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MUSC 465: MUSIC, TELEVISION AND AMERICAN CULTURE
JON BURLINGAME, ADJUNCT ASST. PROFESSOR
burlinga@usc.edu
syllabus, spring 2016
Catalog description: An exploration of the social and cultural impact of music written for,
popularized by, or exploited by American television from the 1950s through today. (Two
2-hour classes per week; four unit course.)
Required course reader consisting of journal articles and book chapters to be assigned
throughout the semester. Available from University Readers,
www.universityreaders.com, (800) 200-3908.
Grade breakdown:
a. Midterm exam (3/10). One-third of final grade.
b. One 2,000-word term paper (due 4/7, specifics to be discussed): One-third of
final grade. (Grade reduced for every day papers are late.)
c. Final exam (5/5): One-third of final grade.
Office hours: By appointment only, my office (TMC 125), usually Tues./ Thurs. 3-4 p.m.
Disability:
Any student requesting academic accomodations based on a disability is
required to register with Disability Services and Programs (DSP) each semester. A letter
of verification for approved accomodations can be obtained from DSP. DSP phone
(213) 740-0776.
Week 1:
Course overview; historical context for music presentations on television.
Classical music on TV: Toscanini conducts NBC Symphony in 1948; Amahl and
the Night Visitors first TV opera in 1951. Omnibus, outstanding cultural program,
introduces Leonard Bernstein to TV; he hosts series of Young People’s Concerts,
explaining classical music to children, starting in 1957. Later, Live From Lincoln Center,
Evening at Pops frequently present classical and opera performers.
Week 2:
Walt Disney’s widespread cultural impact begins with Disneyland in 1954,
including Davy Crockett craze; marketing of Annette Funicello in the late 1950s and
launch of Richard and Robert Sherman as popular songwriters. Mickey Mouse Club
later revived, introducing Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Justin Timberlake.
Fifties TV as destination for popular music: flashy pianist Liberace becomes TV
star in 1952, bandleader Lawrence Welk in 1955. Racism issues with Nat King Cole in
1956; Frank Sinatra tries TV; others.
Week 3:
Role of The Ed Sullivan Show in presenting popular music: Elvis Presley in 195657, The Beatles in 1964-65. Sullivan as showcase for other 1960s rock artists: The
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Rolling Stones, Janis Jopln, Simon & Garfunkel, Beach Boys, Motown artists, etc.
Censorship of rock lyrics and subjects (Bob Dylan, The Doors, Rolling Stones).
The Beatles' later TV appearances, including promotional films on Sullivan and
landmark performance on global telecast of Our World in 1967.
Week 4:
Rock ‘n’ roll on TV: American Bandstand begins in Philadelphia 1952, Dick Clark
joins in 1956, goes network in 1957. Hullabaloo, Shindig, Where the Action Is, other TV
showcases for pop and rock; syndicated series hosted by Lloyd Thaxton and others.
Broadway on TV: Sullivan showcases now-classic Broadway musicals. Original
musicals for TV include Cinderella (Rodgers & Hammerstein), Aladdin (Cole Porter),
Evening Primrose (Sondheim). Classics later restaged for TV (Annie, Gypsy, Sweeney
Todd, etc.). Tony Awards shows offer more contemporary Broadway casts on TV.
Week 5:
Stars come to TV, new stars made by TV: Classic variety specials 1958-72
include Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, Barbra Streisand, Liza Minnelli. Judy Garland
headlines own special, then weekly series; Frank Sinatra fails at weekly series but
triumphs with a series of specials.
Petula Clark's controversial TV special; Elvis Presley's 1968 "comeback special"
reignites his career. Weekly variety shows include Andy Williams, Danny Kaye, Carol
Burnett.
Week 6:
The Monkees (1966-68) adapts Beatles concept and film imagery to small
screen; later The Partridge Family follows model of TV-created rock ‘n’ roll group; both
turn into real rock careers for the Monkees and David Cassidy. Saturday-morning
cartoon shows feature rock ‘n’ roll.
Rock on TV in the ‘70s and beyond: Midnight Special, In Concert, Saturday Night
Live, etc.
Week 7:
Jazz makes infrequent appearances on TV; noteworthy programs include Ray
Anthony Show in 1956, Duke Ellington’s A Drum Is a Woman in 1957, Seven Lively Arts
in 1957, Miles Davis in 1959.
Folk and country music on TV, from Tex Ritter in the ’50s to Johnny Cash in the
‘60s, Hee Haw in the ‘70s and Garth Brooks in the ‘90s: presentations evolve from
cornpone jokes to big-budget specials, acknowledging much wider popularity for country
than previously believed.
Week 8:
Henry Mancini’s groundbreaking jazz score for Peter Gunn (1958) influences
crime/detective shows and movies. Earle Hagen writes memorable themes (Andy
Griffith Show, Dick Van Dyke Show), creates business model for composers in TV that
is still the industry standard. TV themes become cultural touchstones that resonate
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decades later in other contexts (Dragnet, Twilight Zone, etc.). Eventually Mike Post
updates the sound of TV underscore (Rockford Files, Hill Street Blues, LA Law).
Week 9:
Sesame Street, Mister Rogers and Schoolhouse Rock: Musical influences on
children in the 1960s and 1970s. Midterm exam (3/10).
Week 10:
Soul and R&B on TV: Motown on Sullivan, Soul on public TV, Soul Train in
syndication in the ’70s and ’80s. Motown 25 special showcases Michael Jackson, Diana
Ross.
Week 11:
Launch of MTV in 1981 alters American pop culture: how young people perceive
and acquire music, music industry (marketing artists and music), even the movie
business (Flashdance, Top Gun, other Bruckheimer-Simpson films). Eventual decline of
MTV as rock-video destination in favor of non-video programming.
Live Aid in 1985: the ultimate collaboration of rock and television for a good
cause? Live 8, the 2005 followup and its disastrous airing on MTV.
Week 12:
Miami Vice (1984): “MTV Cops” concept incorporates video-style editing,
interpolates contemporary songs, commissions trendy synthesizer score. Other TV
series follow model.
Music in TV commercials evolves from traditional (Magnificent Seven to sell
Marlboros) to surprising rock-group sellouts (Rolling Stones for Microsoft, Led Zeppelin
for Cadillac) and even TV themes (Star Trek for Hummer, etc.)
Week 13:
Late ‘80s-early ‘90s broadcast TV expands musical horizons with greater song
licensing, especially on breakthrough shows like The Wonder Years, thirtysomething,
Ally McBeal.
Growth of cable offers artists new video venues, greater artistic freedom than
broadcast TV (Bette Midler, Madonna, Barbra Streisand, Simon & Garfunkel reunion,
Britney Spears, Usher, etc.).
Week 14:
TV in the ’90s and beyond: Indie bands and alt-rock go mainstream as songs
licensed for themes and dramatic punctuation. The O.C., Grey’s Anatomy: Television as
vehicle for breaking new bands. Music supervision as aesthetic choice or marketing
bonanza? HBO’s The Sopranos eschews traditional soundtrack in favor of pop and rock
songs.
Week 15:
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Reincarnated favorites: American Idol as Ted Mack’s Amateur Hour for modern
audiences; later, The Voice, Dancing With the Stars, other singing and dancing
competitions.
The Simpsons, South Park, Family Guy as cultural Mobius strip: References to
pop music and culture take on fresh meanings as animated shows become their own
cultural phenomena. Final exam (5/5).