If Signs Were Music

[You can read the article here, but you can also watch and listen to it here, on Youtube.]

Today we’re looking at the Zodiac signs in a more experiential manner. But before we get to each sign individually, let me just say a few things about what signs do in the chart as a whole. Signs are not indicators of personality. They are indicators of needs. A need is essentially a necessity that is perceived as lacking. For example, food is a necessity for us to live and, if it’s lacking, it becomes a basic need. These needs then drive us to act in order that we may fulfill them. This is known in psychology as drive theory, and it’s very evident in the structure of astrology. These behaviors, of people trying to fulfill certain needs more than others, then become mistakenly interpreted as personality traits. But they are not that.

This brings up another relevant question such as: if signs are needs, why does astrology associate all kinds of things – both concrete and abstract, such as music or places – with signs? An explanation can be found in historical imprinting. But I’ll leave that longer historical discussion for a future article. For now, let’s look at how each individual sign’s need might be fulfilled through the musical genre that I’ve associated with it. This is not a comprehensive list and is, of course, a subjective take based upon my limited knowledge of musical genres and experiences, growing up in America. There are certainly other genres that I didn’t cover, some of which you may find to be more suited to a given sign than the ones I’ve selected. I’m also not extensively versed in many of these genres of music. So the bands or songs I’ve selected as examples are either known to be historically defining of the genre, or simply significant artists from my own youth. So let’s get to it…

Aries: Punk (Sex Pistols, "Anarchy in the U.K.")

First up is Aries, the spring equinox sign that begins the zodiacal year. It’s a sign of short ascension that signifies fresh starts and new beginnings. It activates with birth and the early years of childhood, when we’re trying to learn how to master autonomy and independence of movement and action. For this reason, it signifies the need for autonomy and independence. In Babylon, where wars were fought during the spring, Aries was a sign associated with rebellion, hostility, and conflict. And, like a newborn struggling with dominance over its impulses, that same forceful tension with others is often carried in the areas of the chart where we find Aries.

The musical genre I feel best satisfies the Arian impulse is Punk music. Punk is a raw, aggressive genre of rock that emerged in the mid-1970s. It’s characterized by short, fast songs, stripped-down instrumentation, anti-establishment lyrics, and a DIY (do-it-yourself) attitude that rejected mainstream culture. Its lyrics are typically confrontational and political, tackling themes of anti-authority, social alienation, and rebellion against the status quo. It’s a musical genre that embodies tension with others over autonomy.

The band that historically defined the genre were the Sex Pistols, a highly influential British band formed in 1975. They came on the scene with a confrontational, anti-establishment attitude, provocative lyrics, and what was shocking fashion for the time, featuring spiked hair and ripped and deconstructed clothing, often adorned with safety pins and crude slogans. Though their initial career was short, lasting about three years, they are credited with initiating the punk movement in the U.K., and their debut album, Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols, is considered a landmark of the genre. The band's lineup famously included vocalist Johnny Rotten, guitarist Steve Jones, drummer Paul Cook, and bassist Glen Matlock, who was later replaced by the iconic, but short-lived, Sid Vicious. "Anarchy in the U.K." is their incendiary debut single, widely considered the definitive anthem of the British punk rock movement. Released in November 1976, the song is a direct and aggressive critique of the social, economic, and political disillusionment in mid-1970s Britain. 

Taurus: Country (John Mellencamp, "Rain on the Scarecrow")

Signs compensate for what comes before. Thus, quiet Taurus, the second sign of the Zodiac, is in many ways the easy-going opposite of Aries. It’s symbolized by the Bull of Heaven, which is Inanna’s sacred animal. Inanna being the Babylonian name for the deity syncretized with the Roman Venus. The Sumerian name for the 2nd month meant "sending bull or oxen". This referred to a ritual ploughing ceremony where ornamented oxen pulled a plough, sometimes followed by the king, holding the handle. This act was considered a magical rite, symbolizing the sacred marriage of the plough and the earth, to ensure fertility and a good harvest. Thus, the month of Taurus symbolizes the need for the material resources that the earth and life can provide. The bull is still a symbol that we find outside of the stock market in NYC, precisely because of its millennia-old connection with all manner of material wealth. The stock market is, of course, an exaggerated expression of the bull, because balanced Taurean needs will manifest basic material needs, a respect for nature, simplicity, and unpretentious attitudes.

