Sex, drugs, and Rock & Roll were born in the sixties
In our first article, “What Happened to Music… Elvis to Bruno Mars”, we covered popular music from the 50’s. From Patti Page and Pat Boone, to the immortal Elvis, fifties music recalls memories of youthful romances and first loves.
Into the sixties, Elvis continued in his charming ways, with Billboard topping hits like “Stuck On You”, “It’s Now Or Never”, “Are You Lonesome Tonight”, “Surrender”, “Good Luck Charm” and, after more than seven years of absence from the Billboard’s top spot, he scored another No.1 hit with “Suspicious Minds” in October of 1969.
Music of the fifties era belonged to the solo act, and the hits of the decade showcased that popularity. But the sixties saw a major shift in whom got into the spotlight. While of the 139 Billboard no. 1 songs in the fifties, bands, accapella groups or duets accounted for 34 of them (24%), the sixties would become the decade of the band, with 132 of the 218 (60%) singles awarded the top spot on the Billboard going to a duet or group.
The Group act was king in the sixties, and the decade ushered in some of the all time greatest bands.
The Four Seasons were the first sixties group with multiple no. 1 hits, with songs like “Sherry”, “Big Girls Don’t Cry”, “Walk Like a Man” and “Rag Doll”. Other great acts like The Everly Brothers, The Drifters, The Shirelles, The Tokens, The Crystals, The Tornadoes, and The Chiffons, to name a few, all topped the charts in the early sixties.
In 1964, two group acts would rise to the top of the Billboard charts, and forever mark the musical landscape.
The Beatles scored the first of the band’s nineteen Billboard no. 1 singles in February of that year with the hit “I Want To Hold Your Hand”. It stayed there for 7 weeks, and from February 1st to May 8th, The Beatles claimed the top spot on the list with follow up hits “She Loves Me” and “Can’t Buy Me Love”.
Soon, another iconic band would find itself at the top of the music world. With “I Get Around”, The Beach Boys landed their first no. 1 hit. Pet Sounds, their eleventh studio album, released May 16, 1966, would go on to be recognized as one of the most influential records in the history of popular music and one of the best albums of the 1960s.
Pet Sounds was created several months after Brian Wilson had quit touring with the band in order to focus his attention on writing and recording. In it, he wove elaborate layers of vocal harmonies, coupled with sound effects and unconventional instruments such as bicycle bells, buzzing organs, harpsichords, flutes, Electro-Theremin, dog whistles, trains, Hawaiian-sounding string instruments, Coca-Cola cans and barking dogs, along with the more usual keyboards and guitars.
Although it initially failed to reach Gold status, Pet Sounds, a heralding album in the psychedelic rock style, was emulated for its revolutionary use of baroque instrumentation.
The Supremes knew music, and styles.
The sixties were also the era of The Supremes, The Temptations, The Mamas & The Papas, Simon & Garfunkel, Sonny & Cher, and of course The Doors and The Rolling Stones.
The Stones needed music, music needed the Stones
Now, let’s be honest, the Beatles lads were no GQ models. Their looks can be described as pedestrian or quaint at best. The Beach Boys, average joes. And let’s not even go into the looks of The Rolling Stones, who look like the offspring of carnies.
But all of these bands had one thing in common. People wanted to bang them because they loved their music; they didn’t love their music because they wanted to bang them.
And that is a big difference between those acts and the acts of our era. ‘N Sync, Backstreet Boys, O Town? All were commercially successful because of the marketing that was put into their looks, not their musical skills. Don’t get me wrong, they all have musical abilities. Some, like Justin Timberlake, are very talented, but the majority of their appeal was and is their ability to sell posters and accessories, not records. There’s a reason why boy bands nowadays have such short shelf lives. Teenage girls get tired of looking at their faces and move on to the next sexy mug.
The bands of the sixties have stayed relevant and popular even now, because they made music their business, not themselves. But the era of ‘peace and free love’ also had its share of amazing solo acts as well.
Chubby Checker, Marvin Gaye, Ray Charles, Diana Ross, Louis Armstrong, Aretha Franklin, Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra all shined in the sixties.
These were all musical giants, who are still revered today for their devotion to making music not just a means to afford luxury and comfort, and to be the next sex symbol, but for making music the premier art form that evoke memory, feeling, and action. No other artistic medium can bring about all those with the same intensity. And in the sixties, war, politics and civil rights would prove just that, as music found itself constantly in the spotlight.
Songs like “Turn, Turn, Turn” written by Pete Seeger and covered by The Byrds. Or “Give Peace A Chance” by a solo John Lennon. And the protest song master, Bob Dylan, with songs like “Masters Of War”, “With God On Our Side” and “Blowin’ In The Wind”, all used their musical talents to say something meaningful, to echo the feelings of the people.
But sixties music also knew how to have fun, as is evident by the popularity of David Seville And The Chipmunks, another showcase of early sixties sound manipulations.
In our next installment, we will take a look at the acts of the fabulous 70’s.
Check out these other great articles by PolaKanadian: What Happened To Music Pt.1, Remake This Movie, How To Become A Casino Host, Make More Money? Start A New Career.
