music in the 70s - orsp.sonoma.edu · what were some major events in the 70s? protest for...
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Music In the 70sBy; Itzel Garcia
What music was being played in the 70s ?● Disco/Club; Funky worm
● Progressive Rock; The Dark
side of the moon
● Punk Rock/New wave; sex
Pistols
● Funk/Soul; Fire and rain
What were some major events in the 70s?● Protest for affirmative action
● Gay rights protest
● Protest against the Vietnam War
● Integration Protest
● Angela davis & the fight to free all
political prisoners
How did these events affect people ?
● To an extent depending on what the situation was, blacks and whites were protesting some decisions that the government was making.
● The continuous fight between Black vs. White lead to major conflicts in society
● The LGBTQ+ community were receiving a lot of hate crimes towards them. This lead to the Gay rights protest
● Since the government wasn't much help to the people, they resorted in taking matters into their own hands
How does music come into play with these issues?● With all the chaos that was occurring
during this time, people wanted to
take time to have fun and enjoy
themselves. Music was a way for
people to escape.
● The easiest and most peaceful way to
express one's beliefs was through the
use of music. In other words
“protesting music”.
How does music help?● Whenever there is a protest involved people
have always resorted to music. ● Music helps bring individuals together● When relating to music about issues people tend
to connect/invest more time with the issue at hand
● Music affects people emotionally & on a spiritual level
Examples of Songs that had an impact on people
YMCA by The Village Peoplethe song “YMCA” was especially popular during this time
since this song portrayed hanging out with the boys. The
way that the song portrayed this was because Y.M.C.A was
a place where it temporarily housed men. In the lyrics
itself it sings about trying to lift up young men who feel
down or unhappy with the circumstances at hand. However
they shouldn't since they have a place to go which is the
YMCA. This shows that music has a big impact on people
and an easy form of connecting others together.
The king by Furious Five
“The king” by the furious five, this song more
closely related to Dr.King's speech and what he
went through during his peaceful protest. However
it does touch on a more political aspect when the
song transitions to wanting a black present where
whites are brought to the blacks side. This song
portrays that having black senators, and black
mayors is not enough.
If I can Dream by Elvis PresleyThis song touches on Dr. King’s “I have a dream”
famous speech. In the song one can hear the pain sung
by Precisely and in the lyrics it expresses that there is
so much pain in the world we live in. The song also
refers back to the speech when Dr. King spoke about
everyone coming together hand in hand. It clearly
shows that the world at this time is struggling between
races. Even though laws were being changed people
were still being judged by the color of their skin.
Changes by Tupac ShakurThe song “changes” by Tupac Shakur, gives insight on the
struggles about being black in a white dominated society. The
lyrics in this song were based on the fact that laws can be
changed all they want but it won't change the mindset of people.
One touching lyric is “we gotta make a change, it's time for us as
people to start making some changes”. When things like this are
said with intention there is no ignoring it. With youth one must be
straightforward and include relatable situations.
Citations● Kaufman, Will. American Culture in the 1970s. Edinburgh University Press, 2009.
● James Robinson, “The evolution of African American music” MA, CSP, MTA AAFSA Historian
● Music and Protest in 1968, edited by Beate Kutschke, and Barley Norton, Cambridge University Press, 2013. ProQuest Ebook
Central.
● Pearson, Stephen. "The Year 1970." The People's History. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Dec. 2016.
● Sarah Jane, “ the U.S.A from the 1970s to the present” Schomburg center for research in black culture 2011.
● Powell, Catherine Tabb. “Rap Music: An Education with a Beat from the Street.” The Journal of Negro Education 1991