There are many different forms of media that affect our lives – our personality, our interests, the things we have in common with other people – and there are tons of them that I could say have changed my life. Going down the music route, ‘Jollification’ by The Lightning Seeds is easily one of my favourite works ever. The Lightning Seeds were a band of some remote success and I believe this album was the pinnacle of their creative input into music. Ian Broudie is one of the most talented musicians the world has seen and hardly gets the credibility he should.
The band is mainly recognised for ‘Three Lions’ (1996) for the England football team and is now a national football anthem that could be heard constantly during England’s appearance in the World Cup. However, this song barely scrapes the potential of the band and is just a small insight into the greatness they can produce. It may be their most popular song but is not by a long shot their best.
One thing that holds the band closer to me is that they are from Liverpool and started from nothing, but through pure talent worked their way up the ladder of what being a band is and shared their talent with millions. ‘Jollification’ was the third album the band released and contains some of their most memorable tracks like ‘Change’, ‘Marvellous’ and ‘Lucky you.’ However, of all the songs on this album, and all the songs in the world, ‘Perfect’ is where they peaked. The song is fantastic and lives up to its name. There is not a song more meaningful, with beautifully crafted lyrics and a soothing melody – overall it is calming and a joy to listen to. Below is the album cover.
The album has a personal resonation with me – loved by my family members and something I enjoy showing to other people. This is a collective summary of the capability of a band when the right amount of talent, dedication and work is put in. I first heard the album on the way to school a few years ago – it’s one of my dad’s favourites – and have loved the band since and the way the songs make me feel. There is an almost nostalgic feel to it now and it is perfect for whatever mood I’m in. Listening to it made me go on to listen to other works from the band which were equally as enjoyable, and I had the album signed after seeing them last year in Birmingham. They also give a brilliant live performance and continue to release great music.
The album is surely fantastic, but it isn’t fair to say it is the only form of music that I feel has affected my life or my relationships with other people. ‘What’s the Story Morning Glory’ by Oasis is easily the best album ever created and has some of the greatest songs the world has ever seen, but I wouldn’t say that this has had as strong an effect on me as ‘Jollification.’ My personal connection with the album I have chosen goes beyond the greatness of other works of music. The Lightning Seeds create relatable and passionate songs with lyrics that can be understood but still have complex meanings. The album is more melancholic and soulful than some of the great work’s bands like Oasis have created, or whoever your favourite artists may be. If you haven’t, giving the album a full listen even just once leaves me with no doubt you’ll come away with a new favourite song and something you want to share with others.
The album gives an emotional connection between the listener and the artist, and this is not the only time they have done this with their music. ‘Sense’ is another fantastic album the band has produced and deserves some recognition too. ‘Jollification’ is particularly good for those long journeys on a cold morning – it puts reality into perspective and gives meaning to life and what people are going through in their lives.
The album is a feel good one that manipulates your emotions with cheerful tones and impactful lyrics. The songs are enjoyable at any time and there is a wide variety that will allow anyone listening to find something that suits them. People can interpret their songs in different ways and listen to the mood to feel what the song and singer is feeling.
Others listening to the album immediately will be able to see the emotional impact of each song – they can suit any mood, and anyone listening will also be able to hear the amount of hard work put into it. The album is a rare gem that is hard to find amongst the rapid stream of terrible music. Maybe this album wouldn’t change the life of someone else, but the beauty of it would surely be appreciated.
I could write pages on why I enjoy the album, but the point here is on how it changed my life. I have an intellectual connection with the music and what it means in the real world. It puts into perspective that music should be created by someone with talent, experience and something to make music for. Music should not be created lazily for fame and money as seems to be the case nowadays, and truly great pieces of music can be made by those that aren’t in it for nothing other than to capitalise from it. Being a musician should only be encouraged towards those passionate about it, and frankly, there are people that are just not good at creating music. The thing about the album that strikes me is how good every song is and has clearly been made with time and effort, rather than a few poor rhymes strung over a lazy beat. Each rhythm pattern and sequences, every line sung, and every instrument played has been carefully selected and set into place. Music in many ways now can be treated as a joke, just something made as a lazy attempt at success, but then there are amazing artists who don’t get an ounce of recognition. There is so much luck involved in the work, and while this album did have its success, I don’t think the success came from luck. It came from people who genuinely appreciate what the band have to offer.
This has changed the way I listen to music, and there are so many other fantastic albums and artists that have done the same. It’s borderline shameful to sit by and call yourself a music when there is no effort, there is no spark, and instead a person who looked up a writing prompt and quickly came up with a song so repetitive you feel like you’ve already heard it before. Don’t get me wrong in what I am saying, there are still fantastic artists about nowadays, the way there are pop songs with a repetitive tune that are still good. However, I think it is easy to differentiate the good and the bad. The thing with ‘Jollification’ like tons of other works from the band, they don’t all have similar sounding songs or beats. The lyrics are different, and the songs have a focus. We have become so desensitised to genuinely good works of art because of how much bad is muddled in. One of my favourite people to quote on this is Banksy, an artist who has also had an impact on my life. He has a creative input into society that isn’t respected by a lot of people due to the controversy around graffiti, but he is someone who understands hard work and the problem of capitalism behind artwork. As he said, 'All artists are willing to suffer for their work. But why are so few prepared to learn to draw?' Artists don’t want to put in the work to get to the point of success, and yet they don’t realise how difficult success is to manage.
It has changed my media consumption - listening to music or even looking at pieces of work I think about whether or not it was made with genuine passion, enjoyment and time - or just a lazy throwaway. The lazy throwaways succeeding talent is frustrating and I am more conscious of what I listen to. Music for me is also a way of interacting with other people and finding common ground.
To conclude, there are hundreds of different media texts I could have written about and say have changed my life. Even narrowing it down to just music, there are tons of things I could have said, because all media we take in changes our life in some way. I chose this album out of respect for the unappreciated talent of a fantastic band, and my own personal experience with it.
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