The 1970s
The political and musical situation in the 1970s mirrored each other with bands like The Sex Pistols emerging in the later years of the decade who represented rebellion against the monarchy and government and proved that normal people who came from poor backgrounds could become something that makes an impact on music and society, and other genres like disco which allowed people who felt segregated from society like homosexuals and black people to feel apart of something and connecting with other people.
Another important genre in the 70s to touch upon would be funk which combined soul, jazz and rhythm and blues. James Brown is considered an icon in soul music and was one of people leading funk to its popularity. Funk consists of drums with a lot of swing and syncopated bass lines and a couple chords sometimes even one that plays throughout the whole song
Feminism was on the rise in the 70s meaning more women were taking up jobs and people like Margaret Thatcher were coming into power. Even though feminism was a positive thing people like Margaret Thatcher being in power led to discomfort for a lot of the north of England. Being the first female Prime Minister was a good moment in English history representing change in society and attitudes towards stereotypes. But despite this idea, Margaret Thatcher wasn't as determined to change society for the better. Her idea was to take benefits for the poor and essentially cut them back. She believed that spending money on the public was the reason England was struggling at the time economically. To put it simply she made the rich richer and the poor poorer by cutting things like pensions, health services and education. A country without a good education system is a country that is set up to fail.
Margaret Thatcher didn't just have an impact on society but she also had an impact on music which in turn affected society again. Musicians generally wanting to play there music to large audiences weren't the sort of people to discriminate against the poor, many of them probably coming from working class households anyway. So this disregard for the poor, expecting them to be able to help themselves instead of relying on money from the government, caused a creative spark of many of the artists during the late 70s and 80s. Bands from working class backgrounds were beginning to become popular as listeners could understand what they were saying in there music and felt similarly to them. Bands like The Sex Pistols and Joy Division were proof that normal people who had been put down by societies capitalist outlook could pick up a guitar and become rockstars essentially and become social figures who's opinions carry a lot of weight.
Some of the technological developments of the 70s include floppy disks, portable cassette players, VCR, Pong(the first video game) and the digital wristwatch.
Margaret Thatcher didn't just have an impact on society but she also had an impact on music which in turn affected society again. Musicians generally wanting to play there music to large audiences weren't the sort of people to discriminate against the poor, many of them probably coming from working class households anyway. So this disregard for the poor, expecting them to be able to help themselves instead of relying on money from the government, caused a creative spark of many of the artists during the late 70s and 80s. Bands from working class backgrounds were beginning to become popular as listeners could understand what they were saying in there music and felt similarly to them. Bands like The Sex Pistols and Joy Division were proof that normal people who had been put down by societies capitalist outlook could pick up a guitar and become rockstars essentially and become social figures who's opinions carry a lot of weight.
Some of the technological developments of the 70s include floppy disks, portable cassette players, VCR, Pong(the first video game) and the digital wristwatch.
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