The 60’s formed a lot of revolutionary events which explains a lot of what today’s version of the industry is explained as. For example, The British Invasion.
The British invasion was when British culture, such as our musicians, had began to grow in popularity within the USA. This was a cultural phenomenon! The British Invasion involves big bands such as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Kinks, Dave Clarks Five, Herman’s Hermits, The zombies and The Animals. In 1964, The Beatles ‘made it’ in the USA and kicked off The British Invasion.
Although The Beatles kicked it off, it didn’t stop there! Just one week after The Beatles secured a place in the Hot 100’s, Dusty Springfield entered Hot 100’s at number 12, making it the second British act in the Hot 100. For the next 3 years after, many other artists just kept reaching places in the Hot 100’s and continuing The British Invasion.
Aside from charts, many actually starred in films. For example, The Beatles had a film called “A Hard Day’s Night”. Many other British people also had a breakthrough into the film industry, such as the film “Mary Poppins”, which was actually a British production but it became the most Oscar-winning and Oscar-nominated Disney film in history!
Another big band in the 60’s were The Beach Boys. “I Get Around -The Beach Boys”. Although this song is predominantly just “get around, get around, I get around”, the harmonies on this song are undeniably the most unmistakeable in the rock ‘n’ roll era. The Beatles had a huge impact on The Beach Boys and it forced them all into rake risks by pushing and experimenting in pop music. There work created a domino effect, where it influenced a lot of other artists to push boundaries, especially in pop music.
Dick Dale was another revolutionary person in the development to music, especially the sound of guitar! “Misirlou” is a song based entirely around a new sound in guitar. The songs continuous reverb sounding effect and how he blends the whole guitar into a new abstract sound. Many people said he mimicked the sound of the ocean through the guitar, the guitarist was actually a surfer and wanted to capture the feeling of riding the waves. The echo sound wasn’t unused until he came around but this was one of the first times that in was used live instead of formed in an electronic sound.
“Psychedelia”, psychedelic rock, is a diverse music style that is based around perception altering hallucinogenic drugs, like LSD. This was very free spirited music because it broke all bounds of reality, i.e. when you take the drug it makes you see unrealistic things like green skies or something. This music has much more of a “chilled-feel” to it. “White-Rabbit” has lyrics such as “one pill makes you small, one makes you tall” which is like bringing to life the affects of taking psychedelics, it’s like she’s describing the affects to someone who has not taken it before. Another influential person in Psychedelic rock was Jimi Hendrix. Hendrix was really an icon for the “Hippies” and for peace and love in the 60’s, the people were seen as the hippies and stoners of society, they has long hair and an abstract fashion. which Hendrix embodied perfectly.
Besides all the great artistry that occurred within the 60’s, revolutionary moments in history, such as the 1964 civil rights act, ended a lot of societies issues. The civil rights act of 1964 allowed women and other minority groups to vote, ended racial segregation and illegalised discrimination. This was signed by Lyndon Johnson. After this act was passed, it meant the could be integrated schools, meaning people of all races could attend one school, but it also inspired people to keep fighting to get more rights. Martin Luther King Jr’s famous speech “I Have A Dream” was given just before the act was passed, 1963, showing that their hard work was finally paying off. Malcolm X also just started the organization of the Afro-American Unity. This group pushed for society to be ran by a socialist group instead of capitalist or communist. Although they had moved further, they still wasn’t at the end because racism, inequality and votes still wasn’t there’s. In 1965, the “Selma March” took place, which was a march to get blacks to register to vote in states like Alabama which had highly racist political views.
Fashion also had a drastic change with the new invention of drainpipe jeans and carpi-pants. Slim-blue jeans, or a skirt, and plaid button down shirts because casual attire, and casual attire became a lot more unisex. Although casual attire was more common, men still steered more to the side of wear suits, like in the 50’s.
Counter-culture Movement took history into a completely different place with them wanting you to “make love, not war” and became a lot of accepting of sexual freedom. They also were seen as people who took mind-altering substances such as psychedelics like LSD.