Originality is Overrated

https://pixabay.com/en/piano-music-score-music-sheet-1655558/

What constitutes originality? Is it the act of creating something unique, an idea that has never before been thought of in the the history of mankind? Or is it something that is just different enough from other content in existence that people can look and say, "Hey this guy's content is fresh!". In the context of music, especially pop, most "original" songs are actually very similar in structure and sound to one another. The whole reason why we can categorize pieces of music into various genres is because people have the capacity to pick out these familiar structures and patterns. The question is, how original does something like music have to be for someone to A) enjoy it, and B) not think to themselves immediately "What a rip off of (insert other song here)"? In the case of legality, copyrighting a piece of music involves owning the particular combination of notes used with respect to time, as well as the exact lyrics used in the song. Nobody can own the sound of a piano, or lay claim to the idea of writing a love song. Because of this, it can sometimes feel like modern music is centered around the same compelling topics, like sex, or getting high, rich, etc. These topics help a song to feel relatable and sell copies. Most people, however, don't really care whether or not a song sounds too similar to another one. They just care that it sounds good. In my opinion, I appreciate when an artist tries out something new and original, but I will always come back to the genres of music that I enjoy. Sometimes it's not about being first, but doing the most with what works.