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. Stations started appearing all over, which meant more people could be reached. The messages written in popularized protest songs were heard over the radio by people who otherwise may not have gotten the chance to hear the artists.
FM radio was where alternative music first started playing. This was because FM was not as sponsored as AM. FM did not have the same restrictions as AM. The format was different. LPs were used instead of 45s. This meant that longer songs could be played. Many artists were first heard on FM radio, such as Jimi Hendrix and Jefferson Airplane. Another way protest music reached millions across the United States was television. Bands began playing on television shows. They could be seen and heard by households across America.
The Ed Sullivan Show, in particular, hosted popular bands who played their protest songs for millions of viewers. For example, the first appearance of The Beatles garnered over 70 million viewers. There were opportunities for African-American
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Different races, ethnicities, genders, sexualities, and religions banded together to pretest the war. People view the John Lennon song, “Give Peace A Chance,” as a good example of how the war brought people together. The recording of the songs features an acoustic guitar, with a tambourine, and the voices of, reportedly, 50 people in a hotel room. The song was written by Lennon and his wife Yoko Ono during their “bed-in,” where they stayed on a bed in a hotel for a week at a time, in order to protest the war. This song was adopted by the anti-war movement as its
New entertainment helped to spread the jazz music across the United States. By the end of the 1920’s more than 12 million families had radios in their home, movie theaters started to become more popular, and jazz bands started to perform at dance
Not to mention, “not only has music been a direct means of anti-war protest, but the culture of peace and love, seen especially in the Woodstock festival, has also pervaded the minds of the public” (Hopkins). The controversial Vietnam War affected many people in the United States, but the war caused a socio cultural revolution through the power of
Rock and Roll was one of the first medias to end segregation within itself, it brought blacks and whites together and was lead by not surprisingly the youth culture.
Due to the emergent nature of social movements in these times, new kinds of social action were practiced in settings made possible by media, more specifically music. These social movements helped to change cultural traditions by fusing political and expressive tools. Examples of the Chicano Movement's songs of resistance include those that incorporated historical themes, liberation-related lyrics, and an increasingly globalized Chicano worldview (Azcona, 8). Furthermore, in the 60s, there were these musical groups, Cannibal and the Headhunters and Thee Midniters, who were very famous and played in venues that no Chicano entertainer had played before. Both of these groups were rock ‘n’ roll bands that swept the nation off of its feet.
This led to creative, and mind you interesting, rock that Americans loved like "I Can't Get No Satisfaction" by The Rolling Stones and "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" by The Beatles. Aside from the above,
More artists were being recognized for their use it and they will be coming household names just like the Beatles at the time. This was a big part of country history because never before was it this popular. In the 1970s another subgenre of country was born in Texas, that would forever change country music. This genre is called progressive country and its birthplace was Austin TX.
1980s Music The 1980s was a decade where many things changed drastically. The music industry in the 1980s experienced major changes, mostly due to the political and economic changes, and new trends and inventions. In the 1980s, America changed both economically, and politically.
In addition, the radio was created and had a significant impact on entertainment culture as it brought news, music, and entertainment into homes across the country. Jazz music became a common genre in the early 20th century in the United States. Jazz music was born out of the cultural exchange between different communities in the United States. African American musicians played a major role in the development of jazz music by improvising
The years of the 1950s and 60s was a time where many hardships occurred as global tension was high and as a result many wars occurred as well as movements. The historical issues and events of the fifties and sixties was often propelled by popular culture through art and media such as television, paintings and music. The civil rights movement succeeded in bringing equal rights to the African American population within the United States in a peaceful manner thanks to meaningful art forms. The Vietnam War was widely seen as a controversial conflict and opened insight to Australians as to what was actually happening through music and television which in turn swayed the public opinion of Australia’s involvement with the war.
As reviewed in class, many adult Americans used to think that Rock and Roll and it’s exponents were a “bad influence” to teenagers back on the days. It is important to point out that many social changes on that time were a result of sociocultural modifications around authority figures like the government, parents, school authorities, etc. With the influence of Rock and Roll, people started to question topics like: religion, politics, social structures and sexual statements and teens showed attitudes against any form of authority that tried to control them. After World War II, adolescents showed more violent attitudes against social statements at that time.
Rock and Roll was a very popular cultural aspect of the 50s. It originated from African American culture then the whites interpreted it. One of the first singers to do this was the very king of rock and roll himself, Elvis Presley. Many adults hated this new music and wanted to ban it. A huge part of it was censored, for example on the Ed Sullivan show, Elvis had to wear a tuxedo and wasn’t allowed to dance because his moves were “sexually inappropriate”.
The Beatles were considered political activists by using their music as a way to talk about issues happening in the real world at that time. The Beatles “were the first to really legitimize popular music as a form of political expression, and through this expression inspired political activity and participation amongst those who consumed their music; young people,”
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.
During the 1910s, there were many exciting and terrifying events. In 1910, a horrible inferno called the Great Fire of 1910 broke out and destroyed a couple million acres of forest. With the Great Fire, one of the heroic firefighters, Edward Pulaski, saved almost all of his crew except The 1910s also had music. Bluegrass, jazz, and scat with many other genres.
Before The Beatles became a band they were individual musicians all with people they looked up to and all with musicians they wanted to take certain traits form. Having four members of the band created a wide variety of influences on the band as a whole by combining the individual members pervious musical repertoire. Starting with George Harrison, his guitar work was influenced by American rockabilly music by Eddie Cochran and Carl Perkins that influenced the band’s songs throughout the years. He also incorporated the melodic lines and slight fills that both Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton created. John Lennon was a huge fan of Elvis, his opinion implied that the there was no true music before Elvis’s time.