History of Music: High Profile Decade - Essay Example

History of Music: High Profile Decade The 1960s There are a lot of eventful episodes in the 1960s. The interconnection between music and events are also clear and obvious not only in terms of themes, anthems and lyrics but also the way they are distributed. For example, the 1960s marked the end of discrimination against African Americans and other minorities in the US when the Civil Rights Acts was passed. Correspondingly, Motown Record Corporation was launched which featured African American Artists. From this company, the Miracles produced Shop Around which hit top 2 on Billboard Hot 100 and earned Motown’s first million selling record. The 1960s also gave way to Bob Dylan’s legendary music and on the side, the greatest boxer of all time became a champion in the person of Cassius Clay or popularly known as Muhammad Ali. In a way, the 1960s and Motown opened the gate for African American artists in the mainstream music industry which corresponded to the passing of Civil Rights Act that ended discrimination against African Americans. The 1960 is also marked with conflict against the communists and the protests against war. It was the “hippie days” that bannered the anthem “love not war” represented by a legendary band Beatles. Perhaps the music that represented this theme is Beatles Imagine where it aspired for common humanity against all people removing boundaries and governments that caused conflict. 1970s The 1970s can be said to be an angry decade. The decade opened with the breaking up of peace loving Beatles in 1970 and the hijacking of five planes by the Palestinians in 1971. The hijack event can even be said as the first act terrorism. In addition to the disband of Beatles, the rock icon Elvis Presley died in 1977. These events are represented by the angrier music of Aerosmith and other punk rock bands which had “angrier” lyrics in contrast to peaceful hippie music of 60s. This period also mark as the profitable decades for record labels because the only source of music can only be had through their distribution channels. Also the Ebola virus that now banners our headline was actually first discovered in 1976 ebola in Zaire and correspondingly, bands such as Led Zeppelin sprouted which used death as themes became in vogue. Alongside with it is the resignation of President Nixon in 1974 due to the Watergate Scandal and the invention of computer microprocessor in September 17, 1971. The formation of the music subgenre punk rock may have been an appropriate representative of these events as the highest office was “punked” by Nixon with his eavesdropping antics. 1980 The 1980s can be best described as the period of waning communism and the impending geographical redefinition of borders in Germany. Correspondingly, the music industry and outlet was also redefined with the introduction of music television or MTV. Music is no longer confined to audio but was enhanced by moving images in Technicolor in the 1980s. The 80s can be remembered with the communist Russia boycotting the August 28, 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, California to mark their cold war with US but the decade ended with the collapsing of the Berlin Wall where the former communist East Germany was integrated with the former West Germany to form a unified Germany in 1989. This integration of East and West Germany may be best represented by the 90s legendary band Blondies with their hit record Call Me. The improvement of East Germany when it was integrated with West Germany can be seen in the enhancements of MTV of music and the happy New Wave music that integrated electronica, rap, pop and reggae. Rock and roll still existed in this era with the music of Guns n’ Roses and Bon Jovi. 1990 The 1990s can be marked by war. It was the decade when Iraq invaded Kuwait and the first time that terrorists bombed the World Trade Center in February 26, 1993. US liberated Kuwait through Operation Desert Storm but this conflict is only a prelude to a much bigger conflict in the decade ahead. Teen pop group such as Britney Spears, Cristina Aguilera, Spice Girls may have dominated this era but Nirvana’s grunge music and Carnberries single Zombie can best represent the decade with its angst and anxiety. The decade also ended with the introduction of Napster, a peer to peer file sharing facility which changed the distribution of music because music can already be had for free which angered record labels. 2000 The decade of 2000 changed the way we lived. No event can out mark the September 11, 2001 terror attack that killed more than 3,000 people and collapsed the World Trade Center for the world to see. Probably the best music that would represent it is Britney Spears Oops I did it again because the World Trade Center has already been bombed by terrorists earlier and this time, they successfully collapsed it by slamming planes against for the world to see. Conclusion Events and music are interconnected. Events provide the anthem or topic of the music. The product of the events also expands the medium of expressing music and correspondingly, new subgenres are form. They also provide the motivation and inspiration for musicians in composing their music. In sum, events and its byproducts feed music. For example, the incessant war in the 60s fed the antiwar sentiment contained in the music of Beatles such as Imagine which served as the anthem of the decades. The social conditions of the time also influences the lyrics of the music being wrote. The 1990s were marked by the war in the Middle East and in the Balkans and this fed the music of Cranberries Zombie where it spoke about tanks, guns and their disgust about it. Political events can also dictate the availability of music such as the passage of the Civil Rights Acts in the 1960s which prompted Motown Records to promote African American artists where they now enjoy popularity and acceptance from the listening public. Byproducts of events such as inventions also affect music and the way it is distribution. The invention of the microprocessor in 1971 affected music in two ways, adding genre to it and the way it is distributed. The invention of microprocessor gave birth to computers which facilitated the electronica music and internet. From it came the synthesizers and peer to peer music which expanded and democratized the availability of music. As events continue to unfold, so would music. After all, events feed music. Reference History of Music (1950 - 2010). (n.d.).History of Music (1950 - 2010). Retrieved August 3, 2014, from http://www.slideshare.net/JessicaLoader/history-of-music-1950-2010 Read More