How Music Has Evolved over the Decades - Coursework Example

Music throughout the Decades Purpose of the Research Paper The purpose of this paper is to discuss the evolution of music throughout several decades beginning of the 1960’s. Moreover, the paper seeks to analyze the potential influence of society on music as well as its impact on the lives of people. The topic is of interest because of an exhibited passion for music from different decades and the conviction that the society presents impact of different types of music. It is fascinating to listen to different kinds of music and critically analyze how the different genres have resulted from the years. This research topic is of relevance to the society because of the attention people give to music as well as the effects music has on the society (University of Nottingham). This research will help the society in understanding how global events shaped music genres. Objectives The objective of this research is being able to understand why music impacted the globe in immense ways. It is also critical to understand why music is a significant part of the American history. Information gained from this research will serve to explain why people exhibit preference for certain types of music as well appreciate the variation in preference among people. The research will also provide information that can help people have a better understanding of the factors that motivated the development of certain music genres as well as the effects of such music on the society. Introduction Many scholars have studied music from the 1960s to 2000s. These scholars are interested in the immense growth registered by different music genres in this decade. This paper will adopt a more analytical look on each decade and highlight the type of music that dominated the decade. It is also important to highlight the specific bands and artists that played different music genres in these decades. As Victor Yugo highlighted, “music is an avenue of expressing ideas that cannot be put into words, but that cannot afford to remain silent” ("Quotes About Music"), therefore, the main objective of the paper is to understand the influence of society on music and the impact of music on people’s lifestyles. Evidently, music is always undergoing evolution with new genres emerges every so often ("Music Played in the 1980s Popular Music From the 80s"). Music has the potential to influence an entire society, but few people realize that music can reveal different aspects of a society especially the outstanding problems defining the societies. Therefore, this paper will consider music in the 1960s to the 1990s. Music in the 1960s The 1960s marked the emergence of the rock and roll music, which was started by the young generation. Rock and roll emerged from African American artists and it faced rejection in its beginning. However, it would soon become a popular trend and be accepted by the whites as well. Notably, rock and roll also spread in other regions such as Britain because of the influence of bands such as the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and the Yardbirds. The emergence of the rock and roll music was a sure reflection of the numerous changes that defined the society in that decade. The young people were determined to pursue a different lifestyle from that of their parents. Their rebellion to the previous social order was exhibited through the rock and roll music. Historical events that had a paramount effect on the rock and roll music were the Vietnam War as well as the civil rights movement. Both of these events inspired some rock and roll artists to compose songs that expressed their opinion concerning them (Candeale). Rock and roll music had immense effect on the society. This music genre became a way of expression for young people. The lyrics of the songs gave young people a new hope and a new way of thinking. This influenced the thinking of many of the youths. For example, parents were opposed to the evident effect of this music genre to a point whereby White children were restricted from listening to Rock and roll. The Beatles band rose to fame and the members of the band became role models for many youths. Their dressing, hairstyles, and lifestyles were copied by youths across the globe. This explains the reception of the band in the United States when they visited (Candeale). Music in the 1970s In the 1970s, disco music was the defining epic moment. In the previous decade, music had concerned war and the civil rights movements a factor, which did not apply in the 1970s. Evidently, people were in search for a more relaxing genre of music. The hippy music gained popularity in this decade. Notably, disco and dance music that had emerged in the previous era also gained popularity as people flocked to clubs to enjoy themselves. Some of the dances, which became common in the 1970s were the swing and the cha cha. During this decade, some artists began to express their homosexuality behaviors, which were evident from their dressing and the lyrics of their music. Famous bands of this decade were the sunshine bands and artists such as Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson, his sister. The emerging artists became very influential to the society. The themes depicted in their songs were those typical of people’s lives. Therefore, they easily associated themselves with the lyrics. Artists like Michael Jackson became global celebrities hence being in a position to influence the society. Notably, people would rebel against