Country music has historically been a musical genre that embodies this straightforward attitude and concern for the land. Country is an American genre with roots in southern folk and bluegrass. It’s characterized by simple harmonies and a focus on narrative lyrics, typically addressing themes of everyday life, hard work, heartbreak, faith, and patriotism. Country music lyrics often tell stories in a plain, straightforward manner, exploring themes that resonate with rural and working-class audiences.

The country genre’s first solo superstar, in the 1920s was Jimmie Rodgers, who’s known as the "Father of Country Music" by music historians. His music blended traditional folk with African-American blues, jazz, and yodeling. His "Blue Yodel" series of songs sold millions of records and influenced generations of artists, including Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, and Dolly Parton.

Nevertheless, I’ve chosen an artist from my youth as an example who’s more appropriately defined as heartland rock, which is a sub-genre characterized by a straightforward, roots-oriented sound that blends rock and roll with folk, blues, and country influences. It’s John Mellencamp, and his music is often described as a soundtrack to the lives of working-class Americans, particularly in the Midwest. His vocal delivery is raw, earnest, and sometimes raspy, while his singing style is direct and unpretentious, like the sign we’re talking about. The song "Rain on a Scarecrow" from his 1985 Scarecrow album, is a good example because it gives voice to the agrarian concerns that harken back to the very beginnings of this sign. It’s a piece of socially conscious heartland rock that brought the plight of American farmers to national attention and in keeping with the power of the fertility goddess Venus, helped to spur the creation of the Farm Aid concerts. 

Gemini: Rap (Eminem, "Drug Ballad")

Our 3^rd sign is Gemini, the sign represented by the twins. It’s the first sign depicting humans, in this case, siblings -- which means it's concerned with social interactions between peers. Gemini compensates for the mute sign of Taurus and activates during our adolescent years, traditionally a time for education, socializing, and learning a trade. Because it’s fulfilled in the 3^rd month of the Babylonian calendar, a time when the weather allowed for the drying of mud-bricks and clay tablets for writing, this sign represents the need for communication and learning.

The genre of music most driven by a concern for the spoken word is rap. Rap, or emceeing, as it was originally known) emerged as a vocal art form used by masters of ceremonies to introduce DJs and hype up the crowd at block parties. As the culture evolved, rapping became a more prominent, independent musical form, but it remains fundamentally part of the larger hip hop culture. It’s characterized by rhythmic, rhyming speech that’s spoken or sung, typically to a prominent instrumental beat. The vocal delivery involves complex rhythms, rhymes, and wordplays, often performed with a distinct flow and cadence. It’s a form of oral storytelling and self-expression, and its lyrics function as a narrative of urban life and social commentary. Rap originated in the South Bronx of New York City in the 1970s, and has evolved into the global cultural hip hop phenomenon of today. 

I’ve chosen Eminem to exemplify this genre because of his rapid, clever wordplay. Featured on the 2000 album The Marshall Mathers LP, the song "Drug Ballad" is an upbeat, darkly humorous, and cynical rap about the culture of recreational drug use and excess during the height of his early fame. The lyrical style is characterized by a mix of dark humor, casual storytelling, and a technically complex, multi-syllabic rhyme scheme. The technical execution is typical of early Eminem: the complex, internal, and multi-syllabic rhymes are packed into rapid-fire verses. The flow is catchy and rhythmic, which makes the song highly accessible despite its subject matter.

