Nirvana- The grunge scene by Brittany Kessler

     The rock scene during the 80's was dominated by bands such as Metallica, Iron Maiden and Guns N' Roses, until Kurt Cobain and Krist Novoselic formed Nirvana in 1987, with Dave Grohl joining later in 1990. You could say that Nirvana turned rock all the way around and went back to its bare-bones. They were one of the few bands that really introduced the genre of grunge and all of the angst-filled lyrics that go along with it. Grunge music was also characterized by heavily distorted electric guitars and contrasting song dynamics, those of which weren’t used very often before the late 80’s.

     At the start of their career, Nirvana was far from popular and had few actual fans. "They may gatecrash the mainstream a couple of years later but at this point of time Nirvana are just another bunch of mad eyed hopefuls crammed into the back of a van looking for escape from their dull lives.” (John Robb) During many of their early performances the audience would leave halfway through the set. To spice up their performances that were quickly going downhill, they would destroy their instruments at the end of the shows. “The bass player shoves his bass guitar through the venue’s roof, the vocalist dives backwards through the drums, the kit collapses and the drummer looks nervous. The amps get pushed over and the guitars are mashed into the floor. It’s either a thrilling moment of pop art auto destruction or the instinctive act of a band that is genuinely walking along the edge.” (John Robb) This left no chance for an encore which was something they didn't enjoy anyways. 

     Their first album, 'Bleach', was released in June of 1989, though it was first recorded in December of 1988. The songwriter, Kurt Cobain, felt pressured while coming up with the songs for this album because he wanted to stick with the grunge style favored by his record company. The album did gather some press attention during their 1989 tour and a few people began to start getting interested by this up and coming band. “They were in that curious place where they were press hip but the people haven’t come yet.” (John Robb) Since not many people actually bought the album, it failed to chart in the U.S during its original release.

     Their debut single of 1988 was "Love Buzz", shown in the above video, which was actually a single by a Dutch Rock band know as Shocking Blue. Nirvana slightly mixed the song up in order to make it their own and have it on their 'Bleach' album. Another more popular song on the album was "About a Girl", which is in the video below. It was the third song on their 'Bleach' album and it was also the first song on MTV’s Unplugged in New York album during 1994. Kurt created the song after listening to the Beatles as a way to introduce some pop into Nirvana's generally grunge sound.

     A few years later in 1991, Nirvana finally started getting the recognition that they deserved. During this time they released their album 'Nevermind' which was their first release on DGC records. "This momentous recording happened to catch Nirvana at a high point: in the midst of a creative groundswell, somewhere between obscurity and superstardom." (Alan di Perna) It was a surprise hit among the people and produced four popular singles; Smells Like Teen Spirit, Come As You Are, Lithium, and In Bloom. A lot of people believe that 'Nevermind' was responsible for bringing alternative rock and grunge music to a larger mainstream audience, and many regarded it as one of the best albums by far. "Which is to say, Nevermind has attained classic status. It is one of those rare albums that will accompany its original fans on their journey through life, while continuing to attract new generations of listeners." (Alan di Perna)

     Kurt Cobain, the master behind Nirvana, once said in an interview, "I write poems for myself and I write poetry that gets torn apart and becomes songs. I have a lot of respect for words, the power of words." Cobain was a one of a kind musician who brought a lot of new techniques into play. He created chord sequences that were mainly power chords and his songs combined pop hooks with dissonant guitar rhythms. Many of his songs feature major shifts in dynamics in which it changes quickly from quiet verses to loud choruses. Kurt Cobain was truly an inspiration for many and his songs related to most young teens going through tough times. He once said that “If chasing cool is important to you, you're an idiot! What can you say about people who wait to be told what to like, what to do and how to do it? It's like apathy in action.”

