During the 1970's, singers such as Bob Marley, Marvin Gaye, Helen Reddy, and Neil Young used their music to bring awareness to situations and to express their views on happenings in the United States, such as the Vietnam War and civil rights movements. Here are a few songs where singers made statements about events in the US during the 1970's through their music: Ohio- Neil Young The song Ohio by Neil Young was written after and in response to the death of students because of their participation in anti-war protests at Kent State University. A group of American students at the University were attacked because they were seen as anti-Nixon or not supporting their country. The government wanted to control the anti-war protests so that the movement didn’t gain momentum. When the United States of America became involved in Vietnam, many Americans back lashed and caused an uproar disagreeing with the decision. Several young adults, specifically students in college, hated that the United States had become a part of something that they had no reason to be involved in. Students, such as the ones at Kent State, protested against the war to show their anger, which led to them being attacked by the National Guard in order to maintain order. This event really got to Neil Young and he wrote this song to bring awareness to the situation and to show that it is not right to take the right of lawful protest. This song was also banned for a while because it was considered anti-war and anti-Nixon and the United States didn’t want the message to be spread. Find the Cost of Freedom- CSNY Find the Cost of Freedom was a song by CSNY (David Crosby, Stephen Stills, Graham Nash, and Neil Young) released in 1970. This song is a memory regarding all those who died fighting in the Vietnam War, and those who died back home in the United States, partaking in anti-war protests. This song, like Ohio, was mainly focused on the specific event of Kent State. In the verse, “Find the cost of freedom Buried in the ground Mother Earth will swallow you Lay your body down,” The cost of freedom refers to the death of the people who fought in the war and people fighting against the war, who are now “buried in the ground” because they fought the “freedom war.” By saying “the cost of freedom” it is making it sound like fighting for freedom results in a negative way during this time, in this case death. The government won’t listen to the people who are against the war even if they have the right to protest. Instead, those who protest anti-war are killed because they are “going against the president.” Those sent to Vietnam to fight in the war, are told they are fighting for freedom, which also results in the death of many American soldiers. Ku Klux Klan- Steel Pulse Ku Klux Klan was a song released in 1978 by the Steel Pulse. This is a protest song that has a clear anti-racism stance. The song highlights the blatant racism by the Ku Klux Klan (KKK). This song was written in England in the backdrop of increasing atrocities by the KKK clan members. The verse “Stand strong black man, take you blow. You have to stop the Ku Klux Klan” calls on African Americans to stand up against the violence and mistreatment. One of the organizations that was put together to fight for African Americans rights was the Black Panther Party. It rose to power in the 1960s, but in the early 70s the Black Panther Party began to lose its effectiveness. In the 1970s, African Americans continued to fight for their equality because organizations, such as the Ku Klux Klan, were continuing to torture African American by bombing schools and churches, killing them on streets, and threatening African Americans to stop fighting for their rights. Get Up Stand Up- Bob Marley and The Wailers Get Up Stand Up is a song released in 1973 by Bob Marley and the Wailers. This song is about standing up against oppression and injustice. The 1960s and 1970s was an era where minorities and people of color was subjected to discrimination and oppression. Having brought up in Jamaica, Bob Marley was used to fight for his religious and social rights. This song is about fighting for acceptance of his Rastafarian religion and taking action to avoid oppression. An earlier version of Rastafarianism believed that white people are inferior to black people and blacks will rule the world. The white people didn’t like that idea and feared the idea of the religion spreading and becoming superior, so they began to treat them poorly. The verse “Get up, stand up: stand up for your rights,” states that people who believe in the Rastafarian religion should stand up and demand respect for their religion in the United States. American Pie- Don McLean American Pie, sung by Don McLean, is about how American culture changed greatly from the 50’s, through the 60’s, and how it currently is in the 70’s, focusing more on the role of music in society. In the line, “A long, long time ago...I can still remember how that music used to make me smile.” McLean says that the music of the 50’s was the best and it made everyone get on their feet and dance. “But February made me shiver...Bad news on the doorstep, I couldn't take one more step.” It was inspired by the plane crash of February 1959, which killed Buddy Holly, Richie Valens and the Big Bopper, Holly being McLean’s greatest inspiration (hence why he mentioned that February made him shiver). McLean calls this “the day music died”, talking about the standard rock and roll, because they were the three greatest artists in the genre and now they were dead. During the 50’s and early 60’s, rock and roll was very popular and music was a big part of American culture. Later on, however, people began to see rock and roll as inappropriate and negatively influencing the younger generation, because the music had a “bad-ass” or “i-don't-care-about-anything-I-do-what-I-want” theme to it. Many of the singers themselves believed that the music was not “music” and it was simply loud noise with nonsense words. According to McLean, everybody actually cared about