Which Songs Have Truly Created Change?

Bill Llewellyn · From: San Jose, CA

There've been a lot of songs over time which have tried to change the way people think and act. An example:

Earnest Bovine · From: Los Angeles CA USA

"They're Coming To Take Me Away"

Earnest Bovine · From: Los Angeles CA USA

But life does not imitate art. And the cynical platitudes of greedy songwriters are powerless to arrest the descent of each new generation into internecine warfare.

Jim Cohen · From: Philadelphia, PA

Yeah. What Earnest said.

Jim Cohen · From: Philadelphia, PA

Actually, I think John Lennon's "Imagine" might qualify.

(How about Sgt. Barry Sadler's, The Eve of Destruction? or the Beatles' All You Need is Love?)

(But, really, that intro to "Night Life" changed the world, didn't it?)

[This message was edited by Jim Cohen on 27 July 2002 at 08:32 PM.]

Bob Hoffnar · From: Austin, Tx

I don't think music functions very well on a behaviorist level in terms of our culture as a whole. I find pop songs that tell me how I'm supposed to feel or what I'm supposed to do with my life offensive and tedious for the most part.

On a more basic and important level music functions as a conduit to one of the only good parts of being a human. But that is absolutely personal and subjective.

Bob

Chip Fossa · From: Monson, MA, USA (deceased)

"Louie, Louie" - The Kingsmen.

[This message was edited by CHIP FOSSA on 28 July 2002 at 12:37 AM.]

Tony Prior · From: Charlotte NC

How about " The Bird Bird Bird , The Bird is the Word" I think by the Trashmen ?
tp

ROBERT MYERS · From: HEDGESVILLE, W.VA. USA

Take this job and shove it: Paycheck

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Bob Myers Derby S10 3&4

Donny Hinson · From: Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.

"Music hath charms to soothe the savage breast..."

Change...change in what? A new song may be a harbinger of change in music style, but I don't think music causes any change itself, per se. Music is like a mirror that reflects what is going on in an individual's mind, or sometimes in the mind of a society. Did the music of the '60s actually cause or change anything? I think not. It just echoed the "free-love, drug, booze" culture that so many found appealing. Like the Charleston music of the "roaring '20s", it was merely echoing the changes that society was going through.

Each new generation changes, and as it comes to maturity, has it's own ideas about what the world should be like, and some of this change is accompanied by change in musical stylings. Presley's "Hound Dog" didn't really cause any change...those same rock and roll roots were present years before in other singers. Presley's hit caught on, though, and it's popularity certainly accelerated the musical changes that were already taking place.

For almost everyone, all of society, music is merely entertainment...candy for the ear. Only to us musicians (and the big record companies that are making millions) does it take on any real significance.

Larry Miller · From: Dothan AL,USA

"Helter Skelter". The song that exposed the myth of Peace, Love and Understanding

[This message was edited by Larry Miller on 28 July 2002 at 07:45 AM.]

Jim Cohen · From: Philadelphia, PA

I agree with my colleague, the distinguished gentleman from Balto., MD. I don't think music changes much on a broad, societal scale. But I do believe certain songs take on special significance for a certain segment of society (probably because they were already predisposed to the sentiments contained therein, as Bill Hankey would say), and therefore can change individuals. After that, it's just a matter of how many individuals and for how long before they become as jaded as Bob Hoffnar.

Jason Odd · From: Stawell, Victoria, Australia

Well, it depends, if you're talking about a suprise hit that subverted the trends, or something that had an underground effect that reaches on to this day in influence.

Larry Miller mentioned "Helter Skelter" as the song that exposed of myth of Peace, Love and Understanding. But it was really just a rather fine sonic rock workout on one side of a double LP until it became associated with the Manson murders a year after it's release.
A lot of songs have taken on a mythical nature, like the Rolling Stones' 'Sympathy For the Devil' which was like 'Helter Skelter' was issued in 1968, but acheived a form of pop infamy in 1969.
In the Stones' case 'Sympathy' was oft mentioned as the song that the Stones were playing when the Hells Angels killed someone at the Altamont Free Festival, but in reality they were playing a totally different song.

Still, in pop culture terms it's become the norm for those two songs and events to signify the so-called death knell of the 1960s. Personally I think when it passed midnight on December 31st 1969, that was the end of the 1960s.

Let's face it here, more people bought 'Sugar, Sugar' by the Archies than the Velvet Underground sold totally in their original couple of incarnations, yet those VU albums have slowly stayed in print selling steadily (after 1977), and remain in print, alongside rarities collections and a box set.
I think that it' safe to assume that a whole generation of punk and post punk music which in themselves have helped shape popular music to this day, was in themslves influenced by a series of artists who went through poverty and resentment in their day.
Eg: The Stooges, the MC5, the Velvet Underground.. then the more successful Who and the Small Faces.

I think that some records did shape popular music, but it's a strange mix of the artist, the recording and the timing.

What if Elvis hadn't started belting out some bluesy numbers while in Sun studios after a series of takes that Sam Phillips was unhappy with, what if Sam had taken one look and booted him out?
What if Sam had stuck with hillbilly, blues and big band music, would Sun Records have even lasted past 1955?