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     Robb, John. "Nirvana Changed Rock Music Forever, an Eye Witness Account." Louder Than War. Louder Than War, 31 Dec. 2010. Web. 19 Nov. 2012. <http://louderthanwar.com/nirvana/>.
     Andrick, Frank. "Nirvana: Kurt Cobain." Artistwd.com. Joyzine, n.d. Web. 19 Nov. 2012. <http://www.artistwd.com/joyzine/music/nirvana/nirvana>.
     Di Perna, Alan. "The Making of Nevermind." Burntout. Harris Publications, Inc, 1995. Web. 19 Nov. 2012. <http://www.burntout.com/nirvana/articles/article5.html>.

Madonna- Feminism and Sexuality- Collin Junek

The world's best-selling female artist rose to popularity in the 80's. Madonna (Madonna Louise Ciccone) brought to pop culture good things along with the bad.

The 80's saw the birth of the pop-rock diva under Madonna. Before her, every music mega star was male, from Aerosmith to Queen to Elvis Presley, but as her career developed, so did the female image. As her music grew in popularity, her pop icon image also grew. Her influence spread from music to video and fashion. While pursuing her career as a musician, she also became a film star, further spreading her fame and influence. Hits like “Holiday”, "Vogue", and “Material Girl” helped increase her fame.  Her contribution to the entertainment industry as a whole, from film to music, helped the female image gain not only popularity but also reputability, as her success showed the world that a woman could successfully control the limelight. Her influence on women also spread beyond the world of music and into the real world, influencing the ideas of feminism. She portrayed how women could be in control of their own sexuality, free from the male view of female sexuality.

Madonna also had, what I believe to be, a negative effect on the entertainment industry. Because of the success Madonna acquired and the factors leading to her success, the industry became more sexual and revealing.  Her music videos, like “Like a Virgin”, were the subject of much controversy as they portrayed what was considered un-Christian-like conduct. Her performance of the single on the VMAs was just as controversial, as Madonna wore a white wedding dress and white gloves and rolled around on the ground. Madonna herself said that the performance was, "the bravest, most blatantly sexual thing [she] had done on television". This obvious display of sexuality and the more and more revealing clothing that was being worn at the time, helped create the illusion that in order to gain that level of popularity, female artists must be willing to show more skin and be more openly sexual.

While she may have caused much controversy at the time, Madonna helped open the door to acts that would follow her, like the Spice Girls, Lady Gaga, and Pink. Her contributions to the music industry helped her gain admittance into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame the very first year of her eligibility.

 

Works Cited:

Taraborrelli, J. Randy. Madonna, An Intimate Biography. Simon and Schuster, 2003. Print.

Vladimir, Bogdanov, Chris Woodstra, and Stephen Thomas. All Music Guide to Rock: The Definitive     Guide to Rock, Pop, and Soul. 3rd e. Backbeat Books, 2008. Print.

Guns N' Roses

Preceding the 80s was a period of meaningful lyrics and music, but that soon gave way todance-to-the-beat kind of music. The 1980’s had its surplus of pop and dance music, including Michael Jackson and all the other happy-go-lucky 80’s songs.  What else was unique about the 80’s was the development of hard rock, which was epitomized in the band, Guns N’ Roses. Along with this new hard edge, came influences on authority. In the past, the authorities had always been the “fun suckers” or the ones trying to end all the excitement, but with the emergence of this new sound authority became actively destructive (Leland). In their song lyrics, along with Metallica and other fellow hard rockers, adults doing violent and criminal acts became the norm. Rebellion against such acts became the cause, changing the whole perspective on how authority had been viewed before that time. In the following video is Guns N’ Roses “Welcome to the Jungle”, where they display recognized authority like police officers being violent, and as a result, are welcoming us to the jungle that is our country we have grown up in.

 

Also, these band members do not think too highly of themselves as before(Leland). Whereas most famous people think of themselves probably a little too highly, these rockers now saw themselves as heirs to the damage (Leland). They were not role models, not people to be looked up to, but were merely survivors. And as survivors sometimes they had to allow violent acts, which they sang about in their songs. Although, they did have an occasional ballad about trying to take a jab at love, much like “Sweet Child O’ Mine”.

