1960S AMERICA: A DECADE OF CHANGE
THE JOURNEY OF A BOOMER
The sixties soundtrack
Music was a crucial part of being an American teen, during the 60s. With so much social upheaval happening around the world (that the US was also involved in), music became a creative outlet for many artists who wanted to express their views on what was going on. With a decade of political protest, drugs and sexual liberation, the music of the 1960s brought focus to the worldwide hegemonic forces, that had fostered two world wars decades apart.
"But perhaps in no other time in American history did popular music more clearly reflect the political and cultural moment than the soundtrack of the 1960s – one that exemplified a new and overt social consciousness".
Top 10 Decade Defining Songs: 1960s
Change through music
Being an American teen during the 60s was not easy – to say the least. With assassinations, anti-war protests and a civil rights movement going on, there was plenty to write a song on. This especially appealed to the boomer generation. They wanted change and were hopeful for a better future, where wars and social inequality did not exist. The message sent across in so many of the musical hits of the 60s, demanded exactly this.
THE Album:
The music album cover really helped music come to life in the 60s. Music artists used this as an extended form of art, which brought the meaning of their music together. As a boomer, you were much more likely to buy an album which either symbolised the ongoing counter-culture movement or had one of your favourite stars on. Check out the image on your right, which was the cover to the Beatles album 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band', which symbolised the 60s psychedelia and included 58 different icons on it.
A MUSICAL REVOLUTION
The 60s was dominated by popular music. For boomers, music and dance were another part of the 'youth rebellion'. Fad dances like The Twist (see how cool this was below) demonstrate how this musical craze was apart of their newfound freedom, but also their ressliance towards their struggle. In a time of constant change, music was something they could really identify with.
"Modern, rock-based pop is also a key defining feature with respect to boomer identity and cultural production".
The Rock and Roll from the 50s started to fade out and many different sub-genres of Rock emerged in the 60s, including:
-
Pop Rock
-
Blues Rock
-
Folk Rock
-
Psychadelic Rock
-
Rhythm and Blues
-
Motown (see here for more)
Just like fashion, the British Invasion continued through music. Pop bands such as The Beatles, The Kinks, The Who and The Rolling Stones, all made their mark on American teenagers. Their music was infectious and it was everywhere.
60s music was geared towards the teenager and was a huge change from the mellow 50s. Check out the videos below to see how real the craze was.
The 60s Music Craze
The 60s Music Craze
The Twist - Chubby Checker
A taste of Beatlemania in the 1960s
1960s Nightclub, Teenagers Dancing, Beatnik, Jazz
Woodstock festival
Woodstock Music and Arts Festival, which took place in 1969, was perhaps a summary of everything the 60s was about. With nearly half a million boomers flocking to this 3-day event, it provided a huge opportunity for teens to escape their anger with the US involvement in the Vietnam War. No single event has ever offered more of psychedelia, drugs and summer love affairs, than Woodstock.
Check out where Woodstock Music and Arts Festival was located, by looking at the History Pin I created.
Amongst the popular music icons such as Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and The Who, Woodstock was about uniting to spread more peace and love, through music. It was what the whole of the decade had been leading up to and symbolised how unique the boomer generation were.
