When it comes to soft music, or ballads, in metal in rock opinions can get strong sometimes. Some people think they are a good thing because it brings out the soft, emotional side of a rocker. Other people hate them because they think that those songs are just easy hits to get bands fame. Basically, they believe that if you make a ballad then you have sold out. However you feel about this kind of song, they have become very common today and most bands, if not every band has one. With that, lets answer the question of are ballads bad for rock and metal?
Let's start with the good things about ballads. One thing I like about ballads is that they do bring out the emotional and vulnerable side of a rocker. This is good because one of the biggest elements of rock and metal is being real. A metal band cannot be angry and rebellious all the time or they are being fake, as Tommy Lee of Motley Crue once said. One good example of this is "Something To Believe In by Poison". This is a good example of a song coming from the heart. Bret Michaels found out that Poison's manager had died from a heroine overdose and that devastated him. He wrote this song to express what he was feeling and it was a good way to express his pain. Another good example is "One Day Too Late by Skillet". John Cooper stated that he wrote this song to express how much he loves his family. These are good songs because they are real and you get a real sense of authenticity from the people who wrote them.
Even though good things can come from ballads, there are some bad things about them as well. While they can be very effective at expressing a rockers emotional side, they were also used by bands and record labels to make an easy hit song. This reduces ballads as nothing more then easy money makers. This problem was huge in the 80's. While a lot of bands wrote ballads that came from a real place, most bands either wrote them for a hit or were forced by their record label to write them. While not all them were bad songs, they were over done to the point that ballads became cliche. There were so many of them that were clearly inspired by nothing more then to get an easy hit that they lost their meaning. By 1993 people were tired of ballads and it was one of the reasons for the rise of grunge. This was made clear by songs like "More Than Words by Extreme" and "Nobody's Fool by Cinderella". The music wasn't bad, but the lyrics were so generic that people didn't take them seriously. As a result, many of these bands and the ballads they wrote would fade into obscurity along with ballads being virtually unused in rock and metal until the 2000's.
Let's start with the good things about ballads. One thing I like about ballads is that they do bring out the emotional and vulnerable side of a rocker. This is good because one of the biggest elements of rock and metal is being real. A metal band cannot be angry and rebellious all the time or they are being fake, as Tommy Lee of Motley Crue once said. One good example of this is "Something To Believe In by Poison". This is a good example of a song coming from the heart. Bret Michaels found out that Poison's manager had died from a heroine overdose and that devastated him. He wrote this song to express what he was feeling and it was a good way to express his pain. Another good example is "One Day Too Late by Skillet". John Cooper stated that he wrote this song to express how much he loves his family. These are good songs because they are real and you get a real sense of authenticity from the people who wrote them.
Even though good things can come from ballads, there are some bad things about them as well. While they can be very effective at expressing a rockers emotional side, they were also used by bands and record labels to make an easy hit song. This reduces ballads as nothing more then easy money makers. This problem was huge in the 80's. While a lot of bands wrote ballads that came from a real place, most bands either wrote them for a hit or were forced by their record label to write them. While not all them were bad songs, they were over done to the point that ballads became cliche. There were so many of them that were clearly inspired by nothing more then to get an easy hit that they lost their meaning. By 1993 people were tired of ballads and it was one of the reasons for the rise of grunge. This was made clear by songs like "More Than Words by Extreme" and "Nobody's Fool by Cinderella". The music wasn't bad, but the lyrics were so generic that people didn't take them seriously. As a result, many of these bands and the ballads they wrote would fade into obscurity along with ballads being virtually unused in rock and metal until the 2000's.
So after looking at to good things about ballads as well as the problems with them we ask, are they good or bad for rock and metal? The answer, in my opinion, is that they are good for rock and metal. While they can be abused and used as nothing more then a cash grab, they can also be one of the biggest forms of honest expression. It makes rockers look human and it shows that rock and metal is about more then anger and rebellion. After the 80's, newer bands have learned from that era and as a result most of the ballads today are authentic and more people can relate to them then before. Ballads are also more diverse today then they were in the 80's. Most ballads in the 80's were about relationship with women, but today they are also about loving your family, the death of a loved one, self reflection, and the list goes on and on. To people who see ballads a sign that a band has sold out or that think you're not a rocker if you like them, I say look a little deeper and see what inspired a band to make that ballad. Just because it isn't heavy or rebellious, that doesn't make it rock or metal.
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