Let's jam to some congruent music

 Of all the elements of pop culture, I think music is one that I relate to and get the most excited about. I love listening to music and using music to change my environment or mood, whether that be putting on a killer playlist when friends come over, or listening to music that gets my hyped when I go for a run or something. 

    An element of music that I found interesting was the idea of congruent and incongruent music. Congruent music is when the lyrics match the tone of the actual music, and incongruent is when the lyrics don't feel like they match the music, so if there are really sad lyrics but the sound of the song sounds really fun. One of my favorite examples of congruent music is in the Taylor Swift song Exile from one of her recent albums. The lyrics of this song are a duet between a man and a woman and their breakup. Here's the chorus of the song:

So step right out
There is no amount
Of cryin' I can do for you

All this time
We always walked a very thin line
You didn't even hear me out (you didn't even hear me out)
You never gave a warning sign (I gave so many signs)

All this time
I never learned to read your mind (never learned to read my mind)
I couldn't turn things around (you never turned things around)
'Cause you never gave a warning sign (I gave so many signs)
So many signs
So many signs (you didn't even see the signs)

The lyrics are sad and heartbreaking about how this couple couldn't make it work and how they failed to read each other's mind or turn things around in the relationship. The reason this song is congruent is because the actual instrumental music of this song is very deep and sad which matches the lyrics, and when this chorus hits the music matches the anxiety and sad feeling. The piano hits the chords very hard and strong and the sound gets a bit more high pitched which alludes to the anxious feeling of the breakup. This type of congruent music is my favorite kind. When the lyrics and instrumentals match and are congruent like this, I feel like that's when the illusion of life comes out for me in music. The illusion of life is, as defined by Susanne Langer, when we symbolize our own life experiences through music and the emotions we are hearing through music represent our own emotions and experiences in life. I've been through breakups in life before and I could relate to these emotions in this song because it wasn't just the lyrics I was relating to, it was the lyrics and the instrumental music all together that put together this virtual experience. 

My question for the class, do you prefer congruent or incongruent music?