Music and Society: How Each Decade Shaped a Generation

Music as a Mirror of Society

Music has a profound influence on society. As with other forms of art, music has the ability to communicate messages that are both complex and oblique — the message need not be specific, but may convey an emotion or ethos external to the lyrical content of the songs. Music gives a voice to generations by allowing those with the ability to express their thoughts and feelings through the form, and others to express theirs through the consumption of the medium. Thus, while music can have significant influence over a generation and reflect its values, the music to which that generation is drawn likewise reflects its values outward to the world, allowing some of the music consumed by that generation to be understood by any society that chooses to engage with it. One cannot replicate the 1960s simply by listening to the Doors and Hendrix, but one can begin to understand the decade better and put some of its events into perspective. We can, therefore, learn a great deal about generations by examining the music they consumed.

The 1960s: Rock, Folk, and Social Upheaval

The early 1960s saw the waning of the jazz era and the dawn of the rock 'n' roll era, effectively marking the coming of age for the baby boom generation, transitioning away from the Beat generation, which was far more heavily jazz-influenced. Rock 'n' roll was a lively, celebratory music that captured the emotional roller coaster of youth. Because it was frowned upon by older generations, it also became a sign of rebellion, which dovetailed with other forms of social resistance that were emerging at the time. Folk music brought a social consciousness to rock 'n' roll, and the music became a voice for groups wishing to change the world in their image. This was a period of tremendous social upheaval, youthful energy, and experimentation. The music reflected all of that — full of love and rebellion, and infused with global and social influences as well.

The 1970s: Disillusionment, Disco, Punk, and Hip Hop

The transition to the 1970s was marked by two major shifts. One was a move toward both the louder and more experimental sides of rock, with the advent of heavy metal and the popularization of progressive rock. Alongside these came glam rock — a backlash against the earnest seriousness of the 1960s. There was a sense that much of the major social change had already been achieved, and that perhaps it was time to have more fun. Disco further embodied this spirit. If the 1960s were about social change, there was something in the 1970s that suggested a loss of innocence — the ongoing Vietnam War and the Watergate scandal in particular. While some responded by focusing on pleasure in the here and now, others rejected that approach entirely. We saw the rise of punk and hip hop as holistic countercultural movements, complete with fashion, entrance rituals, and other modes of distinguishing the in-group from the out-group (Gordon, 2014).

Conclusion: What Popular Music Tells Us About America

The messages contained in music are not just in the lyrics. Music itself conveys emotion, and this becomes clear when examining how different trends in music have developed across society. The 1960s leaned on blues-based sounds and folk, but Motown provided a broader influence in the 1970s with its brighter, more joyful sounds. Punk's anger contrasted sharply with this, as did the hip hop of the late 1980s, which served as a counterpoint to the bright pop of that era. Grunge killed that bright pop, at least temporarily, and as with prior rebellions it was louder than most forms of music that preceded it. Since then, however, most of the most popular music has retained little of this anger or rebellious spirit. This reflects something fundamental about American society: with a high quality of life, all wars conducted in distant theaters, and no existential nuclear threat since the 1980s ended, life has been relatively comfortable — comfortable enough that the majority of Americans have gravitated toward music that speaks to the relative simplicity of their everyday lives.

References

Edmonson, J. (2013). How social media and streaming have influenced the music industry. Socialnomics. Retrieved December 6, 2015, from

Gordon, A. (2014). Subcultures, popular music and social change: Subcultural practices in UK punk culture. Cambridge Scholars Publishing.