Preview

The Influence of Drugs and Music in the 1960's

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
596 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The Influence of Drugs and Music in the 1960's
The music of the 1969s greatly reflected the people and behaviors of the decade.

It affected everything from the clothes they wore to the drugs they used.

Under the influence of drugs. Everything appeared to be a double entendre with a deep hidden meaning. (Kurlansky 183) The drugs made the music come alive. You not only heard the music, you could see it and feel it as well. With psychedelic music of bands like the Grateful Dead it was no surprise that people were usually stoned when they listened to the music. If you werent under the influence of some kind of drug, (100) the musical experience was different. Things stayed the same. Where if you were on drugs the music came alive, all around you was an amazing blur or music and color. (Madine)The drugs of the sixties included the psychedelic LSD and acid as well as the relaxing marijuana. The use of the LSD resulted in good and bad side effects, such as nightmarish cycles of mania and depression or paranoia (Kurlansky 189)Acid was a lot like LSD. It also had good and bad Trips. Marijuana on the other hand was very different. Instead of tripping, you become extremely enthused and happy. (200) that is followed by a feeling of extreme relaxation.

Rock soon began to articulate that separate sensibility that youth wished to express, a world view that rejected the values of establishment and embraced a new. (Jennings Brewster 392) People wanted a change in the rules and establishment. But they believed things werent going to get any better. So they had to make them seem better, or completely forget about them. Thats where the drugs came into play. It was commonly believed that the governments drug enforcement apparatus was an instrument of repression and a truly democratic society would legalize drugs. (Brewster Jennings 392)The lifestyle of many musical phenoms resulted in tragic deaths (300) that had a huge impact on the listeners. Stars like Jim Morrison never even made it into their thirties. Because their rock

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    LSD is a recreational drug and is considered a hallucinogen; it is known for its effects on the thinking process, false visuals, altered senses of time and mind. Many musical artists, writers and musicians used LSD to help them create. Psychedelics became part of the culture itself and motivated many of the iconic items of the 1960’s. The use started in the Hippie culture which was the antithesis of the conservative culture of the 1950’s. They brought along such things as tie-dye shirts, black lights, free-spirits and embraced drugs and sexual freedom. They also embraced peace and love and were against the violence and prejudice of the times. The hippies, who were manly in New York and San Francisco, drug use and culture influenced literature, art and music. The biggest example of the LSD influence was definitely the music. Many great musicians and song writers appeared during the 1960’s and were know their drug use. Artist such as Jimi Hendrix, The Grateful Dead, Jim Morrison, the Beatles, and Janis Joplin were the poster children for LSD use and music. In what is considered one the greatest festivals of all time Woodstock Festival was considered a landmark event not only for the music and culture but also for the decade of the 1960s. The three day event occurred on 15-18 August 1969 in upstate New York. The festival attracted an estimated three hundred to four hundred thousand people. LSD and other drugs were prominently used and many of the artists who used them preformed during the festival. This accomplishment was so successful that many other people attempted to recreate it. It may seem odd that a drug or drugs could influence an entire culture that made such a huge impact on the society of the time but, it seems that a little drop of Acid could go a long…

    • 1882 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    I do agree with Eric that it is surprising to learn that “psychedelic” music style was based on the premise of trying to re-create an LSD trip through music. I was also amazed to learn that “Paul McCartney indirectly promoted psychedelic music by publicly admitting he had taken LSD” (Michael Hicks 63) even though his fellow band member, George Harrison, disapproved of it. It’s just interesting to learn that an enormously popular band like the Beatles would use drugs to enhance their music-making. A large part of why this information was interesting to learn was because Michael Hicks uses a point by point writing structure in this chapter. He starts off about talking about the origins of LSD, how that transitioned to music, and how musicians…

    • 199 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    It is an important genre of music because it has the power to not only influence but sustain itself through generations of people. Rock 'n' roll has had a huge impact on American society by consistently helping set the trend for pop music and influencing other genres of music like hip-hop and neo-soul. Rock 'n' Roll has been influenced by many different types of music as well and has paved the way for originality, self-expression and free thought.…

    • 78 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    LSD, lysergic acid diethylamide, is commonly regarded as one of the most powerful substances known to mankind. Its name is almost synonymous with the counterculture and the “hippy” movement of the 1960s. Though it is now listed as a Schedule I controlled substance, there was a time when LSD widely used and accepted without the harsh social stigma that it carries today (Jenkins).…

    • 937 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Longmore, Zenga. “Zenga Longmore on Post-war America, Jazz, and Heroin.” socialaffairsunit.org.uk/blog 10 June 2005. Web. 3 July 2013.…

    • 631 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The Beatles never really were the squeaky-clean boy band many Americans embraced 50 years ago on their debut tour of the United States, but their continued sampling and open use of drugs throughout the 1960s led many to think they tarnished their decent boys-next-door image.Only the most iconoclast of cultural critics will blame the band for single-handedly making drug use cool. Even prominent members of today's socially conservative movement say that they are lifelong fans who view the Beatles' drug use in a historical context, though some critics contend that it had a lingering impact. As early as 1961, the Beatles' drug odyssey was underway with habitual use of Preludin, a stimulant, during performances at clubs in Hamburg, Germany. There…