Cancer: Blues (B.B. King, "The Thrill is Gone")

Cancer is the 4^th sign and is depicted by the crab, a creature with a thick protective exoskeleton. It’s ruled by the Moon, which provides a low, protective light, in the midst of nighttime’s darkness. Thus, Cancer represents the need for protection, which harkens back to the activities surrounding Du’uzu, the 4^th month of the Babylonian calendar. These activities centered overwhelmingly around a period of intense mourning – often involving the public wailing of women -- and the ritual lamentation for the dying fertility god, Dumuzi. Du'uzu occurred during the peak of the hot summer, a time when the major harvests were complete and the land was often arid and dormant before the autumn planting season. Dry heat was associated with ghosts and the spirits of the dead, and was considered an appropriate time for protection rituals against illness and other life-threats. Torchlit precessions occurred during three of those days to guide the spirits of the dead as they roamed above ground.

For Cancer, I’ve selected the blues, which emerged in America in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, from the African-American communities of the deep south. This genre is all about the sorrows of the soul. It has a distinctive melancholic sound, with an especially raw emotional expression that seems appropriate for this low-lying month. The blues possesses a specific and distinctive 12-bar musical structure that has influenced almost all forms of popular Western music, including jazz, rock and roll, country, and R&B. It’s lyrics are typically raw, honest, and often somber, focusing on the hardships of life and personal feelings, much like the concerns of Moon-ruled Cancer.

B.B. King, known globally as the "King of the Blues," was a master of the guitar and famous for his soulful voice, intricate string bending, and "butterfly" vibrato. His playing style using a Gibson guitar which he affectionately named "Lucille” is instantly recognizable. The song "The Thrill Is Gone" was a track that became a massive crossover hit in 1969 and won a Grammy Award. It’s essentially a lamentation song for a love that has died and the loneliness that will take its place, evocative of the lamentation rituals characteristic of this summer solstice month in Mesopotamia.

Leo: Glam Rock (David Bowie, "Ziggy Stardust")

Leo is the 5^th sign of the Zodiac and depicted by the image of the constellation of the Lion. In the calendar, this month was named Abu, which means father. The Lion is the head of a pride, much like the father was the head of the family in antiquity. Compensating for Cancer’s concern for home and family, Leo perceives a lack of personal validation and attempts to forge its own identity. Thus, the need of Leo is to validate one’s own identity. Although loyal and generous, it is sometimes also viewed as a vain sign, given to theatricality and showmanship.

The musical genre most suited to capturing the attention that Leo craves is glam rock, an abbreviation for "glamour rock," which is a flamboyant and theatrical style of rock music and visual art that emerged in the early 1970s in the UK. It’s most notable for the performers' elaborate, androgynous costumes, heavy makeup, and glitter, which were all designed to challenge traditional notions of gender and rock masculinity. Musically, glam rock was diverse, incorporating elements of hard rock, pop, and 1950s rock and roll. Visual spectacle was the defining feature of glam rock and included lyrical themes of science fiction and futurism, showmanship, and escapism.

The most iconic example of this genre is David Bowie, at least in his commercially successful early phase, exemplified by albums like The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. He was a pioneer in blurring the lines between rock, pop, soul, and electronic music. But it was the intertwining of his music with elaborate personas (like Ziggy Stardust, Aladdin Sane, and the Thin White Duke), each with a distinct visual and sonic identity, that makes him a perfect example of Leo’s need for identity. In effect, Bowie, too, generated several musical identities -- much as this sign does with children in the 5th house -- in an attempt to secure his legacy.

Virgo: Classical (Mozart, "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik")

Next up is Virgo, the earth sign depicting the Virgin, who functions as a symbol of unblemished purity and perfection. The idea of purity comes from the 6^th month of the Babylonian calendar, which was dedicated to Inanna and her priestesses, who ritually bathed in the river -- another constellation to rise in the 6^th month – in a symbolic act of purification. This sign thus signifies the need for improvement or precision, where these things may be lacking. Because of their enhanced attention to detail, those driven by Virgo will possess great technical prowess and the capacity for complexity. Engineering is a typical Virgoan environment; but any place of detailed enhancements can become the playground of a Virgo planet.

