art imitates life

           Music doesn't always occur spontaneously (well maybe they do) which is why musicians grab inspiration from events that have occured during their lifetime. Whether they are large scale themes, or simple tales from their childhood, music always takes a life of its own when it comes to certain events.
          In 1971, Marvin Gaye released his critically acclaimed album, What's Going On, which is a concept album by Gaye. The concept is a story told from the point of view of a Vietnam War veteran returning to the country he had been fighting for, and seeing nothing but injustice, suffering and hatred. The obvious inspiration that Gaye drew from were Vietnam veterans who had fought for their country to return things even worse than death, a country that was suffering. Many veterans who had returned home were denied benefits, compensation, and recognition for their efforts in serving their country.
         In 1989, Billy Joel released We didn't start the fire, a song that made reference to a catalogue of events that occured earlier in his life. The song's message is that his generation, the baby-boomer generation, is being blamed for all the tragedies and major events that shaped the latter half of the 20th century.
         In 1994, Nas released his critically acclaimed debut album Illmatic, which deals with tales from Queensbridge,New York of post-Reagonomics and the happening of cocaine being a major affect to cities all across America. Nas put in context how life was as a teenager in his environment, providing America one of the most extensive tours of the "Rotten Apple",as he put it,  ever in the world of entertainment.
        Musicians take their blank canvas and turn it into a musical masterpiece once they draw inspiration from life and every detail or honorable mention. Music and Life go hand in hand with each other all the time. Without Music there is no life, without life there is no music.