The musical theme I’ve decided to create a playlist around is world peace. All of the songs I’ve included below promote peace and equality for everyone or discuss how we must work together to make this world a better place. This theme has relevance to me because peace amongst all is something I strongly believe in and wish this world could achieve someday. I chose this theme because I believe spreading the message of peace is extremely important. I think each one of these songs are very inspiring and present great examples for why we must unite together for more love and less hate.

The lyrics of “Imagine” by John Lennon encourage the listener to envision a world of peace and unity, with no heaven or hell, no countries, no religion, no reason to kill or die, no possessions, no greed or hunger. Lennon wants to create an image of a world with no barriers/borders that separate people or make them fight. He wants us to picture the world coming together as one. He ends each verse with words like, “Imagine all the people living life in peace,” or, “Imagine all the people sharing all the world.” He finally closes the song out with, “You may say I’m a dreamer / But I’m not the only one / I hope someday you’ll join us / And the world will live as one.” This song inspires listeners to share the world and come together in peace.

The music behind the inspiring lyrics of “Imagine” is composed of, what sounds like, just piano, drums, and violin. The lyrics and piano chords could be considered the main components of the melody, where the drum beats and violin are the harmonies behind working with them. This song has a fairly slow (lento/largo) and consistent tempo. I believe it has a degree of consonance because the tones together are soft, easeful, and pleasing. Because of the slow tempo, simple melody, and inspiring lyrics “Imagine” invokes a calm and tranquil emotion. Although it is in the rock genre, I think it would be better considered as soft rock because of the serene effect it gives off. I think the style of this piece of music helps to emphasize the heartening and serious message behind it.

Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On” focuses on the wrong and hate that is occurring in the world today and how we must reverse it with the power of love, not war. Gaye sings, “Mother, mother / There’s too many of you crying / Brother, brother, brother / There’s far too many of you dying.” He stresses the struggle and sadness that mothers must face when losing a child in war. Gaye preaches that there is too much murder, hate, pain, and loss in the world. “You see war is not the answer / For only love can conquer hate,” Gaye emphasizes the importance and power of coming together in peace and loving each other to overcome the hate.

“What’s Going On” features many different instruments including the saxophone, bass, piano, keyboard, and drums. The song has a moderate tempo, not slow, but not extremely fast. It is consonant because the tones work together in a pleasing way. The main elements of the melody would be the moving lyrics and the strong bass strums and drums. The keyboard and saxophone compliment the other sounds in the background, creating a beautiful harmony of instruments together. This piece invokes a soothing mood. The smooth rhythm of sound makes you want to sway along to the music. This song falls under the category of rhythm and blues, so the effect it has fits with the classic “feel good” vibes of that genre.

“We Shall Be Free” by Garth Brooks spreads the message that we, as humanity, will be free once we have reached peace among the world. In the lyrics, Brooks mentions that we shall be free when the starving are no longer hungry, when the poorest of people have shelter, when we stop judging people based off the color of their skin, and when the air and oceans are clear of pollution. This song is spreading the ultimate message of peace in the world. Brooks includes that people are allowed to love whomever they choose. We need to be open and accepting of all different views. It’s important to welcome everyone and treat people equally. Brooks states in the last verse, “When there’s only one race and that’s mankind / Then we shall be free.” I believe this song’s message is one of the most valuable to everyone. To achieve peace in the world, we have to accept and love each other.

“We Shall Be Free”’s instrumentation includes a variety of instruments like guitar, bass, piano, tambourine, and drums. Brooks’ voice stands out as the main melody of the piece. There are beautiful background singers that harmonize with him throughout the song. This song has a fairly quick tempo. It’s more upbeat compared to the other songs featured in this playlist. The tones in this song work well together and create a very pleasing sound, resulting in a high degree of consonance. The fast pace and use of instruments, like the tambourine, invoke an uplifting emotion in listeners.

