ipl-logo

How Did Music Impact The 1960s

1154 Words5 Pages

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. The 1960s could arguably be the most turbulent time in American history. Having a proper understanding of some of these events will help one to understand how music played an important …show more content…

Considered to be the event that defined the tired Baby Boomer generation, Woodstock was one of the largest musical concerts in history. Over 500,000 people attended the concert at Max Yasgur’s farm in 1969. “The Woodstock Festival was a three-day concert (which rolled into a fourth day) that involved lots of sex, drugs, and rock 'n roll - plus a lot of mud. The Woodstock Music Festival of 1969 has become an icon of the 1960s hippie counterculture.” Woodstock was born out of a desire for a peaceful coexistence within the hippie counterculture of the 1960s. As it was stated before, Woodstock could quite possibly be the most influential concert ever. This was a culmination of the moral standards that defined the entire decade of the 60s. Sexual misconduct, drugs, and rock ‘n roll were rampant during this weekend festival. Despite what many people believed, the concert was relatively peaceful. These people were hurt, frustrated, and wanted a time to reflect on the social upheaval that they took place in during the

Show More
Related
1269 Words | 6 Pages

Musicians from all genres joined in, Jazz, Rock, and Motown. The 1960’s were a time of diversity and community, protesting and agreeing, and above

Read More
1504 Words | 7 Pages

Radio and Television The music of the 1960s and 1970s definitely had an impact on culture and society in the United States. Protest music, specifically, brought ideas, as well as problems, to the attention of many Americans. Radio stations across the nation were a big part of the spread of protest music. Radio experienced a boom after World War II.

Read More
2482 Words | 10 Pages

The value of the origin is found within the author, who is well versed in the topic of political music, being the son of a Black Panther, and writing two award winning books about the connection between music and political movements. The purpose of this novel is to show how the Black Panther movement influenced music in the 1960s. The novel discusses how the Black Panther movement worked with and funded various musicians such as Marvin Gaye and Curtis Mayfield to spread awareness of the Civil Rights Movement. The purpose is valuable because it explains how soul music developed as a result of the political struggles of African

Read More
541 Words | 3 Pages

The decade produced folk music, soul music, rock ‘n’ roll and pop. “Folk musicians addressed contemporary issues facing college students, notably civil rights, and, later, the Vietnam War” (Layman 37-38). Folk

Read More
1400 Words | 6 Pages

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed individuals can change the world, indeed it’s the only thing that ever has” hippie, Margaret Meade said. During the 1950s, many people started to rebel against conformity and the actions and mentality of the societal norms, called the beatniks. The beatniks later evolved to the hippie counterculture through the promotion of neon colored clothing, long hair, and participation in political customs and the new genre of music, rock ‘n’ roll. These brilliant people became known as the counterculture in the 1960s completing the transformation. Woodstock, the greatest music festival to ever take place, constitutes the pinnacle of the 1960s counterculture revolution, through anti-war, anti-establishment,

Read More
2441 Words | 10 Pages

HOW DID US FOREIGN POLICY INFLUENCE THE POPULAR MUSIC OF THE 1960S? The 1960s in the United States of America was mobilised by an intense musical rebellion created and spread by artists and citizens across the country. The music became a powerful means of protesting the controversial political decisions and actions of the leaders of the time. Amongst other social issues, the protest movements of the 1960s were primarily protests against the Vietnam War which lasted from 1945 to 1975 and impacted on the five American presidencies of Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon and Ford.

Read More
1146 Words | 5 Pages

John Lennon was a prominent singer/songwriter that founded the Beatles and impacted music like no other band before. This impact on music roused society in many ways during the 1960s. After WWII, there was an inflation in consumerism as people began to settle economically in the 1960s. As a result, the need for entertainment increased since people were able to afford entertainment without rationing or supporting the war. Moreover, as a result of the 1950’s, a period of social conservatism and conformity, the “Baby Boom” (1945-1964) produced 76 million babies that John Lennon and the Beatles would impact and, therefore, move emotionally.

Read More
553 Words | 3 Pages

They wanted to play their best so they made sure they mastered their sound. Thefriendly competition of Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix in the late 60’s brought to light how amusician could be well known for their instrumental abilities. Listeners were beginning to takethe time to hear every element of the music and were recognizing good instrumentalperformers more so than in the past, which was why this was a staple of the 70’s HippieAesthetic. Another important staple of the 1970’s and fourth principle of the Hippie Aesthetic was,“’Lyrics and “big ideas.” ’ Prior to the 70’s most rock music gravitated around teenage life andthemes such as love, cars, dancing, and

Read More
1031 Words | 5 Pages

The 1960s were an interesting time for a young American trying to make it in music. There were so many social issues taking place that made for a chaotic world. Some examples of that were the assassination of John F. Kennedy, the lasting effects of the world war, the civil rights movement, and the vietnam war just to name a few. This left an ominous feeling inside of young Americans, but made for a lot of writing material for musical artists. One artists who fully took advantage of this was none other than Bob Dylan, whose music is regarded as some of the best of all time.

Read More
1536 Words | 7 Pages

Music and its influence (1960-1970) Events One of the main events of the decade was the civil rights movement. The event involved the blacks fighting for their freedom and rights as they were being oppressed by the Whites. Ku Klux Klan was one of main of the groups that spread terror in order to stop the freedom fighters from protesting (Scott, 1958). Song representing the mood of the decade

Read More
1570 Words | 7 Pages

In the late 1950s, groups of several thousand people, “most of them young and children of the white middle class,” emerged who challenged values of the older generations. The youth, like the Beats, wanted to rebel against the mood of the 1950s--one of conformity with a “nuclear family” and traditional functions. Adolescents have a natural propensity to rebel, so they especially did not want a conservative society to deny them their freedom of expression, of speech, and of artistry. This stance coupled with a “radical comprehension” of the horrors of society pushed American youth to look at the Beat movement for

Read More
1132 Words | 5 Pages

Cultural Impact of Rock and Roll Amidst the 1960’s Jimi Hendrix formerly stated, “Music doesn’t lie. If there is something to be changed in this world, then it can only happen through music.” A generation which was earnestly devoted to peace, protest, and revolution, the counterculture amongst the 1960’s yearned for change. Rock and roll was far beyond just a genre of music; it influenced lifestyles, protests, and attitudes, thus, kindling an awakening in the youth of American culture. The distinction between parental and youth culture was a persistent root of concern, considering that teens throughout the world found a sense of belonging in this style of music.

Read More
2454 Words | 10 Pages

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

Read More
1356 Words | 6 Pages

It is during the 1960s that we see the emergence of hippie culture as well as rock and roll. These can be seen as a resistance to the traditional American society, which denied personal freedoms to certain racial groups. On Aug 15, 1969, The Washington Post published a newsletter titled “Thousands Rolling in for Woodstock

Read More
416 Words | 2 Pages

Rock music in the 1960s was egalitarian, eclectic, and real based on a number of reasons. To explain the 'real' piece of rock music in the 1960s, one would have to know that there was war going on overseas that didn't make sense to Americans as to why it was going on (the Vietnam war). There was also still severe inequality between blacks and whites causing protests to occur via the Civil Rights movement, led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. There was inequality between women and mens rights. These issues caused dissatisfaction to occur in the American people.

Read More

More about How Did Music Impact The 1960s

Related Topics

Open Document