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The 1960s was a decade which contained many cultural, political, and social changes in the United States of America. The Sixties sparked a revolution about clothing, music, drugs, dress, and sexuality all of which impacted musicians, their music, and their performances. At a time when influential bands were starting their careers in England, such as the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, a young boy band from California was on rise with their unique form of vocal surfer music. The Beach Boys were made up of three brothers named Brian, Carl, and Dennis Wilson, their cousin, Mike Love, and a close friend, Al Jardine. During his time in high school Brian started to become more serious about music suggesting to his brothers, Love, and Jardine that …show more content…
The lyrics of “Surfin’ U.S.A.” are essentially a guide to ideal surf locations in the U.S. and was based on Chuck Berry’s hit released five years earlier “Sweet Louie Sixteen”. Although meant as a tribute to Berry, the Beach Boys didn't get his permission first causing Berry to threaten to sue. The Beach Boys then agreed to give him most of the royalties and list him as the song's composer in order to avoid further conflict. During the bands live performance of “Surfin’ U.S.A.” on March 14th, 1964, their enthusiasm and joy of performing is very apparent. By constantly bouncing around with ear-to-ear grins they create a celebratory, carefree environment for their audience. Girls can be heard screaming whenever the song gets back to up-tempo as well as when they sing the chorus. The boys’ ocean-oriented lifestyle is demonstrated with their lyrics “if everybody had an ocean/Across the U. S. A./Then everybody'd be surfin'/Like Californi-a”. Although up-beat surfing songs are how the Beach Boys got their start; later in the boys’ career, Brian Wilson started writing deeper, more meaningful lyrics for their …show more content…
and was their second song to hit number one in the charts after “I Get Around”. Despite the deceiving up-tempo tune the song tells a story about a man who loses the girl he wanted to marry to another man and thus is begging Rhonda to help him relieve his pain. Many people speculated Brian Wilson wrote this song with a ‘Rhonda’ of his own but Brian set the rumors straight stating there was no Rhonda in mind when he wrote “Help Me Rhonda”. In their live performance in 1965 the boys continue their notorious, energetic performance adding a lighter feel despite the gloomy, love-sick lyrics. Just like the other performances, girls in the audience can be heard screaming every time the Beach Boys reach the chorus. In this particular performance, there is a group of girls in the background dancing symbolizing potential ‘Rhondas’. Though this song has evolved from their original surfing, California sound to a more serious vibe, the Beach Boys still give there unique, carefree feeling through their
This song became the perfect background for PSA's. Maybe, after all, there was more to this band than sexuality and drugs. This album has a bit of each of the necessary elements to become a hit. In fact, it has. much more than that.
chopping wood - introduced him to early rock & roll and rhythm & blues music.
The 1960s was a time of Rock, Rock and Roll, Blues Rock, Psychedelic Rock, etc. Rock was established in the 50s but took off in the 60s. One of the most popular bands at that time was The Beatles. The Beatles, in my opinion and many others, was the most influential band of the decade, not only changing rock but music in general forever. The Beatles were a rock band formed in Liverpool, but eventually
They were physically attacked in Japan and their records were burnt in the Bible Belt after John Lennon made a passing comment, that “Christianity was in decline and the Beatles were ‘more popular than Jesus’”. The Beatles ' lack of interest in public live performances resulted in them being focused on studio recordings and cease all touring. “With a little help from my friends” is from Beatles’ counterculture album, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, which was released in June 1967. Now a studio only band, the Beatles were free to experiment with sounds, ideas, instruments, and style. This album was a game changer- the counter culture album was a precursor to psychedelic rock. Drug references, Indian music, and layered studio effects contributed to the different nature of the album. The album was a concept album that set up the idea of community- the opening song was Sargent pepper acknowledging the listener to come take a part of this experience. The album was conceived as a performance, even though the Beatles did not intend to play live again. The sound experimentalism had no rules of melody or harmony and used sounds of nature, instruments, and voices on the tracks. The song itself was written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney specifically for Ringo Starr to sing. Due to Starr’s nasally limited vocal range, the song is a simple tune with a limited range. John Lennon and
The ‘60s were the age of youth, as millions of children’s from post World War II became teenagers and rebelled against the conservative fifties. Denying civil rights to African-Americans and liberation to teenagers in previous decades and Vietnam War, created a vortexes which lead to massive rebellion against the status qua. Music of the 1960s was characteristic of the revolution that was going on during the decade. It was a time of rebellion and counter-culture in which the teenagers and college students were critical of government, business, religious institution and other various aspects of life. Era marked by civil rights movement, Vietnam War, environment of drug abuse and sexual freedom formed new music like: folk rock, soul and psychedelic rock. These genres starkly contrast the teen idol music of ‘50s pop mainstream. Writes John Covach; “World was exploding, and rock musicians were listening more closely than ever.”(Covach, 152) Such stark contrast in pop music directly relay to changing social culture in America, which further echo’s the relationship between music and culture.