The lyrics of “Changes” by Tupac Shakur spread a message about the need for justice, equality, and peace in this world, especially for the black race. Tupac says, “I see no changes,” referring to the current presence of racism in the United States even after the Civil Rights Movement. The chorus repeats, “That’s just the way it is / Things’ll never be the same.” Throughout the song’s verses, Tupac highlights different challenges that African-Americans face that should no longer occur. Towards the end of the song he says, “We gotta make a change / It’s time for us as a people to start makin’ some changes / Let’s change the way we eat / Let’s change the way we live / And let’s change the way we treat each other.” Tupac stresses the importance of treating everyone equally, but to reach peace among all, we must work together.

“Changes” is a representation of the hip-hop genre with its instrumentation consisting of beats made by the piano, keyboard, and drums. The piano notes are widely recognized amongst many as well as the chorus, so they could be considered the melody. “Changes” has a quick tempo. The lyrics and music are relatively fast-paced. The tones working together result in a pleasing sound, giving this song consonance. Although this song has a smooth rhythm and lyrics that flow, the quick pace and strong, firm tone of Tupac’s voice give off a serious emotion. It poses many harsh, but real situations that emphasize the need for equality and peace for this world. I believe the emotion of this piece is effective for its intended message.

In “One Day,” Matisyahu expresses his hope that one day there will be no hate or violence and we will live in a world of peace and love. In the chorus, he says, “All my life I’ve been waiting for / I’ve been praying for / For the people to say / That we don’t wanna fight no more / There will be no more wars / And our children will play.” He then repeats, “One day, one day, one day.” Matisyahu hopes that one day negativity will be eliminated and there will be no violence, no war, and no hate. He sings, “One day this all will change / Treat people the same / Stop the violence / Down with the hate // One day we’ll all be free / And proud to be / Under the same sun / Singing songs of freedom like…” He then repeats the chorus. Matisyahu hopes that in the future things will change and we will all live together in harmony and peace.

“One Day” is an inspiring song that falls under a few different genres. The instrumentation is composed of guitar, keyboard, violin, and drums. Matisyahu’s strong vocals are recognized as the melody of the piece. The tempo is moderate and consistent. This song has a high degree of consonance because of the pleasing way the different tones flow together. The medium tempo and inspiration lyrics create a relaxing vibe. However, the passion that is felt through Matisyahu’s voice and words is very moving and inspirational.

“Where is the Love?” by the Black Eyed Peas questions what is wrong with this world. It questions where is the peace and where is the love? Many issues that we face as a society are discussed including hypocrisy, terrorism, discrimination, racism, war, pollution, crime, etc. The song mentions, “Whatever happened to the values of humanity? / Whatever happened to the fairness and equality? Instead of spreadin’ love we spreadin’ animosity / Lack of understandin’ leading us away from unity.” This song discusses how we, as humanity, are steering in the wrong direction. Instead of spreading positivity and love, we spread bad values and negativity. The pre-chorus sings, “People killin’, people dyin’ / Children hurt and you hear them cryin’ / Will you practice what you preach? / Or would you turn the other cheek? / Father, Father, Father help us / Send some guidance from above / These people got me, got me questionin’” Then the chorus repeats, “Where is the love?” This makes us question ourselves. We ask “Where is the love?” because love in this world can’t be found, it’s missing. We must join together to stop the numerous issues we face from happening and to bring love and peace to all.

“Where is the Love?” is a smooth sounding song with powerful lyrics. It features instruments such as the guitar, bass, drums, and violin. The bass chords can be easily recognized as the melody of this song. It has a slower tempo compared to other songs by the Black Eyed Peas. The music is relatively slow while the lyrics remain at a moderate pace. The softer, slower music in the background helps to emphasize the powerful lyrics. The tones of the music and vocals come together to create a pleasing and smooth sound, making the song consonant. Behind the main vocals are background vocals that create a constant harmony. The slow music and powerful lyrics invoke an inspired emotion. Although the song presents a serious message, the music gives a more light-hearted effect.