You Can’t Design the Future Without Understanding the Past.
You can’t design the future without understanding the past. One way of looking at it is through musical trends. Here’s a look at eras of musical intensity and musical lull from the 50’s to 2000’s. I stopped there as I’ve focused more into the possibilities of Information recently. But I do know we’re in a lull and I’m not sure anyone can change that due to the current and near future disruption in the business side of the music business.
The eras represented below all happened in the old school where the M.O was well established. Today, it’s wild, untamed and uncharted. In that respect the possibilities are exciting but the system may prevent mass musical distribution/acceptance of culture bending new sounds and songs.
But the history has some relevancy in todays big picture:
In the early 1950s, we experienced the "Doggie in the Window" era, characterized by upbeat and cheerful tunes from artists like Mitch Miller and Doris Day. While an underground scene was bubbling with a mix of Black musicians and Hillbillies, mainstream music remained polished, safe, and cheerful—a musical lull. During these lulls, mainstream culture typically:
- Showcases innocuous lyrics from non-threatening artists.
- Is dominated by labels and moguls adhering closely to a formula.
- Maintains a non-confrontational aesthetic.
- Sees a peak in dancing, as people sway and hum without truly listening.
- Has minimal cultural impact, serving mainly as a backdrop.
- Contains a vibrant underground scene, but it's largely inaccessible to the general public.
- Focuses more on tabloids than on musical content.
- Operates on autopilot in the media.
- Embraces predictable, safe pop music, with original creators often sanitized for mass appeal.
- Features artists with brief lifespans, often reduced to trivia.
In contrast, intense periods of dramatic change occur, compressing significant evolution into short spans. During these intense times:
- The old wave crashes against a wall.
- The sound evolves with new instruments, techniques, and recording methods.
- The aesthetic shifts to something fresh, different, and often intimidating.
- Many blame Satan for the upheaval.
- Listening technology advances.
- Music deeply influences culture, sparking conflicts.
- Artists gain more control over their work.
- Audiences transition from dancing to truly listening.
- A new generation of enduring artists emerges.
- Music media experiences explosive growth.
- Originality flourishes as artists focus on creating their unique sounds.
Such intense periods have occurred in 1955 (Rock ‘n’ Roll), 1964 (The British Invasion), 1969 (A cultural explosion), 1980 (New Wave), and 1993 (Grunge). Each of these eras exhibited the characteristics of intense change, while the lulls exhibited their own predictable traits. Take the intense period of 1969:
- The old wave, represented by acts like Paul Revere and the Raiders, reached its limit.
- The sound transformed with fuzz tones, synthesizers, and an arms race in track numbers and amplifier power,
pushing the boundaries of traditional instruments.
- Musicianship became a key selling point.
- Lyrics evolved into powerful social statements.
- Young people returning home from college with new identities often faced rejection.
- Many attributed the rise of bands like Iron Butterfly to dark influences.
- The stereo revolutionized mainstream listening.
- FM radio emerged as a prominent force.
- A wrong choice of jukebox music could spark a bar fight.
- Bands like Cream operated without restrictions on song length or structure.
This era birthed a new generation of lasting artists who prioritized listening over dancing.
You don’t dance to "Abbey Road"; you listen.
Ok… that’s a history lesson. 2000 is arguably about when things broke away from the old way. I’ve been more of an observer than a student since then but it’s a fascinating way see where we’ve been which is totally different from where we’ve been.
Lulls still foster devoted fans usually fashion focused and very young skewing. However, the intense periods are where transformative change occurs, the magic, the stunning originality.
The stage is set for an intense period though todays music eco system may not allow it. But it’s exciting and interesting to see what unfolds in the universal language of music.