 

            The band started in Los Angeles with “Appetite for Destruction” as their first album, and the album has gone platinum 18 times (Grierson). There was nothing safe about Guns N’ Roses first album, unlike the other rock bands, which at least had a ‘good-time’ feeling to their music. Their next album, “Lies”, had one song in particular that caused people to think that perhaps Guns N’ Roses enjoyed the terrible things in the world a little too much, and were singing about that fact that they liked it, instead of just witnessing it (Grierson). The following song, “One in a Million” caused people to say such things.

 

 

In the end, Guns N’ Roses brought about a new dimension to music, but not necessarily a bright one. Singing about the negative and derogatory things of the country may have brought them many hits, but some people also thought they might have enjoyed the terrible things a little too much, and also influenced many young people to change their perspectives on how they saw things in the world as well.

Works Cited

Grierson, Tim. "Guns N'Â Roses." About.com Rock Music. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Nov. 2012. <http://rock.about.com/od/gunsnroses/p/gunsnroses.htm>.

Leland, J. "Welcome To The Jungle." Newsweek 118.13 (1991): 52. Military & Government Collection. Web. 19 Nov. 2012.

 

 

 

Anthems of the 80's

Morgan Olivarez

Music of the 80’s was energetic and powerful. The anthems that popped up during this time were not just energetic but were to be uplifting and inspirational. These songs also tested the limits of that generation, and often pushed the boundaries on the traditional values that those of the 80’s generation were brought up with.

Songs were memorable not just for their inspirational and fun lyrics, but also their instrumental solos. Such as the song “Runaway” by Bon Jovi which included a Keyboard riff by Roy Bittan and gave the band immediate stardom. The “tune stands proudly as prototypical mainstream rock: melodic, hard-driving, and passionate” according to Steve Peake author of the article Top 10 Bon Jovi songs of the 80’s. Another memorable solo from a Bon Jovi song was from “Let it Rock” which was on their album Slippery When Wet the song had an “…empty- headed by lively chourus that took the notion of “anthemic” clear to the rafters” as expressed by Steve Peake.

 Each song has a unique background and story to it. “Wanted dead or alive” by Bon Jovi was written by a blue collar steelworker from New Jersey. “Thousands of people were moved and still moved by this song” today, according to the article Inspirational songs of the 80’s by Jacqueline Brewster this song often lifts your mood and gets you pumped. 

            According to the article Inspirational songs of the 80’s written by Jacqueline Brewster, Sylvester Stallone wanted “Another one bites the dust” by Queens to be featured in the movie rocky but was refused any right to the song by Freddy Mercury which resulted in the use of the song “The eye of the Tiger” made famous by Survivor. The song was iconic and still remembered today as a result of the film popularity. Anthems can be described as a rousing or uplifting with a particular group, body or cause. In the end an anthem can define a generation.

 

 

Reference:

Jacqueline Brewster. “Inspirational Songs from the 80’s.” 2005-2011. Article dash Board.com.

Steve Peake. “Top 10 Bon Jovi Songs of the 80’s.” 2012. About.com

How 80s Music Changed Fashion- Hailey Brown

Fashion in the 1980s altered dramatically with the incoming new music.  “The artists of the 80s found that looking good, showing some skin, having an outlandish outfit or two, and/or wearing more makeup than a circus clown helped to make a lasting impression on impressionable record buyers” (Totally Awesome 80s).  You would see girls/women wearing tighter clothing, low cut shirts, big hair, bright colors, baggy pants, jeans, bright and colorful makeup, fake eyelashes, leg warmers, off the shoulder tops, and poufy dresses.  “Probably the biggest fashion trend of the 80s was jeans.  Women were wearing jeans now not for a political statement, but for a comfy pair of casual pants.  Early in the 80s they were tight, straight legged, creased, and as blue as the night sky.  But denim wasn’t appropriate for the night life” (A Study of the Factors Affecting Fashion in the 1980s).  Also, hair was teased, crimped, and even colorful.

