”Music does indeed occupy a peculiar position relative to the other arts. On the one hand, it’s insistently popular, but on the other, it has a kind of mystical quality to it. Because most people think they can’t make music, the process of music-making becomes like magic, a matter of instinct and birthright that, unlike the skills of tailoring or cooking, resides always within the individual. Think of the exalted position of music within a relationship: the mixtape, “our song,” the first dance. Music has an ability to express truths about ourselves that other forms seem to lack. Re-enacting your favorite TV show at your wedding would be weird, but playing your favorite song is normal. Music has achieved a cultural position that lets it become a part of our ceremonies and our rituals; pop music, done right, is beatified.

An excellent, pointed paragraph from Mike Barthel’s essay about Platinum Hit on the Village Voice site. (via perpetua)