In 1950s New Zealand, music was as big as music is or was anywhere. Popular music in New Zealand started to introduce some distinctly New Zealand themes in the songs being made during this time. Themes that include: the use of te reo Maori in songs, songs about phenomena specific to New Zealand, and songs that directly mention New Zealand and/or cities in New Zealand.
One example of a song employing definite New Zealand themes is one by Morgan Clarke with Benny’s Five called “Haka Boogie” which Bourke (2013) described as “pivotal in the development of a New Zealand-flavoured rock and roll”. Made in circa 1955, “Haka Boogie” features te reo Maori lyrics such as “Haere mai, ka nui te pai” (which translates to “Come on in, it’s very good”) as well as mentioning poi’s, the sentence “The Maori way”, and the title including Haka. All of these are New Zealand themes and more specifically Maori themes, yet they are set to a Hawaiian style rock and roll song which was popular at the time in New Zealand and overseas. People are generally inherently proud of their culture, therefore it is not hard to believe that Maori musicians like Morgan Clarke and Benny Tawhiti would incorporate their culture into their work. Essentially the joining of what is popular music of the time, and the personal identity of the songwriters to give it something different and unique to what is already out. The song might also garner great appeal with New Zealand and especially Maori listeners who can identify with what is being sung about, this could have influenced them to include these themes as a good marketing strategy. As Bourke (2010) talks about in Blue Smoke there was a Maori Community Centre in Auckland in the 1950s that helped create “Maori Pop Mu...
... middle of paper ...
...ry was dominated by three American genres” (p. 189).
By the end of the 1950s, popular music in New Zealand had seen many an inclusion of distinctly New Zealand themes. There were several Maori artists as well as Pakeha, appealing to both cultures of New Zealand. The uprising of rock and roll brought with it its own kiwi sound from up and coming New Zealand rock and roll musicians. New Zealand had clearly defined itself with its own personal music identity.
Works Cited
Bourke, C. (2010). Blue Smoke: The Last Dawn of New Zealand Popular Music 1918-64. Auckland: Auckland University Press.
Bourke, C. (2013, May 21). Audio Culture.Morgan Clarke. Retrieved April 10, 2014, from http://www.audioculture.co.nz/people/morgan-clarke
Schmidt, A. (2013, June 5). Audio Culture. Johnny Devlin. Retrieved April 10, 2014, from http://www.audioculture.co.nz/people/johnny-devlin
Good evening and welcome to The History of Television. On tonight’s show we will focus on how and
The rise of rock and roll into the limelight is to a large extent attributed to the teenagers of the 1950’s. Early rock music listened to by teenagers during the 1950’s was formed by blending together Rhythm and blues with country music. This kind of ...
Music throughout time has not only reflected the feeling of the musician but rather the feelings of a group of people at any one time It is important when learning about a period of time to look at the music of the period because it most likely shows the mood of the people and current events of the country. One time period specifically music greatly reflected the political and social culture of the time is the United States of America in the 1960s. One artist during this time was Bob Dylan. His most widely known song was called, “The Times They Are A-Changin”.
The British Invasion of 1964 brought America's music - reinvented and revitalized - home, a new generation of rock fans was born. Rock now entered what is now known as its Classic Era.
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)
Willoughby, David. "Chapter 11." The World of Music. 7th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2012. 249-53. Print.
After many of World War II’s harmful effects, the 1950s served as a period of time of musical change that reflected the dynamic of society as well as the traditional norms and values. Many factors contributed to this transformation. For example, the civil rights movement heightened many racial tensions, and the music produced consequently manifested this tension in itself. Rock-n-roll and R&B music universalized music typically associated with African-Americans, and many African-American musicians gained fame; however, as with any relatively-widespread success, there were many musicians as well who missed their opportunities due to the same racial segregation. While “radical” genres such as R&B and rock-n-roll laid the foundation for music future forms of music, the standard pop, jazz, and country music adhered to traditional values, and thus continued to maintain popularity amidst phenomena such as the Elvis craze.
The birth of Rock and Roll Music was a mixture of popular music and African American country blues and hillbilly music. However, Rock and Roll music was influence since the 1950’s by two particular African American artists like Muddy Waters and Howlin` Wolf. Through their distinct voices, style, deliverance, and performances that helped the music in the 1950’s give rise to this new style of music genre Rock and Roll. During the World War II era, this style of music was looked at; as traditional music and, through the music people could tell their story, not just about their struggles but the real struggles going on around them, like, isolation between black and white people. Most artists were sharing their values and trying to associate through
After WWII played out, population shifts occurred in the US. With southern traditions, and music, coming into contact with new urban based music, the audience that followed it, and mixing the sounds of the “boogie woogie” of rhythm and blues, the soulfulness of gospel, and throwing a dash of country twang in there, the recipe for Rock ‘n’ Roll was finished, and a whole new genre created. “The sound of the city”. Although an exciting new period for a lot of 1950s youth, “th...
The world experienced several musical revolutions in just the 100 short years of the 20th century. Everything from jazz to rock and roll to the British invasion helped unite generations of youth and helped drastically change and shape the culture in which we lived, and still live, today.
Music defines our culture. As Americans, we listen to music while we drive our cars, are at work, doing housework, studying, etc. We have songs for special occasions: Christmas, Hanukah, birthdays, weddings, parties, etc. We have taken songs from the various cultures that make us diverse: Arabic, German, Mexican, Native American, etc. We have many genres: country, hip-hop, rap, pop, blues, jazz, rock, heavy metal, etc. And although we may think of music as simple and easy, looking at all this makes one realize how diverse and complex our music truly is. Two things that contribute to this diversity are theme and symbolism.
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...
When Rock arrived on the music charts in the 1950's, a merging of African-American and White music, it made a huge impact on society. As a general rule I am not heavily into music, but I was drawn to Rock for some inexplicable reason. It is just the music I like. This genre will be difficult to write about because the origin of Rock is unclear; there are traces of Rock's style back into the 19th Century. It is also a very broad subject and I will have to compress a lot of information into as few pages as possible. Be that as it may, Rock is, in my opinion the best music genre on the charts.
Pop music originated in the early 1950s with singers such as Frank Sinatra and Nat “King” Cole being accompanied by guitar and bass paired with catchy melodies. Frank Sinatra
Aotearoa is the home to Te reo Maori where is should be promoted and encouraged. In fact, Te Whāriki and New Zealand Early Childhood curriculum acknowledge Te reo Maori by encouraging the teachers to promote and implement it in early childhood settings allowing all children the opportunity to understand and develop an understanding of Maori heritages; Te reo, and partnership to Te Tiriti of Waitangi(Ministry of Education [M...