Songs as Folklore, Popular Culture, and Emotional Resources for Commerce

Abstract

The subject of this chapter is songs that can be considered a contemporary hybrid cultural phenomenon. The key question addressed in the article is the role of folklore as a manifestation of tradition within this phenomenon. Folklore does not disappear due to technological and economic dynamics but rather constantly recreates itself around the process of cultural modernisation, creating fruitful relationships with the technological and global world, while remaining rooted in its local cultural homelands. People who practise singing also live simultaneously in the global world and in their familiar local worlds. Thus, the object of this study, examined through a case study of one Lithuanian song, can be considered living folklore and a continuation of local tradition, while also being part of the intersection between popular culture and economics (and consequently commerce). The aim of this article is to reveal the spectrum of functions the song has as a hybrid cultural phenomenon. The conclusion is that the song’s role as a key element of local cultural practice is precisely what has ensured its long-term commercial success.