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Bayleigh Adams-Clark

Dr. Moreau

ENC, Argument

10 October 2020

Is Music a Universal Language?

Music is indeed a universal language. As a shared human experience, it is a method of

communication and a portrayal of emotions and thoughts. Connecting people around the world

no matter the differences between them, music can transcend language and culture and race; so,

how can it not be universal?

To begin, language should not be a limitation of musical enjoyment. The idea of needing

to understand the language of a song is entirely subjective and, in some cases, irrelevant. The

irrelevance being with classical music or jazz; music that has no lyrical foundation and is simply

sounds of instruments and objects. In that case, there is no language to understand. For music

that contains lyrics, it is not needed to know the meaning of the words in order to enjoy the song.

As said by David Ludden in his article “Is Music a Universal Language?”, “You don’t have to

speak French to enjoy a composition by Debussy,” (Ludden, para. 2). Of course, many people

solely enjoy listening to the music of their mother-tongue, which is understandable considering

“the music of one’s own culture can give one a sense of comfort and security,” (Cochrane, para.

12). However, it is extremely limiting to rule-out all other music simply because the lyrics are

not in a preferred language. There are also ways to find out the lyrical meaning of a song, like

translation websites or videos.

The culture of the artist and music does not have to match that of the listener. Foreign

acts have charted and gained attention and radio plays in the U.S., and the same can be said for
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American music and other countries around the world. The 2012 K-Pop hit “Gangnam Style” by

PSY peaked on the Billboard Charts at the #2 position and remained on the Hot 100 chart for 31

weeks (“PSY”). The 2017 Latin hit “Despacito” by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee hit #1 on the

Billboard chart and remained in that position for 16 weeks (“Chart History”). The most recent

foreign act to reach number 1 on multiple Billboard Charts is the K-Pop sensation BTS with their

English-single Dynamite, released August 21, 2020 (“BTS”). This single charted the number 1

and 2 positions on 3 Billboard charts, Hot 100, Global 200, and Global Excluding U.S.

consecutively. These songs charted above American acts despite being in another language and

of another culture.

On another note, racial difference is also not a limitation for musical enjoyment. The race

of the listener compared to that of the artist is irrelevant. Take Hip-Hop and Rap for example,

these genres have mostly consisted of African American artists, however, listeners of the genre

are not solely African American people. The same can be said for K-Pop or Spanish Music. The

race of the listener does not need to match that of the artist.

The opposite view of the argument may bring up the question of “whether music really

offers better prospects for cross-cultural understanding than other forms of interaction.”

(Cochrane, para. 7). Cultures do have different ways that they musically express emotions: “For

example, in Western music, the “minor” scale has always signified sadness, melancholy, anger,

inwardness, or fear. However, the same or similar scales are used in many African and Asian

music to signify joy, happiness, and success. The emotional reactions and general assumptions

we make about music will inevitably be influenced by our cultural background.” (Jones, para. 6).

Although this may be true, we can still connect with each other through music and lyrics. A
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conversation between cultures, to understand the emotions that are linked with music, can settle

this uncertainty of cross-cultural understanding.

In conclusion, music holds the means to further push spoken language by conveying

relatable emotions. Lyrically, music contains experiences that, as humans, we can relate to and

recognize through shared qualities and experiences, thus transcending any barrier of language or

culture or race. Melodically, music can be understood differently among cultures. However,

understanding the music of another culture can further bring people together and create an

understanding among us.

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Works Cited

“BTS.” Billboard, www.billboard.com/music/bts/chart-history/GLO.

Carugno, Giovanna. “Is Music a Universal Language? From Semiotics to the Recent Findings of

Music Psychology.” Interdisciplinary Humanities, vol. 35, no. 3, Fall 2018, pp. 26–

35. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?

direct=true&AuthType=shib&db=hus&AN=139187692&site=ehost-live.

Cochrane, Tom. “The Music Between Us: Is Music a Universal Language?” Mind, vol. 124, no.

496, Oct. 2015, pp. 1288–1292. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1093/mind/fzv080.

“Despacito: Full Official Chart History: Official Charts Company.” Official Charts,

www.officialcharts.com/search/singles/despacito/.

Jones, Kristie. “Why Music Is Not a Universal Language – and What That Means for Care.”

Hospital News, 20 Feb. 2019, hospitalnews.com/why-music-not-a-universal-language-and-

what-that-means-for-care/.

Ludden, David. “Is Music a Universal Language?” Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers, 31

July 2015, www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/talking-apes/201507/is-music-universal-

language.

“PSY.” Billboard, www.billboard.com/music/psy.