The 1990s were an era that had something the present day clearly lacks: a driving force for change. Many people today, especially the youth, seem to be content with the current state of society and lack the initiative of the 90s youth. Additionally, there are no invigorating figures that encourage breaking the mold of standard society. The 90s had Rage Against the Machine and Radiohead, and the early 2000s had Green Day. In the same time period as Green Day, there was the spineless John Mayer, who contrasted their go-getter attitude. The first three aforementioned groups delivered songs to the public that energized them and drove them to achieve societal change. The songs that society has today are very linear and uninspired, usually very self-centered. …show more content…
Part of the problem with society today is that people are happy with the norm. There is absolutely no obvious desire for something unique and different. People are content with hearing the same songs about the same subjects (love, money, and drugs) over and over again. Songs that challenge society and have people question how they really feel about the world they live in would not fit in the bland pool of music today. If a group does not follow the “formula” of modern music and seek to make music for themselves and their fans and not for money, they surely would not receive any corporate support. Mark Kohler addresses in his book, Exiled in America, that many “. . . artists are willing to self-censor to get access to their 20 percent share of the physical music market . . .” and are willing to “ . . . sacrifice ‘something sacred’” (119). No group like Rage will ever exist again because so many artists are willing to “sell-out.” Music is no longer a form of entertainment or medium for social change. “. . . Music as product . . .” (120) is the unfortunate state of music today, and will seem to remain that way for a long …show more content…
With the current state of society, John Mayer is not what it deserves, which contrasts Lynskey’s opinion that the passivity of modern society warrants for someone like John Mayer (533). I believe that people are accepting John Mayer only because there is no one else to turn to. In a way, people are forced into passivity. In any society, it is this passivity that allows any power to maintain control. I want people to cease being passive and seek change because although I do not care controls the past, I care about who is in control of the present and the future. It is almost certain that those in power in the present will extend that power into the future. If people act now to get who they want into power, it will benefit them in the coming future. In my eyes, a Rage approach is necessary to change society. It has stayed stagnant for so long that a radical change needs to occur for there to be any chance for a lasting effect. I also prefer this because I am tired of mainstream music and desire something that drives me to action. Feel-good music is too prevalent today and we need the driving force the 90s had. If not, society will never change and music will no longer be entertainment but a medium for corporate
Although the style of ‘Rock music’ is easily adaptable to many different sounds, it is still thoroughly identified by its definingly amplified rhythm. The sudden worldwide popularity of rock and roll resulted in an unparalleled social impact. Rock ‘n’ Roll influenced lifestyles, fashion, attitudes, and language in a way few other social developments have equaled. The social impact is so large that rock stars are worshipped worldwide. In its early years, many adults condemned the style of music, placing a stigma on its name, and forbid their children from listening and following its ways.
In today?s society, we value and learn to tolerate different cultures and people. Sometimes people end up expressing themselves differently as well. This country is based on the idea that we may express ourselves any way we want to, be it religion, organizing, writing, or speaking. Music has been a popular form of expression for centuries. These days, in the country best known for freedom, some people are trying to censor it the freedom of music. Music should not be censored along with any other form of expression otherwise what we and artists say are being controlled. If we value freedom, then that includes what we may say and how we say it even in musical form.
“If you want change, you have to make it. If we want progress we have to drive It.” - Susan Rice. The author of this quotation had it right because the only way that anything in life becomes better or worthwhile is through change. When we talk about change in reference to music, Michael Jackson definitely comes to mind. Michael Jackson changed a lot of things starting with the change of pop music and how it was presented and gave it a “new sound”. The same holds true for the music industry. ” For starters, the record industry as a whole was in a bad slump, with shipments industry-wide down by 50 million units between 1980 and 1982. CBS Records' own profits were down 50% and sales were down over 15% for the year. As a result, major company-wide layoffs occurred in mid-August, on a day the company would remember as "Black Friday." CBS desperately needed Jackson's album to be a hit, but market conditions appeared daunting.” - Steve Greenberg. Michael Jackson brought the youth back in to buying albums and started to get the youth back into listening to good music instead spending all of their money on video games and going to arcades, which in fact was the thing for the youth to do around the 1980’s.