 “Madonna’s uncompromisingly sexual image opened the floodgates for sex in music, videos, and even film” (Totally Awesome 80s).  Her outlook on life could be seen as a larger-than-life defiance, and that could be shown through her erotic videos and stage performances.  Madonna is at the top of all the reasons fashion changed in this decade.  She was every teenage girls idol, they all wanted to look just like her.  “Along with cable t.v. in ’87 came MTV, Music Television.  Enter Madonna.  This diva of pop-rock really rocked our world with 16 top 10 hits and 3 movies” (A Study of the Factors Affecting Fashion in the 1980s).  To me, she has the most admired media personalities.

This is the time when blacks were finally gaining equality.  “The b-boy style of dress was baggy jeans and shorts, professional sports team gear, baseball caps turned backwards, and chains with huge gold pendants.  Their hair was short about the ears and tall on top” (A Study of the Factors Affecting Fashion in the 1980s).  Sweat/Jump suits and Spectator coats became quite popular.  Rock musicians of the 80s “all created their own fashion statements, including torn jeans, long hair, leather jackets, the 5 o’clock shadow, and headbands” (A Study of the Factors Affecting Fashion in the 1980s).  Men had longer hair, wearing leather pants, having the scruffy look, and not only men but women also, wore headbands/bandanas.  Tight jeans and studded belts also became very popular.

 “The decade came to a close with the re-emergence in popularity of leather bomber jackets, not for patriotic reasons, simply because they looked good.  And so another decade came to pass, along with its most popular styles” (A Study of the Factors Affecting Fashion in the 1980s).

Bauer, Juliet C. "Cardinal Scholar: The 80s : A Study of the Factors Affecting Fashion in the 1980s : An Honors Thesis (HONRS 499)." Cardinal Scholar: The 80s : A Study of the Factors Affecting Fashion in the 1980s : An Honors Thesis (HONRS 499). Wilma R. Ridgeway, 1 May 1992. Web. 18 Nov. 2012. <http://cardinalscholar.bsu.edu/handle/handle/189418>.

Rettenmuno, Matthew. "Totally Awesome 80s." Google Books. St. Martins Griffin, 1996. Web. 18 Nov. 2012. <http://books.google.com/books?hl=en>.

The Origins of Hip-Hop/Rap

By: Lance Yancy

Music is one of the most influencing elements throughout an individual’s youth. One of the most controversial music genres in society is Hip-hop/rap. From the mid 1980’s, rap portrayed an acceptable outlook towards violence and materialistic success. Its origins however, began from a different perspective. "Hip-hop was created as a strategy for a better living, a better way a life. MCing, DJing, graffiti art, beat boxing and breaking-- the original five elements of hip-hop--were not a means to make money, but a means to have victory over the streets, to have an identity, and to be somebody when you walked down the street." Says KRS-One, veteran hip-hop artist who was first introduced to the genre in 1977. (Kenon 1)

Due to the similar transition from Jazz and the audience’s connection, Hip-hop/Rap was very popular among the African American culture. Blacks used music as an escape from social discrimination and lack of education in the school system. The musical lyrics held true artistic rhythms and rhymes created by the youth, but also “life in the streets.”

Hip-hop/Rap produced negative influences just as quickly as it began. “While many applaud the financial success of hip-hop music, others like KRS-One, a.k.a Kris Parker, feel that the commercial success of the music has in fact "killed" the culture and hip-hop's initial purpose.” The success of this new genre grew from 2 mutual influences. It first thrived from the authenticity and integrity of the artist, from which the consumer, who could relate, appreciated. Over time, music producers and the social media altered its success to more profiting topics, such as violence, drugs, fame, and sex. (Kenon 1) In the earliest rap songs, violence was viewed primarily in negative or ambivalent terms. No song appeared between 1979 and 1984 was coded as representing violence in a positive manner. “The music industry contributed to the increase in violent lyrical content that we described for the late 1980s through 1990s.” (Herd 5)

Despite the negative transition from Hip-hop/Raps origins, it is still one of the most popular genre’s to present day. Certain music will be accepted or discarded based on the consumer’s interest, and evidence supports the idea that the social movement that thrived in the 1980’s will continue in future generations.

