Hello and welcome to Behind the News. Today we take a step into the past to sway, bob and jive through popular music of the 50s, 60s and 70s. These decades were periods of drastic social change, triggered by the rebellious teen demographic and expressed through popular music. Music shaped popular culture in these changing decades, in turn shaping Australian identity. In fact, popular culture is integral in allowing Australians to challenge and rewrite societal ideologies. Stay tuned, as we examine how Australian popular music has changed between the 50s and 70s, and how this has shaped today.
In May 1945, World War II ended, and for Australia this meant the departure of one million US troops stationed there, who left a taste of American glamour. By the 1950s a fascination with American lifestyle had emerged in Australia, as observed by American comedian Joe E. Brown, who stated critically upon leaving Sydney in 1950, “Australians are merely Americans with an Australian accent” (Helliwell, 1950). Where Australia was dull and uninteresting, America represented a brave and exciting future. This, combined with Australia’s weakened relationship with Britain, …show more content…
Bob Dylan’s ‘Blowing in the Wind’ was possibly the most iconic song of the era. The lyrics highlight civil rights and anti-war sentiments, questioning dominant American ideologies including society’s ignorance and prejudice towards marginalised groups such as African Americans and women. These messages of equality and tolerance translated to the Hippie movement arising through Woodstock, a three day music festival held in New York in 1969, with its more passive protest through messages of peace and compassion. In the words of R. Darlington “[Hippies] were attempting to create Utopia” (Darlington, Jacobson, & Hawkins, 2012), in response to emerging anti-war ideals and desire for escapism triggered by the Vietnam War and Cold
In May 1945, World War II ended, and for Australia this meant the departure of one million US troops stationed there, who left a taste of American glamour. By the 1950s a fascination with American lifestyle had emerged in Australia, as observed by American comedian Joe E. Brown, who stated critically upon leaving Sydney in 1950, “Australians are merely Americans with an Australian accent” (Helliwell, 1950). Where Australia was dull and uninteresting, America represented a brave and exciting future. This, combined with Australia’s weakened relationship with Britain, …show more content…
Bob Dylan’s ‘Blowing in the Wind’ was possibly the most iconic song of the era. The lyrics highlight civil rights and anti-war sentiments, questioning dominant American ideologies including society’s ignorance and prejudice towards marginalised groups such as African Americans and women. These messages of equality and tolerance translated to the Hippie movement arising through Woodstock, a three day music festival held in New York in 1969, with its more passive protest through messages of peace and compassion. In the words of R. Darlington “[Hippies] were attempting to create Utopia” (Darlington, Jacobson, & Hawkins, 2012), in response to emerging anti-war ideals and desire for escapism triggered by the Vietnam War and Cold