The 1960s was a tumultuous decade for the United States. Along with the escalation of the Vietnam War, this decade was rocked by the Civil Rights movement and the second wave of the Feminist movements, creating an immense amount of social tension. As a result, people turned to politically-charged music, predominantly Rock n’ Roll, to release their frustrations. However, an equally important musical genre, Soul, was left in the background. Despite the fact that Soul music was not as popular in the United States, artists such as Aretha Franklin released many politically-charged songs that advocated for social justice.
The 1960s could justifiably be considered one of the most controversial periods of time in American history. The 1960s made its home in the height of the Vietnam War era, the lingering fear of Communist takeover, and many other events that helped shaped America and make it what it is today. Through the events of the Vietnam War; the Civil Rights Movement, and the musical concert at Woodstock, we can see how music played an important role in the impact they made to American citizens throughout the 1960s. Many of America’s greatest musical talent used music to vent their disappointments to what was happening around them during the 1960s.
There was rock, folk music, and many more. But, in the late sixties Rock n Roll, commonly reckoned as the golden age of rock and roll when it attained a maturity unimaginable for the delinquent rebellion of the fifties, there are numerous references to the Vietnam War. The criticism of the war is submerged in or displaced by the politics of sexuality, lifestyle, and drugs. Rock music of that time period celebrated anti-materialism, spiritual awakening and social disengagement (James pg 133). Like the social movement it made possible, hippie music was ideologically and economically assimilable.
Music and society As everyone knows, music includes pitch, rhythm, dynamics and so on. It can be performed by a vast range of instruments, produced by composers whose styles are really poles apart. Speaking honestly, it is really seemed like a mixture including history, custom even the whole society, hence, in my opinion, it stands for the social form of the time when it was produced, certainly, music is based on society, in other words, society provides music (or composers) subject themes. In a word, they influent each other. I’ll explain this viewpoint in three respects as follow which contain two ways that music affects society by influencing people’s emotion, social concepts and society affects music by providing unique background.
Rock n Roll was more defined now, leading to a counter culture where experimentation and alternative views of a good society. The music now was an unwritten soundtrack of what was taking place in the nation. Artist and the music they have provided did not focus on solidarity. In, 1969, Woodstock a music festival in New York that would become the most influential music festival of all time. Jimi Hendrix performed the “Star Spangled Banner” which was done to represent the screams of those who had died in Vietnam.
Rock ‘n’ roll wasn’t just a style of music; it was a movement that shook the norms of society as a whole. The 1950s is popularly known for the birth of rock ‘n’ roll, which transformed the United States. After WWII, young teens began rebelling against society and the social rules they were expected to follow, which is why many rock musicians rose to fame because of their unique take on music. The young people of this time revolted in ways that challenged society's standards and essentially pushed the boundaries of what was considered acceptable. They tested their freedom and expressed their individuality.
82). While the Beatles continued innovating rock music in the mid-sixties, other groups like the Rolling Stones, the Temptations and the Supremes gave some Beatles some competition on the music charts. The Byrds joined the Beatles in innovating the genre of folk rock, while the Beach Boys rivaled the Beatles in the studio with several creative hits (Everett and Riley, 2019, pg. 100). While the Beatles did not offer a lot of social commentary in the mid-sixties, events like the Vietnam War and the Civil Rights Movement were greatly shaping society and affecting music. While these specific issues were not explicitly talked about in Beatles’ songs during this era, the Beatles did push social boundaries, albeit more
Although the 1950s were a difficult time in American history, the popularity of Rock ‘n’ Roll encouraged the erosion of racial barriers and the freedom of expression in young people. Rock ‘n’ Roll reflected the social issues of the day and became a movement that unified people to challenge and denounce the Vietnam War, racial inequality, and oppression. Color lines began to blur as both White Americans and African Americans became interested in the same energizing music. Rock ‘n’ Roll artists agitated race relations with a mix of country, gospel, jazz, and rhythm and blues incorporated into their songs. The exposure of Rock ’n’ Roll to both races unknowingly helped change the attitudes of white Americans towards African Americans like never
Many jazz musicians began to address social and political notions of freedom in their songs. Eventually, the use of themes involving the civil rights movement and became less pronounced in black popular music once we reached the 1970s. Most artists during this time began to follow the popular trend of rock ‘n roll and disco. It was not until the late 1980s and 1990s that there was a revival of social consciousness in black popular music, specifically in hip-hop. Music of the civil rights movement helped pave the way for the inclusiveness of politics and social awareness in music.
The Rez Sisters by Tomson Highway tells a story of a group of seven Native women that live on Wasaychigan Reserve. The play highlights the struggles and hardships faced by those who live in these settlements. The sisters also further shed light on the internal conflict and individual struggles that each of the characters face. THE WORLD’S BIGGEST BINGO seems to hold the solution to all The Rez Sisters problems and seems to be an escape from their personal demons. Each individual regards the winning of the bingo as an inexplicable end to all of her individual problems.
Undoubtedly, music affects both, the society and the feelings of each individual, but not all types of music can go through the hearts of every person like rock music does. First of all, rock music is a popular genre that, according to history, had its origin in the United States during the early 50s, and within the next decade this genre started mashing up with different kinds of music to create better styles. Also, countless rock songs talk about love as well as softer themes, while other songs are a response to certain political or social problems. Next, an example of these songs would be the single titled “Revolution” by The Beatles, released in 1968. Moreover, the inspiration for this song were the protests of the Vietnam War during the 60s, it caused loads of controversies seeing as it was the band’s most direct protest song, as well as the first major political statement for John Lennon.
Music is one of the most important aspects to culture. Music is the glue that holds society together. Music changes constantly to fit the vision of new artists. Although music is always changing, it is often influenced by past artists or events. Many decades left a mark on musical history .
The Music Revolution The Sixties were an exciting period with the beginning of a social, economic and Cultural Revolution, influenced by the music industry that was deeply involved into causes. This propensity took place in a turbulent period where some folks called it the "decade of discontent" because of the race riots and the demonstrations against the Vietnam War. However, other individuals called it the decade of "peace, love, and harmony", because of the peace movements and the emergence of Hippies, called “flower children.” This decade was about assassinations, unforgettable fashion, new styles of music, civil rights, gay and women 's liberation, Vietnam, peace marches, sexual freedom, drug usage, Summer of Love and Woodstock Festival. All of these factors caused a revolutionary transformation in the world of well-liked music, establishing melodies as a form of raise voices and express feelings.
After a decade of success, the United States in the 1960s could be characterized by several tragedies: the Vietnam War, the strife for equality through the civil rights movement, and most importantly the clear divide among generations. In response to the turmoil of the decade, the youth began to formulate their own ideas that contrasted those of society, beginning a new era for humankind. As the generational divide within the United States started to grow, so did the desire for societal change–this desire ultimately culminated in the movement known as counter culture. While this counter culture extended across several mediums, the most important to the movement was the use of music. Songs such as Fortunate Son and The Unknown Soldier exemplified
When looking back on ancient societies, arts and politics are often scrutinized by historians, used as key sources to illuminate how the population functioned, and in many cases, thrived. Ancient Greece was a society that thrived in unimaginable ways, with advances in architecture, entertainment, and politics that have influenced much of today 's societies around the world. While some may argue that politics and the arts, both developed separately in Ancient Greece, the arts actually impacted the development of politics and the society as a whole, and the influence of politics on the arts was likewise. Arts such as visual art, literature, music, and dance each were influenced by, and had their own influence on, the development of government and politics in Ancient Greece.