The genre of music that best illustrates technical complexity and a striving for perfection is classical music. It’s not uncommon for musicians who want to be admired for their advanced musical abilities to claim classical training. This genre is characterized by its formal composition, technical skill, and expressive depth, often using orchestral instruments, complex harmonies, and structured forms. Wolfgang Mozart’s music stands out as the pinnacle of the Classical-era-style of the genre. It’s renowned for its profound beauty, technical perfection, and a seemingly effortless blend of emotion with impeccable structure.

Libra: Pop music (ABBA, "Knowing me, Knowing you")

We’re halfway there. Libra, the sign of the Scales, depicts a need for fairness and balance. It’s not an indicator of fair and balanced personalities but, more likely, of the lack of those qualities in a given place or situation. Because of its dual nature and air element, this need typically gets satisfied by human relationships, particularly with couples, which is why it appears naturally in the 7^th place of marriage and partnership. In antiquity, Tashritu, the 7^th month of the Babylonian calendar, is the month of judgement, when one’s actions were evaluated and assessed for fairness and balance. It’s because of this month that the Scales are a symbol of the justice system, where two parties attempt to secure fairness in disputes. If you’ve ever been in a long-term relationship, then you know that it’s through partnership that the judgement aspect of Libra is expressed.

Being ruled by fun-loving Venus, who is the giver of relationships, the larger category of Pop music comes to mind. Popular music is a broad and commercially driven umbrella of music, designed to appeal to the widest possible audience. It’s characterized by catchy melodies, simple song structures, but with high-quality, professional production. It can be eclectic, borrowing elements from rock, R&B, dance, country, and other genres, but its primary goal is mainstream accessibility and commercial success. Lyrics in pop music are typically universal, relatable, and easy to understand, often being about relationships, partying, fun, self-empowerment, and universal experiences.

As such, popular duets come to mind. But the most commercially successful masters of popular music have to be ABBA, made up of essentially two couples in one band. ABBA's music is the quintessential definition of Europop and dance pop, characterized by a sophisticated blend of distinctive sound, infectious melodies, and polished production. This late 70s to early 80s band consisted of two married couples -- both of whom later divorced. They were: Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad, forming the band’s name as an acronym from their first name initials. In ABBA, Libra’s need for balance and fairness in relationship is fulfilled, both within the band’s structure, but also in the break-up themes they not only sing about, but also experienced personally.

Scorpio: Heavy metal (Metallica, "Enter Sandman")

Scorpio might arguably be the black sheep of the Zodiac, getting very little respect in terms of its significations. This is because the 8^th month of the Babylonian calendar was a month when the fields were idle and unproductive. In Hellenistic astrology, the 8^th place is still called the idle house today. In the Bible, Proverbs explains by telling us that “Idle hands are the devil's workshop”, which suggests that ancient man understood that idleness was fertile ground for obsessions and for getting into trouble. The constellation of the poisonous Scorpion signifies the need to let go of what is unproductive and toxic. The sign appears in areas of the chart that aren’t serving us and where something must be purged in our life.

Since Mars rules Scorpio and must satisfy this need for purging, I can think of two musical genres that allow us to contemplate that which is toxic and expungable: goth and metal. Metal is perhaps still the most popular, developing in the late 1960s and early 1970s, primarily in the UK and the US. It’s characterized by its loud, distorted guitar sounds, forceful rhythms, dense instrumentation, and powerful vocals. Lyrics frequently explore themes of death, war, social injustice, fantasy, and the occult. Unlike the fun, party themes of glam rock, or the emotional accessibility of pop, metal often delves into darker, more introspective, or compulsive topics, reminiscent of the obsessions found in the 8^th place of the chart.

Metallica is an American heavy metal band widely regarded as one of the most influential and commercially successful in the genre's history. Formed in Los Angeles in 1981, they’re credited as one of the "Big Four" of thrash metal, a style of heavy metal characterized by its fast tempos and aggression. Their music often features socially conscious lyrics, and intense, raw energy. They have won nine Grammy Awards and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2009. "Enter Sandman," from their Black album, remains one of their more polished mainstream hits.

