Hippie Culture

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.

Brett M.