Why even did Elvis or the Beatles make it?
In their early days they all did covers and were influenced by much the same thing as their peers.
There's a series of pivotal points in any form of music.

Bob Wills and Milton Brown add a piano player to their sound in the 1930s.

The Beatles use edits to create complex rhythm changes and effects. (Taxman from '66 is a good early example)

Ike Turner and his band use a fuzz like guitar sound on Jackie Brenstons 'Rocket 88' in the early 1950s.

The Ventures and Santo & Johnny had instrumental guitar hits in 1959, despite the fact that teen idols were the rage at the time.

Sure there were others doing similar things at the time, the hit songs are usually the tip of the iceberg, but the success fo those singles often open the floodgate for the other acts, at least until the next big thing/trend takes over.
Not so long ago it seemed like you couldn't turn on any form of media without some blonde 'all-American' teen star endorsing something, from Pepsi to the sappy teen fave lurve.
Sometimes they turn out to be Maddona, other times they turn out to be the Osmonds.

Bill Llewellyn · From: San Jose, CA

I myself am hard pressed to think of a song which actually directly produced any significant change in people. I agree the music tends instead to be mostly the barometer of the sentiments of the day. But I also think that songs, if sympathetic with some form of thinking, can encourage or amplify that mind set, for better or for worse. For example, on the good side, patriotic songs have been particularly poignant agents of solidarity for our country since last September. On the not so good side, there are undercurrents in some rap, heavy metal, and other genres which I think do help maintain the inertia behind the kind of thinking they espouse. (Ah, free speech.) When I think of my own personal favorite songs, I can see that they haven't really so much changed me as struck emotional chords, highlighting the way I already felt about something. But then there are also some songs which have wisdom in their lyrics which applied to me directly. Taken as advice, they actually did change me, as least somewhat.

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Bill L | My steel page | Email | My music | Steeler birthdays | Over 50?

Bob Hoffnar · From: Austin, Tx

Bobby Lee · From: Cloverdale, California, USA

I think that songs often reflect changes in society, but I can't think of any that have caused change. If you want to make a difference, you have to be politically active. Musicians don't have much effect in the scheme of things.

I do wonder, though, how things would have been different if The Beatles hadn't appeared when they did.

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Bobby Lee - email: quasar@b0b.com - gigs - CDs
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Earnest Bovine · From: Los Angeles CA USA

Right, b0b. Art imitates life.
Only a foolish artiste thinks that life imitates art. If that were true we would all be killers like Rocky Raccoon.

Jason Odd · From: Stawell, Victoria, Australia

You know, I just remembered that back in '69 during the whole Tate/LeBlanc murder trial it became known that Charles Manson had tried to get a record deal with Terry Melcher who was the producer of the Byrds and others in the 1960s.
Manson had tried to get songs with the Beach Boys through mutual contacts, (he actually knew Dennis Wilson), but he focused on placing his demos with Melcher who rejected them.
Sharon Tate and her husband Roman Polanski actually bought Melcher's house, the one where most of the Manson family murders were committed. Manson himself had been there back when it was Melcher's home.
So, if Charlie boy had gotten a record contract would that story have a different outcome.
And the Manson tracks were released during the trial, and you can still get them on CD if you know where to look.

Rocky Raccoon, maybe after all.

Basically I reckon most of us have realised what popular music is, a reflection of the trends of the time. Although others preceeding me in this post have made the point for more eloquently than I.

"Get Together", by the Youngbloods is a good example of the prevailing mood and musical trends at the time. Most of the peace and love songs associated with San Fran and the hippie scene of the late 1960s were actually written and recorded in places like New York and L.A. while the biggest U.K. hit of 1967 was by Engleburt Humperdink.. (uh, I think that's spelt right).

Larry Miller · From: Dothan AL,USA

Leroy Riggs · From: Looney Tunes, R.I.P.

I doubt if there is any "one" song that has changed the course of history but I'd venture to say that a series of common thread songs can influence the course of history.

I am thinking of the Viet Nam-era protest songs when protest songs were back-to-back on every radio and TV outlet in the nation. Even the message these songs saturated us with took the help of TV and radio medias to help perpetuate the message by promoting the essence of the protest songs thru "news" stories--but they did change the course of history.

That was not a pleasant period to live thru.

Bobby Lee · From: Cloverdale, California, USA

I must confess that I don't remember it very well.

Leroy Riggs · From: Looney Tunes, R.I.P.

B0b, age causes bad memory--age.

Chris Forbes · From: Beltsville, MD, USA

I've heard that "The Weight" by The Band is one of the major reasons that Eric Clapton wanted to get out of the power trio format and start making more melodic music. Does that count?

Pete Burak · From: Portland, OR USA

FWIW, It's been said that Teach Your Children Well gave birth to a new generation of steel players in the '70's.

David Weaver · From: Aurora, CO USA

I agree with b0b that music reflects and not affects change. That said, Bob Dylan's music had a big impact. "The Times They Are a Changin'" hit us pretty hard.

I should have invested in the manufacturer of blue denim work shirts the minute I saw the cover of the album. Everyone went out and bought one.

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