1950's Cultural Changes

Over the decades, music has evolved in so many ways that has helped influence society. Whether it be music that makes us happy during the bad times, or music that brings different types of people together, music has always been there. According to Merriam Webster dictionary music is an agreeable sound. It has influenced society to just live life, stand up for what we believe in, and has marked different “eras.” Music helped influence the 50s, 60s, and the 70s in some similar ways but by each decade came a new genre of music that influenced the way people acted and dressed. The 1950’s changed drastically over the years, and music reflected the cultural changes that were taking place. A major issue that became most apparent in the 50’s was

Between the Vietnam War, the Cold War and the fights over Civil Rights, emotions stood high during this decade. People were angry that the United States would not leave the war, and African Americans were still in argument over their rights. Throughout this time period, people began to “transform their empathy, concern, anger, and other emotions into poetry, prose, or in our time, popular music” (Candaele, “The Sixties and Protest Music). Musicians began to write songs based on feelings against the wars. An example of a song that displays this is, “Eve of Destruction” written in 1965 by Barry McGuire. This song was a major hit during this time period because it spoke the emotions that people were feeling against the war and eventually opened a “gate” for people to speak their minds. This type of music began to express how the country began to feel about war and brought people together in a way where most were on the same side. Also during this time period was the assassination of President Kennedy in 1963. This left people in a sense of despair and America were in a state where they needed something to fill the air with happiness. Since people were becoming more open-minded and less conservative and were open to the idea of Rock ‘N’ Roll, a new type of music emerged. A band called the Beatles influenced this decade in ways where it led to “rebellious” teenagers and helped begin a period of “hippies.” The Beatles were a British band that very quickly captured the hearts of people all over the world because of the new sense of style. This type of music left such a lasting impression on the 60’s that people in today consider the 60’s the “Hippy years.” This type of music began to persuade people to live a different lifestyle and to “‘do your own thing’ became a common expression” (Ember, American History: The 1960’s, a Decade