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Historical and cultural influences on 1960s music
Historical and cultural influences on 1960s music
Historical and cultural influences on 1960s music
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Sheila Whitely (2000), in her book ‘Women and Popular Music: Sexuality, Identity and Subjectivity’ argues that mainstream music in the 1960’s was fundamental misogynistic, characterising women along the classic lines of either an idealised saint or a whore. For her there is little room for feminism to thrive given these two polarised and constructed forms of identity. In terms of the saintly figure she analyses two of rock’s most popular songs, The Beatles ‘Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds’ or Led Zeppelin’s ‘Stairway to Heaven’. In both of these songs, women, while being the main characters, are objectified as an idealised dolls living in a mystic fairytale. Mainstream rock also presents idealised forms of female identity on the other side
What emerged after the explosion of rock and roll in the 1950s abandoned the roll and has now come to be known just as classic rock. This rock that was created following the decade of The King became a completely unique and different sound that changed the musical landscape and what was once a single, unified genre gave way for multitudes of variation in its sounds. These new sounds, that came mostly from abroad, had been notably influenced by the American rock of the 1950s, such as Elvis, Buddy Holly and Chuck Berry. These pioneers of rock came to be the essential reason for the arrival of the British Invasion and other sounds that defined the decade of the 1960s.
The bebop revolution coincided with the birth of the Beat Generation. In a slightly unbalanced relationship, Beat writers often molded their poetics and style after the playing of such jazz music. "Jazz writers," such as Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg, upheld their poetic ideals to the techniques of jazz musicians, such as rhythm, improvisation, and call and response. The structure of creative writing underwent a change, as the importance of form equaled that of theme.
This book provides a very detailed outline on how and where rock and roll originated. It places much emphasis on the transition from Black to White rock artists and how society reacted to this change. Szatmary also presents sufficient information on the many aspects of rock and roll, ranging from what the lyrics are about, to the beginnings of rock and roll and new age rock.
Looking back on the dazzling and male-dominant world of music in the Sixties and Seventies, there stood a petite woman who was especially eye-catching. Janis Joplin, the female icon of the Sixties’ counterculture, conquered millions of audiences with her confidence, sexiness, straightforwardness, hoarse voice, and electrifying on-stage performance. To this day, no one can ever compare with her. She is thus known as the greatest white female rock and blues singer. Not only has her flabbergasting singing style innovated the music in the Sixties and Seventies, Janis Joplin herself is also character with most controversial and interesting characteristics.
De Boer, Jennifer Anne. On the Margins of the Mainstream: Queen, the Rock Press, and Gender. Open Access Dissertation and Theses, 1999. Print.
The 1960’s were a time of change and a time for liberalism. The 60’s have been described by many historians by having the most amount of significant change in American history. It was an era where America shifted from optimism to disillusionment. From blind acceptance to distrust. In ten short years, America’s view of authority has drastically changed. It was a time for violent confrontation. The Vietnam War took place all throughout the 60’s, and changed American history forever. Also, there was a war that was going on within the United States border. The Civil Rights movement was in full force in the South. Both of these conformations put America’s civil loyalty to the test. Politics ruled the land in the 60’s, from the assassination of
In this essay I will talk about the music in the 60's, noteworthy that in some cases I will compare some situations with the Latino-American situation, I know is has nothing to do with the topic, but who is the guy who is writing in this sheet of paper? ME, Is my essay and I will write what I want (This is an example of Freedom Of Expression, we will see it more on that later)
Music has continued to change throughout each decade, but the 1960s was the most influential decade in the history of music. Starting in the early 1950s, rock music was first introduced. Major record labels were releasing new “cover songs” which were originally made by black artist, but now by white artist (Rock and Roll). These cover songs changed a few lyrics from the original songs to avoid copyright issues and to also make the song more appropriate for the white listeners. The biggest star of the 1950s was Elvis Presley, who was known as the “King of rock n’ roll”.
