Music of the 1970s

When something cannot quite be expressed through words, music can tell the story. When everybody is shouting and wants to be heard, music is just a little bit stronger. Music can tell so many stories and has the power to speak directly to your heart. During the 1970s, a period of unrest both socially and politically, many artists stood up and made music, using their talent in order to say what could not be spoken. Music has always been important to me. I love music and its ability to bring out emotions and experiences that I cannot express by talking. Music is intertwined with every aspect of my life, through love, frustrations, happiness, sadness, hobbies, and just my daily routine. It is unusual to find me without hearing music following me. When I don’t know what to say or how to express my emotions, I can find a song that shares what my heart wishes it could say.

In my Sophomore year, I completed a project surveying music from the Vietnam War. During and after the war, many artists wrote songs about U.S. involvement in Vietnam. At this time, fighting was no longer romanticized as much as it was before. Instead of people seeing the government and their country as heroes, they wanted the fighting to stop, and they wanted the casualties to end.

Many artists wrote songs about these battles, and many artists stood up for peace and love during a time of fighting and hatred. Artists used their platforms to stand up for what was right and to speak to the American public—without needing to be face to face. Everybody felt like they needed to be heard, but music had the power to reach further than yelling could. 

One song I researched was “I Should Be Proud” by Martha Reeves and the Vandellas. This song detailed a story of a casualty faced during the Vietnam War. The narrator’s lover died in the war, and she was met with people who told her that she should be proud of that. What they failed to realize was that he did not have to die. He died because the government used the idea of patriotism to sway young men to war, leading to the loss of lives that did not have to be lost. When I looked into this song, I learned how personal songs were at that time.

Another artist who used his platform for protest was John Lennon. I’ve been a huge fan of the Beatles throughout my life, and eventually, I decided to research their solo careers. I found many of John Lennon’s songs to be particularly impactful. Doing research on Lennon’s music taught me the importance of standing up. Everybody knew John Lennon, and Lennon knew that he could use his popularity to defend what he believed in. Some examples of his activist music included “Give Peace a Chance,” “I Don’t Wanna Be A Soldier Mama I Don’t Wanna Die,” “Merry Xmas (War is Over),” and famously, “Imagine.” These songs are just glimpses of his activist music. At the time, some people disagreed with Lennon’s use of his platform. They called him out of touch with what the average person experienced, but there is no doubt that his music had an impact, regardless of Lennon’s social status.

Another impactful piece of art during the time is Marvin Gaye’s album What’s Going On. The titular song is an anti-war piece, but the album goes further to speak about the power of compassion. This album was one I listened to after having it recommended to me by my boyfriend. We connect with one another by sharing music, and, for a while, we would send each other albums we loved and give each other ratings. This was the second album he sent to me, and when I listened to it, I was really impacted by the meaning behind many of the songs. Knowing the era of music it comes from helped me to understand and appreciate the story that Gaye told even more than I did when I first listened to it. 

Music makes me who I am. I feel it within my heart, and it is a part of all I do. I share my love of music with the people around me because, to me, it is something that transcends regular conversations. It is something that speaks straight from within and expresses things that cannot be shown any other way. This was a time where speaking up was something that was necessary. These artists made timeless pieces of music that not only could be felt then, but can still be felt now. During a time where standing up is once again necessary, music comes back to retell the stories of the past, and to push people to stand up for what they believe in. For these reasons, when I think of the 1970s, I immediately resonate with the music, and the stories that they told. They will only continue to be heard, and I feel like that is extremely powerful.