Music is food for the soul

The Definition of ‘Food’ - any substance consumed to provide nutritional support for an organism. 

Music is food for the soul.

It was French gourmand Anthelme Brillat-Savarin who famously stated,  “Tell me what kind of food you eat, and I will tell you what kind of man you are.” 

From our choices we make, to the decisions we take; our own way of living and personal style; every aspect has always been influenced by music.

Food and music formed a unique bond in the United States during the 1960s and 1970s. The two allowed for a more intimate communication of culture by a symbolic expression of personal beliefs during a prominent time of social change. 

Think about the vast number of famous notations of food in songs -  “Green Onions” by Booker T & MG’s, The Beatles “Strawberry Fields” or “Brown Sugar” by the Rolling Stones. 

The rise of the ‘New Left’ and earlier American socialist movements, encouraged a counterculture that resisted current policies by using food as an act of resistance. Trends of vegetarianism or veganism were even embraced by influential music figures such as Sir Paul Mccartney, a dedicated vegan. 

Subcultures that embodied a disenchantment towards the American government were embodied in rock music of the time including The Beatles, The Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, Bob Dylan and Jimi Hendrix. Individuals within these groups often opposed the food industry with its canned and processed foods and factory farms. 

Music is more than its parts. It became the way of communicating identity and allegiance to certain sets of beliefs or movements that were embraced at the time and still to this day. 

Music is the Food for Soul.

Image: Richard Avedon