A Strange World

After WWII, there was a situation of massive public unrest all throughout the world, but was especially the case here in America. The clean and reserved lifestyle that came to be in the 1950’s was a direct cause for the backlash of our culture upon entering the war. There were thousands of children, a group we have come to call the “baby boomers”, on the horizon of adolescence as the threat of another war came into their near future. It was a time when music became innately tied up into causes,

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The rock music was the most important medium for defining the new hippie aesthetic and the resulting style of brilliant swirling colors and longer hair. There was so much frustration of war and the harsh reality that it’s end was no where in sight, so Woodstock created an outlet for these fears and questions.

Psychedelic rock arose from this subculture, which opposed the war and supported civil rights and other generally leftist causes. The drugs and music of San Francisco at the time were inextricably linked together. The fear created an immense feeling of tension that was ever-increasing, and also there were more and more opportunities to rebel against the government. It was more meaningful, and had a yearning for truth that no music created before that time had shown. In the song, “White Rabbit”, they make references to pills, mushrooms, and acid. Jimi Hendrix’s song, “Purple Haze” was another popular song about drugs at the time, and he was definitely the most influential guitar player throughout the 60’s and 70’s. As the civil rights movement continued, it picked up more momentum from new social activist groups who wanted something to fight for. Without the influence of hallucinogens, the diversity in feelings of a whole culture would not have been so extreme. The scene was a huge cultural divide meeting here in one place, for the same reason, the music. The British invasion took hold through this time like never before. The Beatles were very popular, singing about peace and coming together. When they returned almost a decade later, their hair was long and dirty, they seemed to have aged rapidly.

Common topics in this essay:
Strange World, San Francisco, Bob Dylan, Grateful Dead, Glam Rock, Jefferson Airplane, Purple Haze, David Bowie, White Rabbit, Jimi Hendrixs, san francisco, jefferson airplane, americas youth, drug culture, countrys youth, rock music, grateful dead, social change, bob dylan, civil rights,

Approximate Word count = 1224
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

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