July 9th, 2012
It is standard practice for old fogeys to dismiss the music of the young as devoid of musical content. Now that I am old enough to meet the requirements of fogeyism, I shall indulge myself in this time-honored tradition.
I was inspired to write this piece a car next to me at a stop light from which was emanating a raucous cacophony of noise. The driver of the car was beating the steering wheel in a manner suggesting that this was music and he was engaging in participatory bodily movement. This was apparently a form of music called “rap” – a toneless voice reciting something in time with some musical instruments playing something devoid of apparent melody.
Look here, you little punks, you want to know what REAL music is like? The popular music of the 60s and 70s was about something: the songs had a point, an artistic purpose. They communicated something! I offer here a list of songs from the late 50s, the 60s and early 70s that represent the best that Rock and Roll had to offer. I group them by the type of message they convey:
Raw Energy
Rock & Roll was fundamentally about energy; the best songs burst with a frenetic power that forced you up onto your feet. These were some of the best of these songs:
Red River Rock, Johnny and the Hurricanes
A Hard Day’s Night, the Beatles
Help, the Beatles
19th Nervous Breakdown, the Rolling Stones
I’m Down, the Beatles
I Want to Hold Your Hand, the Beatles
Wooly Bully, Sam The Sham
Johnny B. Goode, Chuck Berry
Whole Lot of Shakin’ Going On, Jerry Lee Lewis
Kansas City/ Hey-Hey-Hey, the Beatles
Wild Thing, The Troggs
Romance
Music has always been full of romance. Rock & Roll approached it from every possible angle, not just the standard teenager stuff. You’ll notice a lot of Beatles here. OK, I’ve always been a Beatles fan. But let’s not forget that the Beatles are widely regarded as the greatest rock & roll band of all time. These songs show why.
When I’m Sixty-Four, the Beatles
So Happy Together, the Turtles
If I Fell, the Beatles
Did You Ever Have to Make up Your Mind? The Lovin’ Spoonful
Hey Jude, the Beatles
Mellow Yellow, Donovan
I’ll Follow the Sun, the Beatles
Here, There, and Everywhere, the Beatles
Sunshine of your Love, Cream
She Loves You, the Beatles
Michelle, the Beatles
Sadness
Rock & Roll wasn’t just about energy and love; it tackled sad themes as well. We don’t see much of that these days.
Tangerine, Led Zeppelin
A Whiter Shade of Pale, Procul Harum
Stairway to Heaven, Led Zeppelin
Nights in White Satin, the Moody Blues
Yesterday, the Beatles
Me and Bobby McGee, Janice Joplin
Drugs
Well, duh! Nowadays people think of the 60s as drug-soaked, but in fact drugs weren’t as prevalent then as they are today. The musicians were another story; they were very much into drugs, and quite a few died from drug overdoses.
Season of the Witch, Donovan
Kicks, Paul Revere and the Raiders
Purple Haze, Jimi Hendrix
Mother’s Little Helper, the Rolling Stones
There is a Mountain, Donovan
White Rabbit, the Jefferson Airplane
Big Questions
The 60s generation spent a lot of time worrying about big questions: What’s the meaning of everything? What is truth? What is right and wrong? We knew one thing: our parents had lied to us, and their way of thinking had gotten us into a nuclear arms race that threatened to destroy humanity. They were comfortable with racism, they got us into a horrific war in Vietnam, and they were absurdly materialistic. We struggled to find our own answers to these questions, and the struggles showed up in our music:
Both Sides Now, Joni Mitchell (although Judy Collins’ version is better)
All You Need is Love, the Beatles
Let it Be, the Beatles
Turn! Turn! Turn! the Byrds
Within You, Without You, the Beatles
I’m Just a Singer in a Rock and Roll Band, Moody Blues
Om, Moody Blues
Social Commentary
The songs above addressed big questions, but we also got down to specifics, and some of the best Rock & Roll addressed specific flaws in our social system:
Imagine, John Lennon
Eleanor Rigby, the Beatles
Blowin’ in the Wind, Bob Dylan
Lather, Jefferson Airplane
Sympathy for the Devil, the Rolling Stones
The Times They Are A-Changin’ Bob Dylan
Sex
Well, we were teenagers during that time, and sex pretty much occupies the minds of all teenagers.
(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction, the Rolling Stones
Light my Fire, the Doors
Joy
There were plenty of songs about just plain feeling good.
Here Comes the Sun, the Beatles
Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da, the Beatles
59th Street Bridge Song, Simon and Garfunkel
Funny
Face it: how often do you hear songs these days that are just plain funny?
Mama Told Me Not to Come, Three Dog Night
You Know my Name, Look up the Number, the Beatles
Miscellania
Lastly, there were lots of really great songs that really nailed something very particular:
Depression: Paint It Black, the Rolling Stones (In all of art, nothing expresses depression like this song!)
The Loneliness of the Artist: The Sound of Silence, Simon and Garfunkle
Nostalgia for Childhood: Puff the Magic Dragon, Peter Paul & Mary
Anti-War: Eve of Destruction, Barry McGuire
Adolescent Freedom: Surf City, Jan and Dean
Anger: When the Levee Breaks, Led Zeppelin (Again, nothing I’ve ever seen or heard does a better job of capturing anger.)
Loss: Big Yellow Taxi, Joni Mitchell
Hot Summers: Summer in the City, the Lovin’ Spoonful
Fate: The End, the Doors
Snobbery: Hang on Sloopy, the McCoys
Loneliness: I am a Rock, Simon and Garfunkle
Lord of the Rings: No Quarter, Led Zeppelin
Neighborhoods: Penny Lane, the Beatles
Rock & Roll: Roll Over Beethoven, Chuck Berry (the Beatles’ version is better)
There you have it: my exercise in fogeyism. Go ahead, laugh at my ancient ways and out-of-date tastes. In three or four decades, you’ll be in the same boat.