There is no single way to define music

One word, infinite meanings and variations. Music can bring a group together, or tear them apart. Thoughts put to tune, heartache put in rhythm, love put in verse.

There is no single way to define that one word.

Each person has their favorite, but some just love it all.

Country music dabbles in love, heartache, alcohol and farming. From hearing voices to falling in love with the farmer's daughter, the country "twang" sets these songs together.

Famed country musician Johnny Cash spoke of walking the line and rings engulfed in flame. His music still inspires country musicians, such as Jason Aldean with his lyrics saying "blastin' out to Johnny Cash, headin' for the highway." Cash's life journey inspired a song by Heidi Newfield, "Johnny and June."

Rock music has many faces of its own, ranging from classic to hard rock and so much more between. The King of it all, Elvis, took stages by storm and set hearts on fire beginning in the mid 1950s and ending in tragedy in the late 1970s.

From Elvis to The Beatles to the big hair of Poison, rock music probably has the most variety. Whether they are wearing suede shoes of blue or comparing love to the thorns and rose blossoms, the music has reached the ears of many.

Peace and love stereotypically filled VW vans in the 1960s, and have continued to influence the dislike of hatred in people today.

John Lennon sang, "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." One man leading many towards a world of peaceful dreams for the future.

Angry and honest words of rappers filled parents with fear of their children becoming angry teenagers. An argument from parents against profanity, drugs and violence filled the rap music scene.

While many of these musicians were singing of the childhood in which they grew up, parents seemed to want to shield their children from the hate.

Then, there were the boy bands and pop musicians that we are all ashamed to admit we still own CDs of a decade later.

They were 15 and 16 year old kids singing about broken hearts and being in love. Now that we look back, we know we can't attribute the lyrics of God spending more time on your significant other, when you broke up two weeks later.

Warped Tour marked my first experience in alternative and metal music. Barely audible screams escaped the throat of a person who's face you couldn't see behind their stringy, sweat-drenched hair. Too tight jeans left you curious, and V-neck shirts filled the crowd.

Music scenes are constantly changing. We have moved from a full grown man with slicked back hair and a lifted lip stealing the hearts of all women and girls to a 17-year-old whose voice has barely matured past the point of puberty and insists on calling his wanna-be girlfriend baby 20 times in one song, and covering the shirts of 4-year-old girls.

I can't say that the music industry is changing for the better or for the worse because everyone listens differently.

Although, I prefer music from when Bieber Fever meant that baby Justin had the flu. My iPod is set on a shuffling variety of mid-90's erupting Alanis Morissette Matchbox Twenty.

Sabrina is a staff writer for the Greene County Daily World. She can be reached by telephone at 847-4487 or by email at swestfall@gcdailyworld.com .