Music's Relation To Cultural Changes During the 1960's and 1970's
...s They Are A-Changin’.” This song chronicles the huge social changes that were occurring during the 1960’s. Parts of this song critique the role of parents in the lives of their children. As youth and adolescents became more active in society and more active politically, Bob Dylan says “Come mothers and fathers throughout the land, and don’t criticize what you can’t understand. Your sons and your daughters are beyond your command; your old road is rapidly agin’.” Bob Dylan knew that adolescents were going to be changing society, as they did during the Vietnam War protests as well as the Kent State riots. Crosby Stills and Nash were all men who observed changing youth through their lyrics and music. Their most notable work was their song honoring the four students who died at the Kent State anti-war protests. In their song titled “Ohio,” they wrote about how horrible it was that four students were killed, and by doing so, produced a piece of music that captured a moment in American political struggles. The song has lyrics that captured the moment and draw in the listener for sympathetic purposes. “Tin Soldiers and Nixon coming, we’re finally on our own. This summer I hear the drumming, four dead in Ohio. Gotta get down to it, soldiers are gunning us down, should have been done long ago. What if you knew her and found her dead on the ground? How can you run when you know?” The last lines of that lyric demonstrate the ability of musicians to spread their influence. By asking the listener “What if you knew her and found her dead on the ground,” the musicians make sure that the people know how terrible and how tragic this event was. Finally, Jimi Hendrix was an icon for the hippie generation, and wrote lyrics to show others just how serious the hippies were and how they would change everything. Although Jimi Hendrix died at the age of 27, his brief four year stint as superstar changed music forever, and changed society as well. In his song “If Six was Nine”, Jimi Hendrix discusses the changing society and how rebellious he could be. In his so...