Imagine working your whole life and being so dirt poor you struggle to live in a cruddy apartment. Depending on how rich you started out being, and how popular you became, that’s how it was in the sixties and still is today (although it’s a little better) in the music industry. Iggy Pop is a musician and song writer from the sixties. He was the lead vocalist in The Stooges band and has done solo work recently, as well as been a radio jockey for the past few years, having his own air time with the Iggy Confidential. He is from Michigan, but he works in London now. Jim Osterberg, more commonly known as Iggy Pop, was asked to do a speech at the John Peel Lecture in 2014; in his speech there, he used flashbacks and allusions to get his message across: Capitalist societies, like here in the USA, hurt and continue to hurt the musicians and song writers in the music industry.
The 1960’s was one of the most controversial decades in American history because of not only the Vietnam War, but there was an outbreak of protests involving civil and social conditions all across college campuses. These protests have been taken to the extent where people either have died or have been seriously injured. However, during the 1960’s, America saw a popular form of art known as protest music, which responded to the social turmoil of that era, from the civil rights movement to the war in Vietnam. A veritable pantheon of musicians, such as Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Phil Ochs, Joan Baez, and Bob Dylan sang their songs to encourage union organizers to protest the inequities of their time, creating a diverse variety of popular protest music, which has reached out to the youthful generations everywhere demanding for a revolutionary change. The protest music took the children of the 1960’s to a completely new different level. Musicians of this generation were not going to sit and do nothing while the government lied to the people about what was going on in Vietnam. Instead, they took their guitar-strumming troubadours from the coffee houses, plugged them in, and sent the music and the message into the college dorm rooms and the homes of the youth of America. However, as decades went by, protest music does not have much of an impact as it use to because of the way things have changed over the years. Through the analysis of the music during the 1960’s, there shall be an understanding on how the different genres of protest music has affected social protesters based on how musicians have become the collective conscience of that generation through their lyrics and music and the main factors that contributed to the lack of popula...
Rock ‘n’ roll and 20th Century Culture According to Philip Ennis, rock ‘n’ roll emerged from the convergence of social transformations which resulted from World War II (Ryan 927). Despite its pop culture origins, rock music is arguably one of the strongest cultural factors to develop in this century. Artists such as Lennon, McCartney and Dylan defined the emotions of a generation and, in the last decade, it as even been acknowledged by members of the establishment which it hoped to change as a major influence in the country. In order to understand how rock went from a sign of rebellion to a cultural icon, it is necessary to understand where it came from.
Music has been around for thousands of years. Music has progressed since that time and has slowly become what it is today. Though music has been around for such a long time, protest music just started to develop in the Vietnam Era, the year 1954. The war started the era of protest which, in turn, created a new form of music which incorporated a specific type of lyric that was a way of expressing protest through the song. Since music in this era was already a big thing, artists thought it would be a good idea to get their political viewpoints out there. They did it through something that affected everybody in that time and space. The artists view spread quickly through the country because of the catchy tune and the viewpoints that are listed. In the United States of America, it is a very common thing to conform to others in a group (Conformity…). Since conformity is such a common occurrence in a large group, all the artist has to do is find a couple of people in the group, group being an audience, who agree with the artist and the rest will unfold on its own. The artist will keep on performing while the word of him and his music will spread from person to person. Conformity will ultimately bring people together on the same viewpoint until eventually, there are thousands of people there with the artist to protest. These artists have grown over time along with the style of music that they bring along with them. Protest music still exists today and is one of the most effective forms of protest that we have.
In closing, the undoubtable influence of music, more specifically of Rock ‘n’ Roll on American society is responsible for a number of changes to the status quo. These range from sexual liberation and racial desegregation all culminating with other influences to create an intergenerational identity. Despite the desperate attempts of older generations to smother these influences, these changes ultimately shaped the years that followed, molding the country into what it is today. Along the way these changes as well as individual involvement in them has also eased the lives of many through empowerment and a feeling of community and purpose. Despite a lull and renewal Rock ‘n’ Roll continues to serve as an agent of influence and change in today’s youth culture and continues to burn in the heart of past generations of loyal fans.
