1. Remember that music reinforces verbal retention. The messages of com- mercial advertisers are more easily retained in our memory because they are set into a musical context. If you can still recall "See the USA in your Chevrolet," (assuming you are old enough to remember it from 30 years ago!), we can conclude that the message was firmly stored in your subconscious for later retrieval. Similarly, heavy metal lyrics, especially "hook lines" like "We're not gonna take it anymore," or "Lick it up," or "Eat me alive" are going to be stored in the current teenager's subconscious. The teen may or may not act upon this in- formation, but we can be relatively certain that the mind has stored it away for future reference. 2. We said that repetition reinforces the message. With heavy metal, there are two kinds of repetition. I refer to them as primary and secondary repetition. Primary repetition is integral to a given song per se. Catchy hook lines are repeated over and over within a song. For example, in "Lick It Up" by KISS, the hook line (the title) is repeated thirty times in this four-minute piece. That's an average of one time every eight seconds. If I were to repeat a short message to you thirty times in the next four minutes, I'll bet you would remember it for quite a while! And remember that as an additional retention aid, the hook line is set to music. The hook line (and title) "Eat Me Alive" by Judas Priest is repeated eighteen times in 3½ minutes. Twisted Sister's line "We're Not Gonna Take It" is repeated 24 times in three minutes and forty seconds. Let's face it: you never beard "See the USA in your Chevrolet" that often, yet your subconscious can still retrieve it. Secondary repetition is more elusive. Adults often have difficulty understanding the words to heavy metal rock songs. And guess what! So do the kids. But they are determined to grasp every profound nugget of wisdom their heavy metal mentors spew forth! So they put on headphones and play the songs over and over, for hours if necessary, in order to decipher the words. Often they write them down in note- books. In the process, more repetitive listening reinforces the message even further. 3. Recall that coordinated multi-sensory input also reinforces messages. The message of heavy metal music bombards our senses from every direc- tion. The album covers display Satanic symbols, portrayals of violence, open and free sex, and angry defiance. The names of the groups, the song titles, the names of the performers (e.g., Blackie Lawless), the words of the songs, and the liner notes reinforce one or more of the basic themes. The facial expressions, the hair, the clothes all contribute to the same messages. The videos and the histrionic antics of the live stage performance add a strong visual impact. The light shows, the smoke devices, and the sheer volume add impact. One can literally feel the music at a live concert, as the rib cage vibrates with every beat. Heavy metal is a media expert's dream-come-true. If the youngsters at the live concert happen to be smoking marijuana (as a great many do), please add the senses of smell and taste. That about rounds out all five senses: you hear it, you see it, you feel it, you taste it, and you smell it! 4. As mentioned earlier, "exclusionary" input enhances the impact of a message. The phenomenon usually results from the parents' yelling for the teenager to "turn it down," or "turn it off," or "go to your room to listen to that stuff!" Often, they do just that. They go to their rooms, and put on the headphones (volume up, of course). When that happens, exclusionary input takes over. Now all distracting or competing input is blocked out. The heavy metal becomes the sole point of concentration. Now the teenager's mind need not be distracted by dishes rattling in the kitchen, little brother watching sitcoms in the next room, the dog barking, or even the telephone ringing (now that's a problem!). Literally, they can't hear it thunder! But heavy metal now has a direct, unfettered freeway straight into the mind. |