Hippie culture was not something that was new in the sixties and seventies, but these were the decades in which it flourished. Now, hippie music also did not sprout out of nowhere at this time. Being that hippie music means such a wide variety of styles and genres, there can really be no point in which it began. The influences for it are abundant, one of which being the political songs of the Hutchinson Family Singers of the 19th century. Way back in 1839, this band was singing to the president about topics such as abolition and women's suffrage. Then the was Joe Hill, an IWW (Industrial Workers of the World) activist who used protest songs to fight for fair wages and hours. Those are some of the early influences to protest music, one of the styles that I consider to be hippie music.
Being a hippie in the sixties and seventies meant that you valued peace, love, happiness, and freedom. Hippies rejected established institutions and violence and lived with the idea that you should do what makes you happy in the moment, regardless of the future consequences. Hippie music in these times brought hope, it brought love, and it brought controversy. It sprouted as a reflex from an unsettled generation that was sick of the conforming culture of fifties. It was during the hippie movement when for the first time in American history, music gave people a voice. The rejection of institution and ideals seen in music of the time continues to inspire musicians today to stand up for what they believe in. You can see the effects in the advances in gay activism that are being made right now in the US. Many present-day artists, such as Macklemore and Frank Ocean, use music to voice their opinions and feelings on the matter. Perhaps without hippie music, these artists wouldn't have had the courage or the means to make a difference through their music.
Being a hippie in the sixties and seventies meant that you valued peace, love, happiness, and freedom. Hippies rejected established institutions and violence and lived with the idea that you should do what makes you happy in the moment, regardless of the future consequences. Hippie music in these times brought hope, it brought love, and it brought controversy. It sprouted as a reflex from an unsettled generation that was sick of the conforming culture of fifties. It was during the hippie movement when for the first time in American history, music gave people a voice. The rejection of institution and ideals seen in music of the time continues to inspire musicians today to stand up for what they believe in. You can see the effects in the advances in gay activism that are being made right now in the US. Many present-day artists, such as Macklemore and Frank Ocean, use music to voice their opinions and feelings on the matter. Perhaps without hippie music, these artists wouldn't have had the courage or the means to make a difference through their music.
Life in the sixties and seventees U.S. has always fascinated me. Although I can't go back and live in this time, I can still listen to the same music people listened to back then. Love and peace were massive themes in music
during this time. Many songs had anti-war
messages like John Lennon's Give Peace a Chance and Bob Dylan’s Blowin’ in
the Wind.
Many other artists, The Beatles being an obvious example, sang about psychedelic experiences and drugs. The Beatles was undoubtedly the most popular band at this time. When they arrived in the US in 1964, they brought style. Style being not just a new way to cut your hair but a whole new style of music. Their upbeat, happy songs about love were just as contagious as their adorable British accents. But, not all of The Beatle's songs were about love. Like I said before, many of their most famous songs are about drugs like Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds and With a Little Help From My Friends. Using drugs (most commonly LSD, marijuana, and heroin) to expand your mind was a prevalent part of hippie culture and it is seen in the plethora of music written about drugs as well as music written while under the influence of drugs in this time. Music of this sort will be definitely featured on this blog.
A lot of these countercultural ideas were sprung from beat-poets of the fifties. Beat-poets were a group of poets who, after the end of World War II, began to have doubts about the political system in the US and mainstream society in general. They wrote controversial pieces about hallucinogenic drugs and used profanity, which was not accepted in this time period. Beat-poets were an essential part of the beginning of the growth of hippie culture in the sixties.
Many other artists, The Beatles being an obvious example, sang about psychedelic experiences and drugs. The Beatles was undoubtedly the most popular band at this time. When they arrived in the US in 1964, they brought style. Style being not just a new way to cut your hair but a whole new style of music. Their upbeat, happy songs about love were just as contagious as their adorable British accents. But, not all of The Beatle's songs were about love. Like I said before, many of their most famous songs are about drugs like Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds and With a Little Help From My Friends. Using drugs (most commonly LSD, marijuana, and heroin) to expand your mind was a prevalent part of hippie culture and it is seen in the plethora of music written about drugs as well as music written while under the influence of drugs in this time. Music of this sort will be definitely featured on this blog.
A lot of these countercultural ideas were sprung from beat-poets of the fifties. Beat-poets were a group of poets who, after the end of World War II, began to have doubts about the political system in the US and mainstream society in general. They wrote controversial pieces about hallucinogenic drugs and used profanity, which was not accepted in this time period. Beat-poets were an essential part of the beginning of the growth of hippie culture in the sixties.
Part of the hippie music craze was the Summer of Love. For those who don't know what the Summer of Love was, it was the summer of 1967, when over 100,000 young hippies traveled from all over the country to the Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco, California to join the hippie experience. The flood of people begun with the Monterey International Pop Music Festival on June 16th, which was held in Monterey, California. The festival featured artists such as The Who, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Janis Joplin, and The Mamas & the Papas. This music festival brought thousands of youth together to celebrate their culture and shared beliefs. The year 1967 is known as a pivotal year in hippie music due to the Summer of Love, and because it is the year The Beatles album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band was released. Another huge hippie event in the 60's occurred only a few years later in the summer of 1969, when over 400,000 people made their way to upstate New York for the mega-famous Woodstock music festival. Woodstock was a three-day-long event that celebrated the peace and love theme of the 60's and 70's. It featured many of the same popular artists from the Monterey Pop Festival like Jimi Hendrix, The Who, and Janis Joplin, as well as many more popular artists. These music festivals were obviously huge hippie music hubs, and many of the artists that performed will be featured on this blog.Music was a huge component of the hippie movement in the sixties and seventies. Expect to see posts about songs with strong political messages, songs that made a difference, and songs that caused controversy. As I said before, I am fascinated with this point in American music history, and I am writing this blog for anyone who is equally as fascinated and wants to join me on the pursuit of hippieness!
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