Music's Influence On American History In The 1960s

Music’s influence on American History in the 1960s
“Entertainment is always a national asset. Invaluable in times of peace, it is indispensable in wartime. All those who are working in the entertainment industry are building and maintaining national morale both on the battlefront and on the home front.” Franklin D. Roosevelt 1 The 1960s was one of the most dramatic decades we see throughout American history. The music of the 1960s played an important role socially, economically, and culturally. To this day, the music out of the 1960s is how that decade is highly remembered to today’s generation. While many of the songs from wars in our past tended to lean in favor, Vietnam presents a startling shift in music. For the first time during
The emergence of television in particular provided more opportunities to question events as they streamed into America’s living rooms. Social unrest in the 1960s, particularly related to Civil Rights efforts and demonstrations, were broadcast frequently. 3 In the past information spread through newspapers and radio reports, but Americans had never actually seen the images beyond photographs and newsreels at the movies. Seeing the images tends to force participants to draw their own conclusions, and Americans were questioning authority long before Vietnam became their concern. Prior to that time many musicians were silent about the war. It was not until Americans themselves began to change their opinion about their presence in Vietnam that many musicians in the record industry began to market protest.4 As the music began to mirror American opinions more and more, the popularity of many of the anti-war songs soared. In fact, many of the tunes that are still remembered from this time were released after
Some people took their racial and gender preferences out on the music, and the performers. But some looked beyond that. Some looked more into the lyrics, and the tone of the songs. The songs helped betray a vast number of people’s emotions and feelings. People may have been unsure of how to think or react to what was happening in the 1960s, but music helped distinct their feelings. Some songs even helped bring more awareness to what was really happening in America. Music in the 1960s helped people relax, and enjoy themselves in the chaotic times, but it also helped some people protest against what was going on. Music greatly influenced the 1960s decade, and is still to this day remembered for all the deep and meaningful songs and artists in that