Poem Analysis - Music To Me Is Like Days

Introduction: A World Saturated with Sound

Les Murray's "Music To Me Is Like Days" is a sprawling and conversational meditation on the pervasive nature of music in contemporary life. The poem explores how music, once a carefully framed art, has become ubiquitous, seeping into every corner of modern existence. The tone is initially critical and almost weary, noting the promiscuity of music and its commercial exploitation. However, the poem shifts into a more personal and reflective mode, examining the speaker's own relationship with music and memory, eventually culminating in a whimsical appreciation for the sheer overwhelmingness of sonic experience.

The Promiscuity of Art: Music's Ubiquitous Presence

One of the central themes of the poem is the commodification and trivialization of art, specifically music. Murray uses vivid imagery to depict this phenomenon. The lines "music has broken its frame/its bodice of always-weak laces" suggest a loss of artistic integrity and a descent into vulgar availability. The phrase "the entirely promiscuous art" further emphasizes this idea, portraying music as something that has lost its exclusivity and become accessible to all, often in a diluted or corrupted form. This is further illustrated by the poem's references to Muzak and its association with commercial spaces. The poem laments the fact that music now accompanies "everything, the selections/of sex and war, the rejections," highlighting its role as a backdrop to both significant and mundane aspects of life.

The Body and the Beat: Music's Influence on Perception

The poem also explores the impact of music on our perception of ourselves and the world around us. The lines about "jeans-wearers in zipped sporrans" and the way music "transmits an ideal body/continuously as theirs age" suggest that music is intertwined with our desires and aspirations, particularly concerning physical appearance and youthfulness. Music, in this context, becomes a form of social conditioning, constantly reminding us of an unattainable ideal. The poem implicitly critiques the superficiality and materialism of contemporary culture, where music is often used to sell products and reinforce societal norms. The "sleek accountancy of notes" highlights the commercial underpinnings of the contemporary music industry.

Memory, Perception, and the Overwhelming Sonic Landscape

A significant theme is the intertwining of music, memory, and the challenges of navigating an oversaturated world. The poem's title itself, "Music To Me Is Like Days," establishes this connection. The speaker admits, "I rarely catch who composed them/if one's sublime I think God," revealing a struggle to grasp and categorize the constant stream of musical input. This struggle mirrors the difficulty of distinguishing one day from another. The line "they lost the off switch in my lifetime" poignantly captures the sense of being bombarded by noise, both literal and metaphorical. The speaker struggles to differentiate and fully appreciate individual pieces, confessing "I've half-heard every piece of music." However, there is an undeniable appreciation for the sheer strangeness of the experience as well, especially exemplified in the description of "the muscular one out of fartycars that goes Whudda WhuddaWhudda like the compound oil heart/of a warrior not of this planet." This final image, though bizarre, underscores the powerful, primal force of music.

Symbolic Sounds: From Harpsichords to "Fartycars"

Several recurring images act as symbols throughout the poem. The harpsichord, with its association with classical music and refinement, contrasts sharply with the sounds of the "fartycars." This contrast highlights the tension between high art and popular culture. The reference to "Stilton and cure/from one harpsichord-hum:penicillium" suggests that even in the most refined experiences, there is an element of decay or imperfection. The phrase "deep feeling adrift from its feelers" evokes a sense of emotional detachment, perhaps as a result of the constant bombardment of stimuli. Perhaps the poem can be understood as a lament for a time before the pervasive intrusion of noise, a time when music was carefully crafted and listened to attentively. Is Murray suggesting that we've become too desensitized to truly appreciate the power of music?

Conclusion: An Ode to Sonic Overload

"Music To Me Is Like Days" is a complex and thought-provoking exploration of the role of music in modern life. The poem moves from a critical examination of music's commodification to a more personal and ultimately accepting perspective. While lamenting the loss of artistic integrity and the constant bombardment of sound, Murray also acknowledges the strange beauty and undeniable power of music in all its forms. The poem ultimately suggests that even in a world saturated with noise, music retains the ability to move us, to shape our perceptions, and to connect us to something larger than ourselves, even if it's just the imagined compound oil heart of an alien warrior in a "fartycar."