HIPPIE CULTURE

By Brett Miller

The majority of crossroads between the hippie counter culture and the Vietnam War were those of protest. The hippie movement and ideology was one of gentleness, tolerance and inclusivity, going directly against any war (Jones, Created Equal, p.607). There were many songs written in protest of the war, some of which became classics while others faded into obscurity. Neil Young wrote Ohio in response to the Kent State shootings of protesters by the National Guard on May 4, 1970. The 1969 song It Better End Soon, by the band Chicago didn’t leave much to the imagination about how they felt. Then there is 1967’s iconic For What It’s Worth by Buffalo Springfield, which has become a timeless classic ironically used in commercials to sell beer. The popular artists of the day used music to voice their opinions, thoughts and concerns. Music became a great form of communication and a way to unite people to a common goal or ideology.One of the biggest influences the hippie culture had on popular music was that of The Beatles. As any Beatles fan will tell you, the album Revolver was a major change in direction for the band. They had fully embraced the counter culture in all of its experimentation with drugs and sexual freedom. Although it is difficult to say that it was merely one thing or another, it was more than just a maturing of the band. Their music had undergone a major shift from that which made them superstars during the early sixties, melodic, sing-along, happy songs, towards that of experimental and psychedelic rock like that of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band or The white Album. Not only was music a major factor in transforming popular culture, the same can be said for the effect of popular culture on music.