    • 227 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    For many adults this led the teenage delinquency and immorality. Some cities prohibited rock n' roll, concerts were banned and citizens even tried to keep records out of store to stop the rock n' roll music.…

    • 902 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Originated in the early 1950’s, rock ‘n’ roll was known to be the world’s most popular and multicultural form of music. Therefore, Rock being a mixture of all the American music that came before it, then dominated the music industry but also extremely influenced everything from politics to social norms. This suggests music had moved away from its roots in Blues and country music and grew into something bigger known simply as rock. Rock ‘n’ roll lost much of the rebelliousness that had initially given it its power but then spread popularity internationally since it became increasingly accepted over time. For example, white musical traditions became integrated with black performers, ultimately encouraging the desegregation movement itself. The…

    • 431 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    The 1960’s, a time of rebellion, drugs, free love and most importantly, Rock and Roll. The 60’s were a time of transition, both socially and in the music world. Rock and Roll went from being considered the “Devil’s Music’ to being a prestigious and highly respected music genre. Some memorable and excellent bands were produced in the 1960’s, bands that are still listened toby different generations and are a nexus between parents and children. These bands performed in many music festivals, the most memorable and ground shaking was The Woodstock Festival, which took place in Bethel Woods, NY in 1969.…

    • 935 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Rock for me has stronger messages than the traditional Rock and Roll format; you see a lot of repetitive messages in the early 50’s and 60’s when it came to rock and roll music. Rock and Roll was basically telling stories about past experiences about sex or drugs or music that you couldn’t forget because the chorus was catchy. Rock, as stated before is a subculture of rock but for me with Dylan being an example had a lot of raw emotions infused into it. When I think about Rock and Roll I image sex, or to procreate without intention of reproducing, partying without consequences. Rock music is sort of like a political party, encouraging rebellion, power or to have strength within one’s self. Bob Dylan, is an example of all of these things, while listening to his music I got a sense of urgency and emotion. He made you feel that you belonged to a community larger than yourself; he himself encouraged diversity with the world and even with himself. He crystallized the notion of social protest as a cultural pursuit for a…

    • 604 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    LSD In The 1960s

    • 1519 Words
    • 7 Pages

    When the era of the sixties is brought up, the one thing that everyone thinks of is the era of drugs and revolutions. The topic of drugs is a very complicated one, drugs are not something that has recently sprung up. They have been around in every shape and form for centuries. In particular in the nineteen fifties and nineteen sixties, drugs like Lysergic Acid Diethylamide knew just as acid were being introduced to Americans. The 1960s was a time for revolutions, and drugs played a major role in this. New ways to consume and use drugs were created as people were forced to secretly buy and use them. The most intriguing part is how many scientists and psychologists were involved in the process of bringing LSD into the spotlight. The main purpose of…

    • 1519 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Pop Culture In The 60's

    • 777 Words
    • 4 Pages

    In addition to changing Canadian mentality , Hippies have created an era of pop culture and lifestyle that has been carried into present times . During the early 60’s , many Hippies migrated to rural areas of Canada and lived off the land as a way to get in touch with nature . For those who could not afford to live in remote locations , communal living was the next best option as many Hippies were homeless and could only live comfortably by sharing with others . Communal living was the most preferred way of living as it promoted the concept of sharing utilities (slightly communist) although it was not always effective as depicted in the Rochdale College experiment of 1968 . Rochdale college in Yorkville was considered a “Hippie Haven”…

    • 777 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    1970's Drug Abuse

    • 1036 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Therefore, the start of this increase in drug abuse and widespread illness is due to the condemning ignorance in which the United States is responsible for. If there would have been doctors involved that would have alerted the people of the great dangers of drug abuse and cocaine and crack cocaine addiction as doctors Smith and Wesson tried to warn the country.…

    • 1036 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Woodstock

    • 576 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The rock bands and their participation in the Woodstock music festival had an enormous impact not just on the music of that time, but also on the direction music took that lead us to what we listen to today. The music that was played there was sometimes psychedelic, mostly peaceful but always heartfelt. The artists were songwriters, who wrote about love, politics, and things that actually mattered. The mass of people that attended Woodstock helped…

    • 576 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The music industry in general has always faced disapproval by people for the constant innuendos to sex and drugs. Especially for rock and roll, the fans and even the performers would do drugs before shows and perform while intoxicated. On top of that, their lyrics and song titles were about sex or drugs. For example, lyrics from the song “Sweet Marijuana Brown” state, “I get no kick from cocaine, Mere alcohol doesn't thrill me at all. But, I get a kick out of smoking doobs, yes I do.” The lyrics literally encourage smoking marijuana. The children growing up at this time listen to music talking about how amazing drugs are, and how great alcohol is. Kids are more likely to try them because the singers they look up to are talking so highly of these products and it seems like there are no repercussions.…

    • 815 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays