving society and thought, What are they looking for? 
Of course U2's hit popped into my mind... this song could be a bit of a stretch.  However, this also agrees with the Hindu philosophy found in the Upanishads where people would become ascetics and live in the woods.  Overall, I really enjoy all of these songs - the idea of getting away, or escape has always interested me.  Where do you find that escape?  How can you find liberation?  Are there situations that are too big for an escape? 

I also really enjoyed checking out songs about success.  I first thought about Muhammad Ali, saying "I AM THE GREATEST!"  That's success - being the greatest.  Kanye West samples Daft Punk's hit "Stronger."  Then, Jennifer Lopez talks about her success in her song "Jenny From the Block." 
However, success is not always about being the greatest or being the strongest or being the richest.  Sometimes it's about being the California King - where Everclear tears someone down to find their success and also questions what success is - "What makes you think you are so special?  What makes you think you are unique?" 
B.I.G. steps in and points out that success means, "Mo Money Mo Problems."  What a mentality... You think that money is the solution - it'll answer everything.  No, it's the problem.  I ended with the song, "I am the Greatest Man that Ever Lived."  Weezer takes a Protestant hymn and shakes it up with a variation and the lyrics - "I'm the best that you've ever had."  Success is a great thing in Hinduism, however, that's not the solution ultimately in Hinduism.  You will always want more.  It'll never be enough.  The ultimate success in Hinduism is liberation from samsara.

Pleasure and Community Service Aims in Hinduism through Pop Culture

Pleasure songs:
Kid Cudi, "Pursuit of Happines," Hip Hop, 2009.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Z_Ys3BO_4M%3C/a%3E

Weezer, "We Are All on Drugs," Rock n' Roll, 2005.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0OVpyvey4U

Ke$ha, "Your Love is My Drug," Pop, 2010.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=QR_qa3Ohwls

Kiss, "I want to Rock n' Roll All Night," Rock n' Roll, 1978.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAt7YbX0T9k


Darwin Deez, "Radar Detector," Rock n' Roll, 2009.

Community Service Songs:
Supertramp, "Give a Little Bit," Folk, 1977.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGI6qQHFlPk


The Beatles, "Help," Rock n' Roll, 1965.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGI6qQHFlPk


Jack Johnson, "Times Like These," 2006.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P54ybJ0pX9g


Cat Stevens, "Peace Train," Folk, 1976.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sjSHazjrWg


James Taylor, "Shower the People," 1976.

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            It seems in American pop culture that the aim of pleasure is much more popular in music than community service. 

            It was rather difficult finding songs that are about helping others.  Well, that’s not necessarily true... as you can see – I posted two videos from the same year.  James Taylor’s “Shower the People” and Cat Steven’s “Peace Train.”  Both songs were written in 1976.  They’re both folk songs in nature, and that genre tends to lean more towards helping others than towards personal pleasure.  Also, I included Supertramp’s “Give a Little Bit” from the following year.  That’s another popular folk song – made more famous to today’s era by the Goo Goo Doll’s cover.  In fact, Jack Johnson’s song “Times like these” is also a folk song.  The only “rock” song is the Beatle’s “Help.”  And that’s a bit of a stretch – that song’s more about needing help than giving help.   Does anyone write songs about community service other than folk musicians?  Absolutely, however, it was easiest for me to find songs in that genre.  Also, I debated including “Rocky Top,” because it’s Tennessee’s song – the Volunteer State; however, I'll spare you.

            It wasn’t difficult at all to find songs about pleasure.  It’s top 40 – I guess people want to hear it; however, I steered away from some of the easy targets “Black and Yellow” and Black Eyed Peas “I Gotta Feeling.”                 Fill up my cup - Mozoltov!

However, I did include Kid Cudi and Ke$ha.  These songs are fun, they’re shallow – but loads of fun.  I wanted to mix up the genres more with this assignment.  I picked two hip hop songs and three rock songs.  (Although I think I listed Ke$ha as pop I'm not sure how to define that...)  Of the three rock songs, Kiss’ “Rock and Roll all Night” was the first song I thought of.  The song is so pleasure based!  Let’s stay up all night and ROCK!  AND PARTY EVERYDAY!!!!  Pleasure, pleasure, pleasure.  Weezer’s “We are all on Drugs” was a little less obvious, however, it was about doing drugs – making it, in my opinion, pleasure based.  The last song by Darwin Deez is a simple pleasure based song.  It’s about starting a dating relationship – yes it’s about pleasure, but pleasure is not necessarily all drinking and partying until you die in a gutter.  It’s just pleasure. It's normal to want pleasure - but where do you find pleasure?

            In class we discussed how in Hinduism pleasure is embraced by their religion, because they understand that pleasure will not satisfy.  It will never be enough.  In American culture, I feel that pleasure is intended to satisfy and many will say that pleasure is enough – but it truly never is. 

            Community Service is of course featured in our society.  There are plenty of opportunities for it.  I volunteer and teach kids music at a church downtown on Sunday afternoons.  Some people donate a week of their life to help build a house or spend their summers building wells in Ghana.  However, in pop culture, their aren’t too many songs showing how awesome it is meeting people’s needs.  Songs about ending world hunger are awesome; however, it will never be a hit at the club.