Music is an outlet to all aspects of life and culture is a significant way of forming people and the way they live. Although not always seen directly culture has an overbearing influence on the music that is produced and made popular. The political Climate of the early seventies was full of fire with issues such as Vietnam and constant protest throughout the county. Later in the 70’s the end of the Vietnamese conflict brought the rise of the Watergate scandal and Iran Contra. These issues swept headlines and ingrained people’s thoughts. Social issues also played a big role in the developing culture of the seventies. Protests and constant outbreaks about gay rights and women’s rights seemed to overtake the country in storm. Later in the Decade the social climate changed to a celebration of the Past and a can-do attitude. Political and Social climates had an overbearing influence on the attitude that was being developed throughout the seventies. This climate was also transparent in the music world of this decade. In the early 70’s music lyrics were being created that were representative of the popular method of protest and social change. Music is a common way of expression and during this time artist and groups took the most of their popular music by expressing viewpoints on present issues. In the mid to late seventies the birth of new styles that broke from the old seemed to dominate the music industry. These new types of music ranged from disco to television pop. The music of the decade represented the culture and was greatly influenced by events and beliefs of the 70’s. At this time in American history, music and life became closely nit. In the late 1970’s, national issues settl...
Throughout history, music have defined or depicted the culture and social events in America. Music has constantly played an important role in constituting American culture, where people have expressed themselves through music during flourishing and turbulent times. In the 1930’s, Swing music created a platform for audiences to vent their emotions in the midst of Great Depression and political unrest. Such strong relationship between music and culture can be seen throughout history, especially in the sixties.
“Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent (Hugo, 2007).”Whether you grew up in the Roaring 20’s or in the Disco 70’s, music was a strong source of fun and entertainment. It is an art of sound in time that expresses ideas and emotions in significant forms through the elements of rhythm, melody, harmony, and color. If you ever heard the phrase “Do the Hustle” you would most likely be referring to the disco era of the 1970’s compared to the “jazz age” of the 1920’s. Both eras with their common and uncommon comparisons made a historical and unforgettable impact on today’s music.
Rock and Roll is commonly known as the greatest music ever created. Most people do not know that Rock and Roll emerged out of the United States in the 1950s. Artists during this time like Elvis Presley, The Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly, and Bob Dylan were the first major stars among the birth of Rock and Roll in America. Since the 1950s, we have seen a rise in Rock and Roll culture. A peak in the 1960s-1970s was when the world began a musical, political, and social revolution. The revolution takes place during some tense times in the world- The Vietnam War, Political Issues with Cuba, JFK Presidency/Assassination, Malcolm X’s Assassination, Martin Luther King’s Assassination — you name it. The world was in a turmoiled state of mind, but what
The past three decades have been filled with contrasting types of popular music, which reflect an evolving culture. What was popular in the Seventies provides a sharp contrast to what appealed to audiences in the Nineties. Ironically, the earlier decade was filled with ideas of freedom and non-conformity, while ideas of clear categories and cautionary reluctance dominate the latter. Despite the supposed 1970’s ‘revival’ in the 1990’s, symbolized by Volkswagen Beetles and Madonna’s retro hairstyle, certain perceptions and ideas from the seventies did not survive into the nineties. These lost concepts made it hard for the nineties culture to accept a more expansive sexual liberation. One song artist who lived through all three decades and was part of the force, which created the sexual liberation of the seventies, was Elton John. John serves as an ideal case study to illustrate the loss of this sexual freedom into the nineties. Though one would think that it would be impossible for one performer to be popular throughout these times, he seemed to soar. In addition to being a popular musician and singer, his reputation ranged from being named "worst dressed woman" by a popular magazine to being knighted by the Queen of England. This change is clearly represented in the pictures displayed here. In the seventies, Elton John is seen in cat suits and sparkles. In the recent pictures, he is wearing traditional suits and glasses. It is easy to generalize that there must have been some sort of conscious conforming to the times by this man, since he fits in so well throughout the decades. However, the truth may be that he conformed only at the end of this time period, w...
Madonna is a controversial legend whose attitudes and opinions on sexuality have forced the public to take notice and change the image of females in society. Madonna believed women’s sexuality was a natural aspect of life; therefore, she dared to challenge the rules and definitions of femininity and sought to expand the meaning of it. In a male dominated world, she wanted to focus on the importance of women and let them have a voice of their own. Madonna shattered all the myths on traditional beauty standards and made her statement on sexuality and feminism, which changed how society viewed the standards of beauty. She impacted female power by encouraging sex- positivity into her music and her style. It is mainly because of Madonna that ordinary women, and women in modern entertainment have more choices and freedom which continues to influence further generations.
The lyrics of music play an important part of interpreting the meaning of the song. The roles which women have been allowed by the society to embody have changed drastically. Women may question their roles because of what they see portrayed by popular culture or media. Change in female’s identity can be seen in how women are viewed or how they portray themselves in popular culture specifically through music. In general, music continues to...