Sagittarius: Worldbeat or New Age (Deep Forest, "Sweet Lullaby")

Sagittarius is the 9^th sign of the Zodiac. Its glyph is an arrow pointing upward and to the right. This, of course, is the arrow of the Centaur archer, which is the image formed by the Sagittarius constellation. The arrow symbolizes the need for wisdom and direction, which is what the sign signifies. In antiquity, the archer was Ninurta and footraces in his honor occurred throughout Mesopotamia, during Kislimu, the Babylonian 9^th month. The 9^th house is, of course, a house containing all of the places where we can look for, and satisfy, the need for direction and wisdom: churches, places of higher learning, and foreign lands, where we must literally look for guides to show us the way forward.

Basically any genre of music that opens us up spiritually, or in terms of the world, qualifies as a musical genre for this sign. Two come to mind: Worldbeat and New Age. Worldbeat is a hybrid musical genre that deliberately blends elements of pop or rock music with traditional or indigenous "world music" from non-Western cultures. It’s a form of cultural fusion designed to introduce traditional sounds to a wider, mainstream audience. 

There are several artists that have pioneered worldbeat, including Paul Simon in his Graceland album, Talking Heads, and Enya, who may also overlap into the New Age genre. But a popular early expression was Deep Forest, a French musical duo known for blending electronic music and dance beats with ethnic vocal samples from various indigenous cultures around the world, for example, the Baka Pygmies of Central Africa. Their track "Sweet Lullaby" consists of a layered, high-pitched female vocal sample. These vocals are an authentic lullaby, originally sung by a young woman from the Solomon Islands to her child. Deep Forest sampled this recording, made by ethnomusicologist Hugo Zemp, and used it as the main melodic and rhythmic hook of the song. Their music is trance-like, soothing, and contemplative, but also mind-expanding, which is what this Jupiter-ruled sign is all about.

Capricorn: Progressive Rock (Pink Floyd, "Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2)")

During the winter solstice, the sun reaches its highest point in the sky while also at its closest angle to earth. It was regarded as a time for the rebirth of the light, celebrated in many pagan and Christian traditions. For the Mesopotamians, it was seen as a return of the cosmic order of things. Our winter solstice month belongs to Capricorn, symbolized by the goat. Like the billy-goat, this sign’s actors perceive the need to tackle mountainous heights in order to accomplish great things. This is a good metaphor, since the need of Capricorn is to accomplish its ambitions and produce something of lasting significance.

One of the more ambitious forms of music is progressive rock, often shortened to prog rock. It’s a broad subgenre of rock that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s that’s characterized by a departure from the standard popular music formula -- verse-chorus-verse -- in favor of experimentation, complex musical structures and arrangements, conceptual themes, and a blending of rock with other genres, particularly classical music and jazz. Like Capricorn’s long ascension, prog rock tends toward longer track lengths and its lyrics are generally more serious, conceptual, and philosophical, than typical rock music. But what stands out is its dynamically complex arrangements and diversity in instrumentation.

Ambitious in scope, Pink Floyd's music is a quintessential example of prog rock, distinguished by its atmospheric soundscapes, experimental studio techniques, extended compositions, and profound conceptual themes. While the band evolved throughout their career, several core elements consistently aligned their work with the progressive genre. 1979’s The Wall is a rock opera that details the themes of isolation and of psychological barriers. Its themes are ruled by Saturn, the planet in charge of satisfying the ambition needs of Capricorn. "A Brick in the Wall (Part 2)"  is one of the more popular tracks.