and valued music during the 50’s. However, events in 60’s such as the assassination of Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr., Vietnam War, and the rise of civil rights movements led for the focus of Americans to shift from music to politics. This, McLean says, must have been another reason for the decline in interest of music. The 50’s was a decade on innocence and everybody was hopeful for the future and worry-free. After John F. Kennedy was assassinated, this hope died along with him, especially in younger generations. This led for a change from innocence to anger and violence. On top of that, America became involved in Vietnam, which led to greater violence in the United States because so many people were against the war, resulting in violence from the government to control the protesters. There was also an increased effort for civil rights movements. More people began supporting women to obtain their rights in the workplace and at home, while the movements for African American rights also gained momentum. With all of the focus on politics and fighting for rights, music was not exactly the main priority. Overall, in American Pie, Don McLean discusses how the United States changed dramatically from the 50’s to the 70’s, using music, culture, and political events. I Am Woman- Helen Reddy I Am Woman, by Helen Reddy, is a call for a generation of women ready to fight for equal rights. This song motivated women to work hard for their rights and to stand up to inequality. During the 1960’s and early 1970’s, women were treated as objects and treated horribly by their husbands. This led to a more serious effort of women's rights movements and a greater effort by women to get their rights. They wanted the same chances as men to get a good education and a good job, and also demanded equal pay for equal work. In this song, Reddy says, “I am woman, hear me roar..In numbers too big to ignore..If I have to, I can do anything..I am strong, I am invincible, I am woman.” The phrase is instilling determination within women that they can do anything because they have the power and are gaining support, so with great numbers and willpower, they can get what they deserve and be treated as equals. This song was also the unofficial anthem of the women’s rights movement, because of its powerful words and message. Ain't To Mountain High Enough- Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell This song is from 1970s when schools were told to integrate people of different colors. The inflation and prices were up, and life was difficult especially for people with color. The song aims at overcoming difficulties in daily life. This song reflects certain rules of society such as it support for school integration and revoking the laws “separate but equal”. It supported the racial integration of schools and busses. In 1971, the court case Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education ruled that the school district must reach racial balance. The case involved the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School District. In this district, 29% of the student body were African American. The Court took the final step toward making busing a part of school desegregation plans. What's Going On- Marvin Gaye The song What’s Going On by Marvin Gaye was released on May 21st, 1971. The song was written in the backdrop of a soldier returning from the Vietnam world. When the American soldiers returned home from World War 2, they were greeted as heroes. However, when the soldiers from Vietnam war returned, they were mistreated. Many people spit at these soldiers and called them rude names. The mistreatment of the Vietnam soldiers was partly due to the Vietnam War’s unpopularity. There were lot of protests against the war. In the song Marvin Gaye says, “Don’t punish me with brutality, talk to me.” This verse talks about police brutality and violence against anti-war protesters. On March 4th 1970, Antonia martinez was shot and killed by a policeman while watching and participating in the anti-Vietnam War protest. After this, there were even more acts of police brutality. The acts of police brutality did not stop until after the Vietnam War ended. This song highlights the concerns of a soldier who has returned from war and is disturbed by the actions of law enforcement officers against citizens of his country who were exercising their right to protest. After the Goldrush- Neil Young After the Goldrush, by Neil Young, is another song about the change of American culture and American’s attitudes toward nature and society. Neil Young was an advocate for the environment, which may have influenced him to write this song. In this song, Young says that as a human race, we abuse Mother Nature. In the first verse he talks about the “good times” before corruption and hunger for money ruined mother nature and human nature. The verse, “ I dreamed I saw the knights In armor coming, Saying something about a queen. There were peasants singing and Drummers drumming And the archer split the tree. There was a fanfare blowing To the sun That was floating on the breeze.” He has a positive attitude when talking about the medieval times, which we can assume is the time from the use of knights in armor, queen, peasants and so on. He uses words like “dream” and “singing” to show that those times were better than now, the 70’s. Then he says “"Look at Mother Nature on the run in the nineteen seventies,”, meaning that humans are ruining the balance of nature with pollution, deforestation, acid rain, increasing usage of natural resources, and possible threat of nuclear war. Young says that we have come to a time in society where we are destroying nature for money and to increase our businesses. In the last verse, it all ends with nature ending badly. The main message of this song was to tell Americans that if we do not control ourselves, we will run out of resources and have nothing left at the end. |
AuthorSimran and Ananya Archives
June 2017
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