1980s Songs Essay

Just as it was a crucial time for America in terms of politics and social issues, it was just as big for the music industry. People expressed their social opinions and political beliefs in a way that was the most true to them. Music was, and still is, a worldwide phenomenon for it has been able to take the shape of justice and to mold the minds of it’s listeners. Artists at the time had extreme social and political influence and used their defined stances on cultural issues to influence their music as well as their

To begin, America has been through hell, but she always comes back. “Ragged Old Flag” was Cash’s response to the nationwide frustration brought on by the Vietnam War and Watergate Scandal. Johnny wanted to write a song that would make people feel patriotic and stand together during the Vietnam War and Watergate Scandal. “Ragged Old Flag” reaches many generations and that is apparent in the first couple of verses. Johnny Cash wrote “Ragged Old Flag” in first person point of view. The listener will be skillfully taken on a journey through the historical events of the United States. Within the first couple verses we are introduced to a man new to small town. He is walking by the courthouse when he notices an elderly man sitting on a bench. The man

Some social factors that influenced music in the 1970s was mainly clothing, television, rebellion, love, vehicle's, fashion, religion and racism which were what was mainly happening in society. Clothing worn by men were tight fitted clothing such as what Michael Jackson wore in “Blame it on the Boogie”, and many songs had to do with mainly love that the song artists have had such as the song I Feel For You made by prince saying that he has a feeling for a person he might like because in the line where he says “ I feel for you - I think I love you” saying that he loves someone. These are many of the things that were happening socially in society in the 1970’s which could have caused the creation of many songs. Many political factors in the

Has it ever occurred to you that this generation tries to search for the next best thing? Is it like a business man try to look for the next best thing that everyone is buying? I mean if other people do it and there perfectly fine doing it we assume that we could do it and we think we will be just fine as well. Take those examples and try to use it with music. Do you think that what we listen to can affect us in any way or not? Maybe and maybe not, but some of us tend to get influenced by what they put into their heads. Not everything that we see or do can import negative thought or feelings, but listening is a part of that category as well. Therefore, what these artists are trying to do is trying to use a rhetorical device to tell us that

Millions of people in the world listen to music for all different reasons. Most people all over the world listen to different genres of music in order to relax, but not too many people pay attention to the actual lyrics of a song. If you listen to the lyrics of a song you will realize that many songs have important messages or themes to them. An example of this is the lyrics of the song “Changes” by Tupac Shakur. If you listen to this song, you will realize that Tupac raps about not only the problems that African Americans face from society, but also the struggles that poor people in society have to endure and overcome. Many

In each song, there is a story that the artist is trying to explain to the listener; which is what makes them relatable. Blues and Country music both vibe with "the working man"

The minorities were seen to have little to lose and hence they were allowed to put their lives on the line. The song was an illustration of how the American society is divided into haves and

During the 1930’s America faced depression, child slavery, war and many more overwhelming issues. With the sorrow America went through over years, came artists with stories creating beautiful music. Artists effortlessly made music personally on how they felt and it became anthems of horrific or priceless moments about America. Wonderful works such as “Brother Can You Spare Me A Dime” by Jay Gorney and “We Didn’t Start The Fire” by Billy Joel, sums up the trials and tribulations America has been through. Jay Gorney’s song reflects a time of lamenting loss of identity, respect, and income. During the great depression many people felt misguided about the oh so great American dream because the symbolic American dream seemed almost impossible to reach during such a crisis. In Billy Joel’s song, he summed up everything his generation got blamed for and tried to clean it up some of the mess it inherited. Such as: Marilyn Monroe, Richard Nixon, H-bomb, Malcom X and AIDS.

Bruce Springsteen’s song American skin. In the relation to the story, it is a interesting song, it is about weapons, and there will never be justice, as long as there a guns in the world, and this has much relation with the story. He also sings about how easy it is to people, it could be a dad or husband, how it the family handle the situation when the most important person leaves them.

“Fortunate Son” was written by lead vocalist/ lead guitarist of CCR John Fogerty in 1969 on the album Willy and the Poor Boys. This song peaked at number 14 on the Billboard hot 100 in 1969 ("Fortunate Son, by CCR"). It was recorded by Fantasy Studios in Berkeley, California, which was the heart of the hippie/anti-Vietnam war movement. 1969 was a huge year in America n history with a trip to the moon, Woodstock, and the largest anti-war protests in history. These protests inspired a nation and influenced the government and the world. These protests and marches consisted of hundreds of thousands of American citizens that were against the war in Vietnam, wanting only peace and the end of the sending of American lives into foreign countries wars

While “God Bless the USA” is uses a rhythmic drum beat to display American pride, “Born in the USA” uses those same music qualities as irony. Springsteen’s mesh of anthemic music and disheartening lyrics conveys his message about the warped sense of pride that Americans

The majority of the American people has forgotten about that other half of Americans that did not believe the Vietnam War was as terrible as the anti-war movement individuals made it out to be. For example, “Google searches for ‘Vietnam Era Music’ yield only protest music. This disregards the many who found the protesters abhorrent, who undoubtedly listened to apolitical songs or songs that backed the military (Skarloff)”. The pro-war music influenced the pro war patriots to voice their own opinion of the anti-war movement, and how against they were of the huge movement that was unfolding during the

Springsteen’s choice to involve himself in political issues, although not explicitly, was something that was building up throughout his life as he transitioned from a young adult to an adult in his mid-thirties. As explained by New York Times writer Nicholas Dawidoff in an article from 1997 titled “The Pop Populist”, Springsteen’s main concerns were not that of chasing young woman, but that of needing to change the world around him (Dawidoff). By the time Springsteen wrote “Born in the U.S.A.”, he had already built a good reputation for himself in the United States. This makes it possible for Springsteen to influence large crowds of people to take action or, at the very least, listen to what he has to say. Ronald Reagan used this song to praise American values. The irony of this is that the song is doing the exact opposite of praising the United States for their role in the Vietnam War and their treatment of their veterans. In an article titled “Bruce Springsteen, Ronald Reagan and the American Dream”, Susan Mackey-Kallis, an associate professor from Villanova University, with co-author Ian McDermott, explain how Springsteen, himself, spoke out against usage of music in this manner of only paying attention to the surface (Mackey-Kallis 7). This also true for many listeners throughout the country. Listening to this song based on the

With every aspect of our lives we are making a point, arguing a belief, or refuting some other aspect of our existence. Aesthetic pieces, most avidly poems and songs, argue a message both in the lyrics and in the meaning posed between the lines. “American Pie,” in a multitude of ways, argues that American lives and memories are closely intertwined with the music of the time period. Not only does “American Pie” argue a message it also pulls many generations together. Today, thirty years after the initial release, “American Pie” still has an effect in our music and continues to be popular with all age groups. Don McLean accomplishes this task through using the context of the time period, placement of words, the words

Social Justice is a huge topic in our society. Its touches on important subjects such as labor laws, environmental rights (racism), poverty, etc. These topics are things that many people have views on whether they agree or disagree. Many artist took note of this and made songs about this and voiced what they thought was right or how they saw the act.