Aquarius: Electronic Rock (Depeche Mode, "People are People")

Aquarius is the 11^th sign of the Zodiac and the last of the human signs, which as we’ve seen, all have to do with interactions involving people. Because it’s the last air sign, it has to do with large groups of people. It activates in our 70s, when many of us are losing our loved ones and is appropriately also ruled by Saturn, the planet of resilience, old age, and loneliness. It, therefore, signals isolation and the need for inclusion. Furthermore, since Saturn rules science, this sign also connects humans to technology. And who amongst us hasn’t yet heard the new age belief that we’re currently in the Age of Aquarius?

Given these associations, I have to give Aquarius to electronic rock, also known as synth rock, electro-rock, or digi-rock. This is a diverse musical fusion genre that combines elements of rock music with electronic music, using a mix of traditional rock instruments and electronic instruments such as synthesizers, samplers, drum machines, and sequencers. The genre's roots trace back to the late 1960s and early 1970s, with artists like Silver Apples and Kraftwerk, who were early pioneers in electronic instrumentation. The new wave and synth-pop movements of the late 1970s and 1980s solidified the genre's popularity, using synthesizers as a primary instrument, alongside guitars. 

Influenced by Kraftwerk and OMD, one of the bands that popularized the electronic genre in the 1980s, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2020, and is still releasing albums and touring as of 2024, is Depeche Mode. Their music is a distinctive fusion of electronic rock, synth-pop, alternative rock, and darkwave, known for its sophisticated blend of melancholic songwriting and innovative sound design. Their music evolved significantly over their decades-long career, transitioning from bright, upbeat pop to a darker, moodier, and more industrial sound, which is more in keeping with our genre’s ruler. They also moved away from purely pristine synthesizers, pioneering the use of sampling everyday noises and industrial objects, like pipes and hammers, to add texture and grit to their sound.

Released in 1984, the track People are People is a direct commentary on prejudice, intolerance, and the need for universal acceptance, which are defining Aquarian themes. The song lyrics highlight the futility of conflict and emphasize that despite surface differences, all individuals are fundamentally the same. 

Pisces: Dream or Ambient Pop (Cocteau Twins, "Heaven or Las Vegas")

And lastly, we have our two fish – Pisces. Pisces is a water sign, so the sign relates to the emotional realm. But what is significant about these two fish is that they are bound by a chord and trying to swim in different directions. The fish belong to the 12^th place, which is a place of imprisonment. Being the last sign of the cycle, activating in old age, it signals a time when we’re physically becoming more limited and restricted. Therefore, this sign signals the need to transcend physical and material restrictions, of whatever lies in the place where it appears. But the only way to transcend the material realm is to escape its structures, either through entropy, or the dissolution of matter, by its ambient, which is why the fish are in water.

When I think of Pisces, I think of altered mental states, meditation, and of dreams, as a means of transcending the Physical. Dream pop, sometimes overlapping with "ambient pop”, is an ethereal and atmospheric subgenre of alternative rock that emerged in the mid-1980s. It’s defined by its focus on creating immersive soundscapes and specific moods, rather than traditional musical structures or straightforward lyrics. The sound of dream pop is often described as a "wash of sound," characterized by layered textures and a hazy quality, featuring ethereal vocals and slow or mid-tempo rhythms. It’s not meant to be danced to, it’s meant to be vibed to. The lyrics, when they’re decipherable, tend to be introspective, abstract, and emotional.

Often credited as the pioneers of the genre in the 80s, are The Cocteau Twins. Primarily a duo, like our two fish, they too swim in unearthly cosmic waters and became known for Elizabeth Fraser's unique angelic vocalizations, often consisting of a made-up language, and Robin Guthrie's signature, effects-laden, layered guitar work. "Heaven or Las Vegas" is the title track from their highly acclaimed sixth studio album, released in 1990. The song and the album, as a whole, represent a pivot point in the band's career, maintaining their signature, otherworldly style, while incorporating more accessible pop elements. The title "Heaven or Las Vegas" reflects a duality between innocence/purity (ie. heaven) and indulgence/materialism (i.e. Las Vegas), the two realms indicated by the fish of Pisces.

What do you think of our choices? Let us know if you can think of other genres for any of the Zodiac signs and why you think they work.