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Laura King
Erik Paffett
FAM3000H
1 May 2015
Final Writing Assignment: Music and Audiences in the 1960s and 1970s
Music in the 1960s 1970s was much different from the music that came before it, and is
different from music today. Popular music was revolutionized during this time with the
development and progression of Rock and Roll, which continued its trends from the 1950s. The
1970s brought about many genres, including disco, funk, punk rock, and smooth jazz, which
helped transition into the music of the 1980s. Although these decades occurred right next to each
other, they were different in terms of both music and audiences. Cultural influences and societal
changes also had an impact on the music and the attitudes of audiences. These influences were
able to engage audiences and excite them about music in a new way, which paved the way for
new music and attitudes.
The culture of the 1960s influenced the music that came about during this time. A few
things come to mind when one thinks of this decade: long hair, free love, bright colors, peace
signs, bell-bottoms, and new music. Many cultural movements and changes were occurring
during the 60s, which greatly influenced the daily lives of everyone in America. Flower power
was a large part of the 60s, and many people were standing by the idea of “make love, not war.”
Beliefs about sexuality and free love became more accepted, which ties into feminism, which
was also prominent during this time. Along with these concepts, the Civil Rights Movement had
a large impact on American society, seeking equality for all. The 60s was also the birth of
environmentalist movement, which advocates for the protection and preservation of the
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environment. (Liew 2013). All of these societal changes, and many more, influenced the music
of the 1960s.
The music of the 1960s was heavily influenced by the rapidly changing culture in
America. According to the article, “Defining music of the 1960s, its characteristics and great
songs from the era,” written by Michelle Liew, “The defining music of the 1960s was truly
varied in terms of genre and style…it has shaped the music that we know and love, to this date”
(Liew 2013). Many new genres of music surfaced, including psychedelic rock, surf music,
progressive rock, and R&B/soul music. Psychedelic rock attempts to replicate the mind-altering
experiences of using psychedelic drugs, and combines this with folk rock revival to create a new
genre of music. Groups like the Grateful Dead helped to make this genre popular. Surf music
associates with the surf culture of Southern California and was especially popular in the early to
mid 1960s. Groups like the Beach Boys brought this genre to life. Progressive rock originated in
the United Kingdom and can be considered a subgenre of rock. The Beatles and the Rolling
Stones assisted in the popularity of this genre. R&B and Soul music thrived thanks to the
development of Motown, a record company founded in Detroit in 1959, which helped increase
the popularity of this style. Quickly, Motown Sound became a style of soul music, and saw much
success. A notable artist of R&B and Soul music in the 1960s is Aretha Franklin, with her wildly
famous song, RESPECT.
In the early 1960s, musical styles and sounds stuck to those of the previous decade, and
popular music was by artists who found success in the 1950s, including Elvis Presley. Audiences
became used to this style, and they were happy with it, but the culture and values in the United
States were rapidly changing. This helped new musical groups emerge and create popular music
that could appeal to a wide variety of people. One event that contributed to the development of
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new music in the 1960s was the British Invasion. The British Invasion consisted of British rock
and roll groups whose popularity spread throughout the United States. One group in particular
that comes to mind when speaking of this movement is The Beatles. The Beatles first came into
the US music scene in 1963, but gained much popularity in 1964, and dominated the charts
throughout the decade. Their countless records and contemporary music style not only led to
their success, but also contributed to audiences’ obsession with their music, a phenomenon
known as Beatlemania. Encyclopedia Britannica further discusses this phenomenon:
“Beatlemania was something new…fascination with the Beatles – at first confined to young
British fans of popular music – breached the normal barriers of taste, class, and age, transforming
their recordings and live performances into matters of widespread public comment.” This is why
the Beatles became so popular among audiences – their music was refreshing, unique, and
ultimately unfamiliar to audiences in the 1960s – but it was appealing and available to all
audiences.
How did the Beatles and Beatlemania become so successful in a time when every aspect
of life was quickly changing? In the article, “Situating the 1960s: Popular Music,” author
Kenneth Gloag discusses a few of the Beatles’ albums, and how they relate to the developing
culture:
The White Album (1968) features a significant rupture within the stylistic
trajectory of the Beatles. The progression from Rubber Soul (1965) and Revolver
(1966) to Sgt Pepper (1967) is one predicated on stylistic innovation and
ambition, while the White Album presents a reaction against the drive towards
unity in Sgt Pepper and embraces a higher sense of difference/plurality which was
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implicit but often resisted in the earlier work, qualities which render it readily
available to a postmodern perspective and which will come to be seen as part of a
wider fragmentation of popular music styles.
This further illustrates the idea that the music of the Beatles was highly innovative during this
time and was appreciated by audiences. New cultural elements brought about new attitudes and
practices, which helped audiences adapt to new music. Modernism and postmodernism stressed
the ideas of innovation and creating things in a new way, and the Beatles certainly adapted to
these ideas.
The new cultural values of the 1970s created new music and attitudes of audiences. The
1970s carried many values from 1960s culture, including environmentalism, political awareness,
and economic and political equality of women. The Vietnam War also greatly influenced the
culture, and many people opposed both the war and nuclear weapons. These people advocated
for world peace and were hostile towards the authority of the government and big businesses.
