Kevin
O’Brien
Intro
to Music Industry
12/3/12
The 1960’s
The 1960’s were a time of change in the
country. The war in Vietnam was a brutal collision between the Americans and
the rebellious North Vietnamese, and it was the first war to be graphically
shown on television. Social inequalities were becoming equal. Music was
revolutionized to accompany the civil rights movements and the protests of the
war.
Vietnam was the first war to be watched on
public television, on the battlefront and uncut almost every second. The Tet
Offensive in 1968 was recorded and distributed to television by CBS. Rebels of
the Viet Cong attacked the US embassy in Saigon massacring innocent civilians
and soldiers both American and South Vietnamese. Today you do not see war
action on the news anymore. It could be that the government and the media only
want to keep this country secured and unaware of any signs of death to the
public.
People both black and white used to be
discriminant towards each other, and consequences were faced if anyone was not
otherwise. Civil rights leaders such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm
X made it safe for their community to be unjudged. Malcolm X wanted to form
independent communities for African Americans whereas Dr. King fought
segregation laws through peace rallies such as the march to the White House.
The youth America felt separate from their
parents. They did not live through World War II and not feel obligated to hold
responsibility like their mothers and fathers did. The young began to challenge
the norms of society. The new age of music was there to accompany these high
times. Rock and Roll was a genre that was mixed with early rhythm and blues
from the black community and country music from the white community. This
interracial musical blend ticked off conservatives.
People in the 60’s would listen to songs
related to war, drugs, and the counter culture. Velvet Underground’s “ Heroin”
is an anti-hippy song. The pacing of the song is based on the life of a drug
addict. The tempo of the song frequently changes over time, and towards the end
the distortion symbolizes the addict’s breakdown. Jefferson Airplane’s “White
Rabbit” was the first song to sneak
drug indications past censors on the radio. It made trippy references to
Alice in Wonderland and
connects them with drugs, most commonly mushrooms and LSD. Other songs, such as
The Beatles “Revolution” and The Fugs “Kill for Peace”, spoke about ongoing war that they changed
the minds of listeners to go against it.
It is
interesting that both African American and Caucasian musicians would cover each
other’s songs to sound more entertaining as the original. Chuck Berry took the country song “Maybelline” and sped it up with the
addition of guitar. Elvis Presley’s version of “Hound Dog” is very ecstatic
where as Big Mamma Thornton’s original version was more meaningful and edgy.
European rock groups such as The Beatles grew on classic R&B. Their cover
of Little Richard’s “Long Tall Sally” was true to the original, but could never
beat the talent of “Little Richard” Penniman.
Besides, what other pianist plays with one leg off the ground?
There has
never been such a pivotal point in American history than the 1960’s. The War in
Vietnam brought many people together through peace and unity. People of
different ethnical backgrounds started to integrate and civil rights leaders
made it possible for blacks and whites to get along in the same community. The
music the 60’s changed the perspectives of Americans, especially in the eyes of
the youth, with songs that focused on drugs and war. Black and white musicians
began to play each other’s cultural music. The 1960’s were controversial, and
served as a turning point in the 20th century.
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