don't judge a song by its writer

y'know that band that wrote all those songs about being true to yourself and never selling out that eventually sold out? yeah, those dudes (or chicks). fuck that band, am i right? how dare they. i believed in them and now they've let me down. what a bunch of frauds. i'm gonna throw all their records out (people still own records, right?) and never see them again.

actually, i don't feel that way at all. i don't think it's fair to hold people to the standards of their songs. people and songs are two different creatures altogether. people are fluid and always changing. people are prone to mood swings and conflicting forms of inspiration. songs are permanent. when a song is written, it never changes. it'll always be what it was the first time it was recorded. there for eternity, being that song in all its purity. human beings can't ever be expected to live up to something with such permanence. how many songs does the average song writer write? is it possible for any song writer to always be the same person all their songs lead you to believe they are?

plus, songs are prone to interpretation of the individual listening. if you take two different people, let's say one is freshly dumped and heart broken and the other is a pissed off socialist, political activist, chances are they might walk away with conflicting interpretations of the same song. you can't blame that on the song writer. if she shows up on tour in town, and it turns out she's a happily married neo-conservative, what right is it for anybody to be disappointed if that's just who she happens to be?

sure, some songs are clearer than others. some writers put together albums that present a clear, easy to understand philosophy. and sometimes the person behind that matches the philosophy being presented to a tee. but people change as well. it doesn't matter what the music is about... selling out, women, politics, god... most anything you can write about is some sorta point of view that can change in a person's lifetime.

like if some dude writes a song about how much he love vanilla ice cream... and he really means it. this dude loves vanilla ice cream more than anyone else in all of existence. years go by and everyday he's eating vanilla ice cream and loving every moment of it. and then one day something changes. he tries to wolf down some vanilla ice cream but he can't. for whatever reason, he just doesn't enjoy it anymore. he suddenly becomes a ravenous chocolate ice cream fan. you can't fault him for that. he meant it when he wrote it. but sometimes shit happens and things change.

so don't be so harsh on the people who create the music you enjoy. it's not their fault you put all these unnecessary expectations on them. that's not  a 'them' problem. it's really a 'you' problem. just enjoy the music for what it's worth. if you love an album with all your heart only to find out the dude who wrote it all voted the opposite of you in the last presidential election, are you really gonna stop liking the music? it's not fair to the song. let the song stand on its own merit. as long as whoever wrote it meant it when they wrote it, and you can tell that they put their heart into it, then just enjoy it for what it is... a song.

i'm in no way advocating for music writers who are purposely fraudulent. for whatever reason some people write about certain topics or try and create a certain sound that they're not really into cuz it makes them money, or makes them popular, or makes their girlfriend happier, but it's not heartfelt on the songwriter's part. that's bullshit. this is about putting your heart into a song.... so much heart that the song has enough strength to stand on its own and never needs to be judged by whoever wrote it.