disco music towards the end of the decade because of its increased commercialization. Rock music also progressed during this decade, but it was combined with other genres to form a hybrid genre ("Popular Music of the Seventies"). Music in the 1980s The 1980s would register a new wave in music with people exhibiting an excitement about hip hop, bubblegum pop, and rap music. Break dancing became a popular aspect during this decade. Cable network MTV presented an avenue for music to gain more popularity than it had in the previous decade. It had immense effect on the pop music because it enhanced other aspects such as fashion and theatrics ("Influential 80s New Wave Bands"). This led to the emergence of pop stars namely Madonna, Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson and Prince. These superstars would influence society immensely through their dress code and lifestyle. They gained popularity and developed individual brands that were worshiped in the 1980s (“MTV changed the music industry on August 1, 1981”. During this era, there was an outbreak of the HIV epidemic. This led to the emergence of music focusing on this topic. For example, the lyrics of a song titled ‘Rent’ talked about HIV/Aids. In addition, a different song that had been released in 1975 became popular in the 1980s after the realization that it referenced death resulting from Aids. The song was titled Bohemian Rhapsody and was done by Queen (“Pop culture: The Way We Were"). Music in the 1990s Gangster rap emerged in the 1990s and became very popular. During this time, different boy bands emerged and released music that topped the charts. One of the unfortunate events that shaped music in this decade was the mass killings of the African American men from a rivalry created by gangs such as the Bloods and Creeps (“Life in the 1980s”). These killings inspired different artists such as Tupac, Biggie Smalls, and Eazy-E. The popularity of such gangs involved in rap music continued until the conclusion of the decade. Without doubt, rap was becoming the common trend of the decade ("Music Played in the 1990s Popular Music From the 90s"). The emergence of gangster rap served to popularize negative aspects in the society. Many songs belonging to this category depicted violence, sexism, gangs, as well as guns. Moreover, they promoted discrimination and many other negative themes. For example, one of the popular songs served to introduce a negative connotation towards the police because of its vulgar lyrics. Despite the negativity brought about by this genre, no one tried to institute moral order. This explains why gangster rap had negative influence on teenagers. Conclusion Without doubt, music is a phenomenal aspect in every society. A close analysis of the effects of music in the American history reveals that music does affect the perceptions of people and motivates the emergence of new attitudes and lifestyles. On the other hand, music is used in raising social awareness against social problems and political issues. It is impossible to ignore the immense effects of music throughout the decades discussed above and how historic events defined music genres. Reflection From the research conducted above, it became evident that world events and societal perceptions have the potential of influencing music genres. It is also true that the emergence of music genres place impact on the society. This research revealed that music is a central aspect of people’s culture and determines their views on certain issues and defines their dress codes and lifestyles. The research confirmed ideas that were evident before, but also highlighted new aspects of music. Application to the Future The findings from this research can be applied to the future. It can serve to present a new basis for appreciating different types of music. Moreover, it can motivate a critical review and analysis of music and its message to the audience. Different readers can benefit from this research as it can help them have a deeper understanding of the impact of music in the society. Since new music genres will emerge in the future, the cause of analyzing their impacts as adopted in this research paper will be useful. Work Cited Candeale, Kerry. "The Sixties and Protest Music." The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Sept. 2014. “Influential 80s New Wave Bands." Influential New Wave Bands of the 80s. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Sept. 2014. “Life in the 1980s.” U.S.hitory.org. N.p.,n.d. Web. 06 Sept. 2014. “MTV changed the music industry on August 1, 1981.” CNN.com. N.p.,n.d. Web. 06 Sept. 2014. “Music Played in the 1980s Popular Music From the 80s." 1980s Music Played in the 80s Bands Groups Singers Memories from The People History Site. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Sept. 2014. “MusicPlayed in the 1990s Popular Music From the 90s." 1990s Music Played in the 90s Bands Groups Singers Memories from The People History Site. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Sept. 2014. “Pop culture: The Way We Were." PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 06 Sept. 2014. “Popular Music of the Seventies." Music from the 1970s with the Top Hits, Popular Groups and Singers from the Decade. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Sept. 2014. “Quotes About Music." (2567 Quotes). N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Sept. 2014. University of Nottingham. “Decade Profiles: The Profiles” Impact. N.p.,n.d. Web. 06 September 6, 2014. Read More