Work Cited

KENON, MARCI. "Hip-Hop." Billboard 112.23 (2000): 42. Academic Search Complete. Web. 18 Nov. 2012.

Herd, Denise. "Changing Images Of Violence In Rap Music Lyrics: 1979-1997." Journal Of Public Health Policy 30.4 (2009): 395-406. MEDLINE with Full Text. Web. 18 Nov. 2012.

Poison by Lara Simmons

Poison is an American glam rock band that hit its success during the mid-1980's. During their extremely successful career, they sold 30 million records worldwide and have sold 15 million records in the United States alone. Poison was fortunate enough to have many popular hits and several No. 1's. The band's break through debut album, Look What the Cat Dragged In was released in 1986. Poison hit their peak with the second album, Open Up and Say... Ahh!, which became the band's most successful album.

Poison's first album Look What the Cat Dragged In, originally only had one single, "Cry Tough." However, this album had tremendous success and had three chart topper hits: "Talk Dirty to Me", "I Want Action", and "I Won't Forget You." Poison became a huge success on MTV as well.

"Talk Dirty to Me." 

Dan Marsicano wrote about Poison's fame in one article saying, "the band packed stadium worldwide and seemed to get more and more popular as time went on."

Poison's second album, Open Up and Say... Ahh!, and peaked at No. 2 on the American charts and sold 8 million copies. This album included the bands biggest hit "Every Rose Has Its Thorn," as well as other hits like: "Nothin' but a Good Time," and "Fallen Angel."

 "Every Rose Has Its Thorn."

Steve Peake wrote in one article, "Though the band released only two albums within the decade, frequent hair metal whipping boys Poison actually released a fair amount of serviceable rock music during that time. While certainly not every track was a keeper, the group's best offerings delivered solid songwriting, big hooks and respectable riffage often worthy of the group's intense popularity at the time. Here's a look at seven of Poison's best songs, both familiar and underappreciated."

In 1990. their third album, Flesh & Blood, that included three gold singles: "Unskinny Bop," "Ride the Wind," and "Something to Believe In." The video of "Flesh & Blood (Sacrifice)" was banned from MTV due to its explicit nature, but did surface later.

 "Something to Believe In."

Poison was a very popular and influencial band in the 1980's. Their rebel music was a well played anthem during the rebellious era of the 80's. Their music is still popular today and takes us back to a time where rock and roll music pushed all boundaries and rules.

                                                       Work Cited

Marsicano, Dan. "Poison Profile." About.com Heavy Metal. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2012. <http://heavymetal.about.com/od/poison/p/poison.htm>.

Peake, Steve. "Top 7 Poison Songs of The '80s." About.com 80s Music. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2012. <http://80music.about.com/od/artistskp/tp/toppoisonsongs.htm>.

Rebellion Shown Through Music in the 80's by Madalyn Bertrand

Music has always been an expression of a person's inner most feelings. Song lyrics depict a certain story that the artist wants you to hear, and the music conveys the tone of the emotions the artist is feeling. In the 1980’s, in response to political actions and the want to be heard, rebellion music was the response. In this time, violence was present all over every part of the world. In the political realm certain events were taking place such as, the start of the Persian Gulf War, the Berlin Wall falling, and the end of the Soviet-Afghan War. In the early 1980's president Ronald Reagan was elected, and this election resulted in a tremendous military increase. Most rock artist did not appreciate the military increase because they were more wild and unruly.  It was in these moments that rock artists found the opportunity to express their opinions because the thought of a military increase brought feelings of confinement. Below is a video of rock artist, Bruce Springsteen, singing "Born In The USA". Springsteen debuted "Born In The USA" in 1984.