Some artists use their music to share their social commentary, while others write music to earn money and fame. The authors of these articles stress that it is important for artists to decide if they want to “make music that might have the chance of helping me pay the bills or do I make music that represents my heart, my community, and how the country is going?” (Green p.3). Green and McCarthy both argue that it is crucial for artists to take a stand and discuss social issues and controversial topics. Being a musician allows an individual a unique opportunity to share their thoughts about the world with others. Artists should focus on important issues such as sexism, police brutality, racism, etc. The authors argue that the music business needs “more artists who aren’t afraid to tackle important social issues” (McCarthy p.2). Even though rap and country music could not be more different on the spectrum of music, both genres are used to communicate the artist's thoughts about the
While going through our history of rock and roll course, one thing has become apparent, and that is that music brings people together. Sometimes it takes music to get a point across, and our world has endured a lot of social and a cultural change, which is how we music today. Just like our world is evolving, music is the same way. When a baby is born until the day it dies, it has evolved internally and externally and that is the same way I view the history of rock “n” roll. For instance, the great wars and the civil rights movement help influence to history of rock and roll. It gave people a purpose to listen to music and let artist express themselves through their songs. I’m not saying by any means that all the struggles we as a nation have
“Music is uniquely wonderful. It is incapable of being touched yet it touches everyone who is capable of hear sounds. It can seemingly evoke any emotion; we instinctively respond to happy tunes, mournful songs, beautiful melodies, inspiring anthems, stirring hymns, and majestic orchestrations.” (Doolan, Robert. 1985) There is no question that music is great part of society; it has been at civilization’s side whether it be the lyres and flutes of the ancient Greeks or how it calms or excites emotions and keeps armies in order during battle. Within society, there has also been social unrest and the desire for change. Protesting is the expression of a society’s concerns on current events of which they feel affected by whether it be through public rallies, picketing, riots or even bombings. Protest through music is one powerful medium for engaging people. Amidst what life throws at individuals, music has comforted the soul, provoked individualistic thought and opinion, and music draws people together through groups alike who have the same attachment or concerns with their surroundings. Whether it be rock, jazz, blues, rap, hip hop, dance, spiritual, or world, music has inspired artists to spill out their expression and views of society. Music is a universally effective tool of protest in generating social change and unrest as it continues to unite those with like ideas.
Music has always been a basic form of expression. From Antonin Dvorak, to Eminem, to even ancient, tribal music, it has been a medium through which individuals convey their thoughts and expressions. Today this medium is under attack. Everywhere we turn, everything we do and say is being scrutinized. We are being told what to say. We are being spoon-fed our emotions. No longer are we allowed to think freely, openly. All the censors out there are on the prowl for another piece to rip to shreds because it doesn't fit their description of what is decent and moral. What they fail to realize is that we don't make the music for them... We do it for release.
Popular music is dumber, duller and more homogenized than ever before. This isn't a matter of taste or subjective opinion, it's an objectively provable fact. A ten year analysis of number one songs on the Billboard charts found that some lyrics are getting measurably less intelligent.
He also brings up a “solution” for the “bad influence” music supposedly has on its listeners: The people who feel this can become artists themselves, thus bringing their own ideas to the general public. Taboo Tunes Gallery - Music Censorship. Tabootunes.com - Music Censorship. Web. The Web.
The Beats, hippies, and punks are evidence that behind the white picket fence of suburbia lay an America that wanted more out of life than the sugar coated portrayals of domesticity and patriotism it received from pop culture. The unfortunate side of authenticity often lead to the conclusion that autonomy was an impossible dream and that just mere existence required an individual to compromise his integrity. The post-war generation developed an interesting love-hate relationship with the mass culture of it’s time. Some, like Andy Warhol, embraced the inevitability of mass culturalization in order to control the beast (yes, this is a reference to Revelations). While others recognized the American Dream as being a hypocrisy and so chose the Golden Eternity instead.The Beat generation and early hippies sought to separate themselves from mainstream society where they believed they could start anew and fully experience life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The flower child philosophy was in fact very Transcendental, minus the stuffy New England mentality.