Is it depressing music if it doesn’t depress you?

I was at a great party last night. Just the right amount of people, good conversation, a healthy amount of booze, a dance floor and great music. One of the fabulous party hosts moved his bed out of his room to make a dance floor. Around midnight –the dancing hour- roomie and I made use of the room dancing to some Jay-Z, Kayne and other danceable tunes.

At around 1am I was a little partied out as I was still tired from my Friday night out with the gossip but dancefloor party host said no you can’t go now! Grab a beer and let’s lie on my floor and listen to music. I said … well, let me grab a beer. So for the next 2 hours we went through his music collection – which is great by the way – I tried to out do each other with sad and depressing songs. Music that I lovingly refer to as music to slit your wrists to. We played Ryan Adams, Gillian Welsh, Bonnie Prince Billy, Emmy Lou Harris, Joni Mitchell, Death Cab for Cutie, Damien Rice and the list goes on and on. Now it wasn’t just the two of us people came in and out of the room adding to the playlist and listening to new tunes they hadn’t heard before.

Here is the funny part, neither one of us get depressed listening to sad music. It is just so beautiful and so well written that all we can do is appreciate it for its beauty. The melodies, the poetry, the harmonies, and the choice of instruments for each song made us happy rather than sad. Sure sometimes a sad song can pull you into a sad place if you are already there but on a regular day it just makes me smile as I listen to what a group of artists can do when brought together with voices and instruments. So I ask you is it depressing music if it doesn’t depress you?