•Cindy Lauper•https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIb6AZdTr-A

1980s Youth Culture

What to be thinking about…

How does music reflect the mood of a generation?

How did music videos impact culture?What would be different if MTV hadn’t

come about?Looking and listening to the music of the time, what do you think the ‘80s was like

for someone your age?

Brief Pop Music History

• 1936: Electric Guitar• 1951: term “Rock’n’Roll• 1955: Elvis• 1959: Motown Records

– Marvin Gaye– Stevie Wonder

• 1961: Patsy Cline brings Country and Pop together

• 1964: Beatles release “I Want to Hold Your Hand” = British Invasion

• 1969: Woodstock– Music with a “message”

• 1970s: New Genres (UK and US)• Psychedelic: Jefferson Airplane• New “Folk”: Bob Dylan, Neil Young• Disco• Punk: Rolling Stones• UK: Led Zeppelin, Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd

Sheena is a Punk Rocker…– Garage bands of the 1960s– Reflected political and economic unrest

“Nihilism” – reject current moral and established beliefs

– NYC: Ramones, Blondie, Talking Heads, David Bowie, Velvet Underground

– UK: Sex Pistols– 1980s: Hard Core: Black Flag

Hip Hop Culture

• Born out of South Bronx block parties• Merges Rock, Jazz, Soul and African

Drumming– Hip Hop Culture:

RappingDJ-ingBreakdancingGraffiti

New York• Grandmaster Flash and the Furious 5

pioneered DJ-ing techniques– “The Message” becomes 1st major song of hip-hop

with a social commentary

• Public Enemy: 1982 – Political and social commentary– African American Empowerment– 1989 Fight the Power

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kj9SeMZE_Yw

Going Back to Cali

• 1965 Watts Race Riots

• Formation of the Watts Writers Workshop– Place for people to express themselves

• 1978: Hip Hop Scene– “Unique Entertainment Group”

• 1988 NWA: Pioneers of Gangsta Rap

Ain’t Nuthin but a G Thang

- Commentary on street life- Inequality- Popularity due to fascination with gangster life-Influenced by Black Panthers-Dr. Dre pioneered G-sound

I WANT MY MTV!!!!

• 1979 Sony Walkman

• 1981 MTV airs• 1983 CDs• 1985 Michael

Jackson’s “Thriller” video

1987

1988

SO WHAT??

• What was going on in the country?– Economic Unrest– Unemployment– New Conservative President– Economic and Racial Divides

– Deregulation• Rise of Cable TV• Ironically, Parents Music Resource Center (1985)

want a music rating system (Parental Advisory Label)

Video Killed the Radio... And Changed Youth Culture

• MTV put a “Face” to music• People could copy their favorite stars

– Reflected in the fashion, hair & dance

• Exposed people to different kinds of music

• Worked to morph music, as well as make certain types “mainstream”

Impact of MTV

• The “One Hit Wonder”• Old artists got new careers• Madonna – new female confidence• Run DMC and Aerosmith knocked down

walls between Rock and Rap• Michael Jackson broke racial barriers • U2 made social awareness popular• Shift from music focus to theatrics• Country music declined

1st Music Video on MTV:1981

• August 1, 1981

• The Buggles’– “Video Killed the Radio Star”

New Pop Stars are born

• Madonna’s first video was “Borderline”– But “Like a Virgin” was ground breaking

• Female confidence• Paved way for modern singers (Gaga, etc.)• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4iZfQ9YZx4

Crossing the Racial Divide

• MTV was seen as racist because no Black artists– “Nothing to choose from”

• Michael Jackson’s “Billy Jean” 1st widely played video opened the door

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zi_XLOBDo_Y

• New generation of Black Pop Stars: Prince, Whitney Houston, etc.

Rap Moves Beyond the Coasts

• Michael Jackson paves the way for Black musicians on MTV

• Commercialization of Rap• New audience• LL Cool J• Biz Markie• Run DMC• Fusion of Rap and Rock• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4B_UYYPb-Gk&index=6&list=PLpiEH3_VexzEC

gXa4fiHNhux3hpstFze1

And Beyond Race• Rap crosses racial lines

– Beastie Boys•Originally a hard core NY Punk Band•Transitioned into Hip Hop•Toured with Madonna post MTV debut•Fight For Your Right became an MTV

staple•https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBShN

8qT4lk

•Laid groundwork for Eminem

One Hit Wonders

• Fast moving music industry• Labels could make just as much with

1 hit as investing in a long term contract hoping for more hits

• Devo “Whip It”• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIEVqFB4WUo&index=2&list=

PLpiEH3_VexzECgXa4fiHNhux3hpstFze1

• MC Hammer “Can’t Touch This”• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otCpCn0l4Wo&list=PLpiEH3_V

exzECgXa4fiHNhux3hpstFze1&index=2

Made Their Identity

Cars:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0Kv6vxZwL8

Changes• New Wave formed from punk and

morphed to pop– Artistic styling– Use of technology to create different

music

• Talking Heads: Punk turned New Wave• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNnAvTTaJjM

• Glam Style: Blurring of gender lines– David Bowie– https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4d7Wp9kKjA

Old Dogs, New Tricks?

• Artists who had been popular in a group now had a better shot at solo career:– Tina Turner, Cher, Diana Ross, Lionel Ritchie– Drew in an older audienceTina Turner: What’s Love Got to Do With It?– https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pu8KFlfzk3Y

Peter Gabriel went solo from Genesis known pretty much for his creative videoshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBAl9cchQac

Flowing locks and eyeliner• Glam Rock: morphs out of NY Punk

scene/Rock/Heavy Metal into Hair Metal– Sunset Strip in L.A.– Represent excess of ‘80s– Drugs/Women/Law (Groupies)– Power Ballads– Range from pop to heavy– Bon Jovi to Metallica and all the mullets in

between…– https://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=a_tfq0qTDDE&index=7&list=PLpiEH3_VexzECgXa4fiHNhux3hpstFze1

For a Good Cause

The flip side of the excesses of the 1980s… the poverty

Huge charity concerts Videos with many artists performing

togetherFarm AidLive AidHands Across America

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OoDY8ce_3zk

1990s: Changed the Game again…

• Nirvana: Smells Like Teen Spirit– Reflected Apathy

•Late 1980s•Bush era conservatism•Drew on anarchism, punk attitudes

= Grungehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTWKbfoikeg

And Today

• Between the Reality and Awards Shows… MTV occasionally plays music…– https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zWAuir7Krk