“Not so much background, more an intrusive bloody row.” “Irrelevant, intrusive, annoying and unnecessary”. One thing Telegraph readers cannot be accused of is mincing their words and their verdict on George Fenton’s music for BBC 1’s acclaimed series ‘Planet Earth’ was coruscating. “Why do we need such music?” queries another correspondent, “Are we incapable of being able to grasp ‘the message’ unless we are bombarded and deafened by dramatic sounds?” Duly alerted to the controversy I tuned in to Sunday night’s edition nervously clutching the remote in one hand and a pair of earplugs in the other. Yet, although Mr Fenton’s expertly orchestrated score may be a tad distracting at times, it was nothing compared to the aural assaults unleashed by The News which followed. The random crashes its producers evidently deem necessary to ‘sex up’ the headlines made me seek refuge in BBC 2’s ‘Match Of The Day’. The respite lasted for only a few minutes before pounding beats heralded the arrival of ‘Goal Of The Month’ and an ensuing bout of frenzied electronics. Compared with these intrusions, George Fenton’s soundtrack is a masterpiece. There are myriad examples of music enhancing films and television and I suspect that the complaints aimed at Planet Earth are born out of frustration at the constant intrusion of background music in our lives. Some people were unhappy a few years ago when I wrote (in a foreword to that wonderful publication (start ital.)The Quiet Pint(end ital.)) that ‘background music has spread like an insidious cancer in our society’. Yet while muzak will not kill you it certainly has become a disease from which there is no escape. A recent MORI poll found that an extraordinary 17% of all respondents cited background music as ‘the single thing they most detest about modern life.’ How can we have reached the point that for millions of people this desensitizing aural pollution has become more disturbing than violent crime, poor education and MRSA in hospitals? Let’s not forget that muzak is big business. There are countless ‘Psycho-Acoustic Consultants’, ‘Sound Designers’ and ‘Mood Engineers’ badgering away at retail outlets and radio and TV producers in an effort to persuade them that their sales/listeners/viewers will increase with the introduction of background music. This myth was discredited years ago when Gatwick Airport conducted a survey of it’s own which discovered that – far from being ‘soothed’ by piped music- its passengers would prefer to have some peace and quiet. Gatwick has remained a muzak-free zone ever since. All kinds of arguments are employed to promote background music. The latest ruse being propagated by organizations as diverse as banks and blood donor clinics is that ‘it helps to preserve confidentiality’. This is obviously rubbish as people merely talk louder to make themselves heard above the noise. More likely, muzak causes misunderstandings between staff and customers – not a good idea in either banks or blood banks. Over-zealous use of background music on TV and Radio programmes is a sure sign that programme makers are lacking confidence in their product. Producers are so obsessed with ratings that they fear any moment of repose will be labelled ‘boring’ unless filled by muzak or some other distraction. They should take courage from a series like ‘The Office’ which triumphed without resorting either to canned music or canned laughter. A complaint about background music is often met with the question “so you don’t like music then?” But this is precisely the point. If music is any good it deserves to be listened to, not merely to drivel away in the background like some incontinent aural pollutant. The muzak onslaught has reached such proportions that ‘choice’ is no longer part of the equation. In many towns and even entire cities, there is nowhere to eat, sleep or drink without it. And how can you choose not to hear it when you are placed in a queue on the phone or when you are confined in a plane? The only hope lies in consumer power but are we prepared to use it?