(Phipps 2015). Dozens of genres including, funk, disco, and pop all held their place in the 1970s.
According to Paul Phipps in his article on retrowaste.com, “There was more variety in music in
the 1970s than ever before. Music listeners had dozens of genres to choose from and many of
them rose to popularity at different points during the decade” (Phipps 2015). With many genres
to choose from, audiences were able to easily listen to music on their own time, from their own
home. Vinyl record popularity escalated during this decade, and were affordable, thus, everyone
had a record player. This allowed audiences to listen to music more often, and be exposed to a
wide variety of genres and artists.
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Like some cultural values, some musical genres from the 1960s carried into the 1970s,
including rock and roll. However, disco music took the 1970s by storm, and prompted the
opening of hundreds of dance clubs throughout the country. (classic70s.com). The emergence
and popularity of this genre was unexpected, but it brought people together to enjoy music, and
most importantly, dance. Dancing was a large part of the disco genre, and was highly enjoyed by
audiences. Frank Hoffman explains, “Discos has been quietly serving its core audience for years.
They originated as settings where one could dance to recorded music.” Interestingly, he goes on
to say, “In the wake of disco’s breakthrough, established artists (e.g., Rod Stewart, the Beach
Boys, the Rolling Stones) – even new trendsetters, Bloinde—rushed to cash in, recording in this
style. Radio stations didn’t just add disco cuts to their playlists, they often went all disco. Record
companies competed to hire disco insiders and artists” (Hoffman). As highlighted, disco was
popular among everyone, and it introduced new ways of exploring music. Some examples of top
disco songs and artists include, “Stayin’ Alive” (1977) – The Bee Gees, “That’s the Way (I Like
It)” (1975) – KC and the Sunshine Band, “Ladies Night” (1979) – Kool and the Gang, and
“Boogie Oogie Oogie” (1978) – A Taste of Honey. In general, disco music produced upbeat,
feel-good music that defined the 1970s.
The music and audiences of the 1960s and 1970s are both similar and different in many
ways. The music of the 1960s greatly reflected the cultural changes that were occurring: flower
power, feminism, the Civil Rights Movement, and environmentalism. The British Invasion
introduced the Beatles and the progressive rock style to America, and the response was unlike
anything else. The music of the Beatles was innovative and appealing to all audiences.
Audiences loved them and their music so much, they coined the term Beatlemania to describe
the phenomenon. The Beatles exemplified the ideas of modernism and post-modernism by
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creating new, unfamiliar music in a different way, which is why audiences were so attracted to
them. The 1970s brought some values from the previous decade that influenced the music and
audiences. Cultural ideas from the 60s such as political awareness, economic and political
equality of women, and environmentalism came into the 70s, which assisted in creating new
music. Disco music became so popular in the 1970s, and allowed audiences to come together to
appreciate music. Audiences were so drawn to disco because it was new, exciting, and much
different from the music that came before it. Although disco music’s popularity plummeted after
the 70s, it still had an impact on fashion and influenced electronic dance, go-go, and techno
music in the 1980s. (Hoffman).
In general, the 1960s and 1970s shared many similar cultural elements, including
feminism and political awareness. However, the flower power “hippie” movement was present
mostly in the 1960s and disappeared during the Vietnam War in the 1970s. Although they are
both considered to be part of the post-modernism era, their music was definitely different.
However, both decades focused on constructing new music, which resulted in positive audience
response. Music in the 1950s helped with the development of 1960s genres and styles. The music
of the Beatles and other genres including R&B and soul, surf, and psychedelic rock in the 1960s
helped influence the music of the 1970s, also containing several of these genres. Disco music’s
popularity in the 70s established a foundation for the beloved dance music of the 80s. As shown,
music from preceding decades has a lot of say in the music of the decade to follow – it is a
never-ending cycle. This impact and cycle allows for audiences to continue to appreciate music
of previous decades, and helps keep music from the past alive.
Music and audiences in the 1960s 1970s were different, but also contained many
similarities. Popular music was revolutionized during the 1960s with the development and
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progression of Rock and Roll, which continued its trends from the 1950s. The 1970s brought
disco, funk, punk rock, and smooth jazz, which helped transition into the dance music of the
1980s. Both societal changes and cultural influences also had an impact on the music and the
attitudes of audiences. These influences were able to engage listeners and excite them about
music in a new way, which helped make these two decades monumental in American history.
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References
Gloag, K (2001). "Situating the 1960s: Popular music, postmodernism, history". Rethinking
history. 5(3), 397-410.
Hoffman, F. (n.d.). DISCO MUSIC. Retrieved April 25, 2015, from
http://www.shsu.edu/lis_fwh/book/hybrid_children_of_rock/Disco2.htm
Liew, M. (2013, June 30). Defining music of the 1960s, its characteristics and great songs from
the era. Retrieved April 25, 2015, from http://midget38.hubpages.com/hub/Definingmusic-of-the-1960s-its-characteristics-and-great-songs-from-the-era
Phipps, P. (2015, January 20). Music in the 1970s. Retrieved April 25, 2015, from
http://www.retrowaste.com/1970s/music-in-the-1970s/
Tuck, S. (2008). Introduction: Reconsidering the 1970s -- The 1960s to a Disco Beat? Journal of
Contemporary History, 43(4), 617-620.