“Born In The USA” was written to display Springsteen's anger towards the United States because since the United States did not win Vietnam the veterans of Vietnam were ignored when they returned home, and in turn veterans of other wars were treated as heroes when they returned home. Although Springsteen's thoughts were clear when writing "Born In The USA", somehow his fans saw his song in a different light; “. . . ‘Born in the USA,’ ironically, became the nation’s adopted patriotic anthem . . .” (Raha 108). 

Above is the music video for "The Wall", by Pink Floyd. “The Wall” which was Pink Floyd’s album title, had numerous unruly political implications instead of him directly stating his rebellion. "The Wall" earned its name by the fact that Pink Floyd built a mental wall between himself and the rest of the world because he wanted to be isolate from the horrible struggles that life brings

To the left is the video of "Rock The Casbah" by The Clash. One of The Clash's singles, “Rock The Casbah”, on the album was about an Islamic ruler dictating a ban on rock music. Anyone who was in violation of this ban would be bombed. Hysterically enough, the pilots who were to bomb the violators ignored the orders and played rock music in their cockpits too. The 1980's was just the start of an aggressive sense of music; it would soon be followed by even more hostility and violence in the years to come. 

Works Cited

Raha, Maria. Cinderella’s Big Score. California: Seal, 2005. Print.

Reynolds, Simon and Joy Press. The Sex Revolts: Gender, Rebellion, and Rock ‘n’

roll. London: Serpent’s Tail, 1995. Print.

Urick, Brett. “An Introduction to The Wall.” Pink Floyd The Wall: A Complete

Analysis. 2006. 1 April 2008. http://www.thewallanalysis.com/.html

The Influence of Michael Jackson in the 80's by Benjamin Buster

Benjamin Buster

          Michael Jackson, one of the greatest pop stars of our time, emerged and reached the peak of his adult career during the 1980’s. Michael’s music that was released during this decade was a major influence on 80’s music and style. People around the world tried to mimic Michael in every way, from the moon walk in his performances to the gloves and jackets that he wore.  It was during the 80’s that The Jackson Five started to separate and the performers started seeking their own venues. Michael Jackson decided to emerge with a bad boy personality that became wildly popular during this decade. It can be seen in his album titled “Bad” which included songs such as “Bad” and “Smooth Criminal”. 

          One of the most famous Michael Jackson songs that shaped this decade was “Thriller”. Thriller was one of the few music videos that were around in all of music, and when it was released for the first time on TV it revolutionized the industry. This fourteen minute long video was watched by people all over and was an instant hit. Its popularity sparked an uncountable number of reenactments and is still being performed today by all of the Michael Jackson fans around the world. Its popularity is shown in this 1990’s newspaper article, “The world buys millions of copies of Michael Jackson’s Thriller album, thanks greatly to the gaining popularity of Music Television” (Resnick, 16).  After its release Michael continued to make Music videos that became some of the most watched videos during the 80’s. 

          Michael did not only break down music barriers, he also broke down racial barriers during his time. Michael was one of the few African American pop stars of his time and he used that to his advantage. His popularity allowed him to be one of the first black musicians on MTV and was one of the first African American artists to be globally known. This quote from David Berman in an 80’s newspaper shows Michael’s influence on society ,“Like Al Jolson, he’s bringing black music to a white audience. And like Jolson, he shows you can come out of the ghetto and if you have the energy, you can do anything. It’s the American dream” (Pareles, 11).  Many pop stars such as Usher, Ne-Yo and Kanye West, claim to be directly influenced by Michael’s work.  Michael Jackson single handily revolutionized the music industry and the racial view of society during the 80’s. Without his actions and performances the music/pop industry would not be what it is today.       

Works Cited

Resnick, Susan. "Flashback: A Video Tour Of the 80's." New York Times [New York] 7                Jan.1990, Sunday ed., L.I. sec.: 16. Print

Pareles, Jon. "Michael Jackson at 25: A Musical Phenomenon." New York Times [New                  York] 14 Jan. 1984: 11. Print.