Blurred Lines of Identity

With my personal experience in Paris, I found a wide array of music in English playing all around. My first night of the trip a group of us went to a restaurant a block down from the dorm. The waitstaff spoke little French. The menu was in French with adjacent English translations that resembled those found off of GoogleTranslate. All the while sitting trying to decipher what we were told by our waiter and what we read on the menu, we were surrounded by the sounds of "Open Season" by Josef Salvat. Salvat, born in Australia, is not very well known or uber popular. His music falls under the categories of alternative or indie pop and he plays only in English. I only knew his song because a friend of mine back home showed me it a while back. No one else in my group had heard of him or his music. As it was my first night in France (and the sound quality was mediocre at best in the restaurant), I assumed we were hearing a French version of Salvat's song. I was wrong as I listened more and realized it was in fact playing in English. It shocked me as my first experience hearing English music playing in France.

This pattern of awe over the lack of French music in restaurants and bars and stores and anywhere else continued. The only French songs I heard stereotypically were either EDM songs playing in some of the clubs, "La Vie en Rose" playing in a very touristy restaurant, or a French translation of an originally English song (i.e. "Let It Go" from the movie Frozen). Globalization and the grandness of the American music industry hold great influence in Paris.

It's ironic to me as for most people I know (including myself) use music as a form of identifying with themselves and others. Letting someone else look through your music collection and taste allows them to look at a unique side of yourself. This idea reigns true today and reigned true for the people of my parents generation and generations back. We give music the power to connect us or distance us from others. If someone likes the same music as you, you form an instant link. If they don't, you start questioning their choices and that side of their personality. Music is something that everyone finds a way to relate. It says a lot about your identity.

So, I think my confusion over the popularity of American music in Paris is understandable. How can songs that only a fraction of the population comprehends hold so much power over this population? Why do these songs still remain popular? In one way, you can say that American spread of culture taints the originality of Parisian culture, that the American lifestyle and music and etc. are slowly ruining the uniqueness of what is Paris. I think that is a correct statement. Paris has always been known for its unparalleled way of life and structure of society. The French language has always reigned with all her might. Nowadays, though, you hear American songs playing in French restaurants. You see French parents wanting American au pairs so that their kids can learn proper English. You see this intrigue of the English language and American fashion and food and culture. So the question becomes is Parisian culture getting lost in this obsession of the unknown America and all that America represents?

In another way, though, you can say that this spread illustrates the way we are all alike and the power of music to epitomize identities. If we decide that taste in music represents a large side of who you are and then that same music is also globally popular, doesn't that connect every single person who likes that music? Doesn't that mean that a person from the boondocks of Louisiana shares parts of her identity with an older man in Marseille, France? Or Beijing, China? Or Harare, Zimbabwe? Music is known and has always been known as a way of telling stories and showing emotion. The thing is, emotion and archetypical stories aren't only true in one place for one person. They hold truth for millions if not billions of people. If American music is popular in France, doesn't that just show the interconnectivity of our cultures? 

Salvat's "Open Season" goes as followed:

And this is open season

Time is up, time to be leaving
Head on down this very arbitrary road
Armor up, and say your prayers from underdogs and millionaires
I heard you're better off on your own
But I ain't gonna face this hunt alone

Every single person around the world, especially in the culturally diverse USA and the currently troubled France, understands the truth of these lyrics. Everyone has faced a struggle that they needed to overcome whether it be getting on the wrong metro or cheering for the losing football team. A struggle is a globally identifiable topic. Music brings countries and populations together. Its understandable that American music be played in Paris because the two cultures are not far from the same in many ways. Now the identities and uniqueness of these two cultures should be kept unique and individual, but who is to say that they can't relate to each other?