The Beatles and the Beach Boys are two of the most recognized, well-known and most popular musical acts of the 1960’s right through to the 1970’s. I will be focusing on the group acts rather than solo performers such as John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison of the Beatles, who took their own stylistic approach to their music after the Beatles’ separation. Each group’s arrangement and use of instruments classify them as part of the overall associated sound and typical subject matter of songs in the 1960’s, yet remain different enough to distinguish between each group’s desired sound.
They are sweet and upbeat in a way that is appealing to the young and repelling to the old. This sense of youthfulness and urgency within the lyrics gives young listeners a sense of power and makes them proud to be defiant towards the values their parents have forced upon them. The tune, while staying buoyant, evokes fury and rebellion, which is exactly The Who’s intended goal
Rock and Roll was the start of a new revolution in America. It introduced the world to many of the famous artists that continue to be a part of our lives today. "Artists who became popular in the 1950s such as Elvis, began to pave the way for others such as Jerry Lee Lewis and Buddy Holly" (The History of Rock 'n' Roll until 1960). With the introduction of rock 'n' roll, there came many new changes to the lives of many Americans. Rock and Roll was a major contributor for the change in teens' behavior in the 1950s because it encouraged new freedoms for teenagers, encouraged new fads among teenagers, and caused a generation gap.
Before 1963, the music being played in the 60’s were closely reflecting the sound, style, and belief of the decades before. After 1963, many social influences changed what peopled were viewing as popular music. The assassination of Kennedy, war in Vietnam, and the Civil Rights Movement all greatly impacted the mood of American culture and how the music began to reflect change. The “British Invasion” was a time period in which many British bands and artists came to the United States, and excelled extremely well. The most famous of these bands were “The Beetles,” who would eventually go down in history as one of the most famous bands in history. At the height of the music industry in the 60’s, one single event changed American music forever. Woodstock was a three-day concert full of sex, drugs, and a lot of hippies. The organizers were only expecting about 50,000 people to show up. To their surprise, more than 400,000 appeared at the infamous dairy farm in New York. With artists like Jimi Hendrix and Bob Dylan, many were drawn to witness this phenomenon. This festival is widely known as the definitive moment for the larger counter-culture generation. The 60’s drastically revolutionized music in a way that shaped music into the powerhouse that it is for generations to
The years 1960-1969 were very impressionable years. With events that changed America , turning the innocence and hope of American people into violence and anger. The young nation of the 60s were the most influential of all ,with rioting about war or turning music into culture. This was a completely different america than it was years before . In a Music standpoint artists such as The Beatles , Bob Dylan and Jimi Hendrix were changing the way music was made . They were changing music into an artform , a way for people to express their feelings , beliefs and ideas. The Music of the 1960s evolved into an artform which lead the path for American music of today.
Today we still hear our mentors and elders speak of the political, social, and musical revolution that came about in this time. The 1960s Rock and Roll brought about a political revolution including racism issues and the youth culture dealing with post-war issues. The social revolution of this time embraced the trippy, psychedelic patterns and the bright colors with flowers and all on everything you saw (posters, blankets, clothing items). The musical revolution was known all over the world and everyone wanted to be involved, and they get involved by going to music festivals and obsessing over the Rock and Roll bands. Without 1960s Rock and Roll, there would never have been a revolution that shaped the world in so many different ways. Positive or negative, the effect Rock and Roll had on the people was legendary and set a reputation that cannot be
This is heavily emphasized in the song’s lyrics when Brother D states: “Come on my people, people, can’t you see/What’s really goin' on?/Unemployment’s high, the housing’s bad And the schools are teaching wrong/ Cancer from the water, pollution in the air/ But you’re partying hard, like you just don’t care/ Wake up y'all, you know that ain’t right/ Cause that hurts everybody, black or white/ Winter’s cold, can’t get no heat/ Just move your body to the beat/ While it takes you on a disco ride/ Get high until you’re pacified/ Our youth actin' like the living dead/ Ain’t talkin' bout the body. Talkin' bout the head/ Space out y'all to the disco rhyme/ Movin' to the rhythm but you’re wastin' time/ Stop and think. Do you know what’s real?” Brother D continues by pleading to Americans (specifically the youth) to become involved and do something to improve their financial woes and current state of struggle. This is seen when at the end of the song Brother D thrillingly states: “We gotta agitate,
Post World War II there was a new generation known as the “baby boom” generation. The arrival of this new generation called for new entertainment (Rock and Roll). Music of the 1960s was the new entertainment for the baby boom generation and impacted America by: starting new trends in genres of music, opening diversity of artists, counterculture movements, and music festivals.
When people think about the 60’s the majority of them all think about the Beatles. The Beatles is a band that made Rock and Roll a totally, different type of music. Even though The Beatles were such a hit, as time went on they started to fall apart. Over 50 years later, the Beatles are still classified as one of the best band of all time.
One Ray Charles song with an important musical meaning is “What’d I Say.” The lyrics of this song provide a starting point for an analysis into the musical meaning of the song. In the film Ray, after recording “What'd I Say,” the producer says “It is just too damn sexual for kids.” This quote exemplifies an important social aspect surrounding the song “What’d I Say.” It is one that appears throughout rhythm and blues music of the postwar era, the generation gap.