© HarperCollins Publishers 2010 Interpretation Why such fuss about music?

© HarperCollins Publishers 2010 Interpretation Objectives In this activity you will: Decide just how ‘swinging’ the ‘swinging sixties’ were. Explore if people agree about the 1960s.

© HarperCollins Publishers 2010 Interpretation Why such a fuss about pop music? In the 1960s, for the first time, footballers and pop stars were major celebrities, and set the trends in fashion, in behaviour, and in ideas. In the mid sixties, ‘hippies’ began to appear. Based partly on Indian religious ideas, and the use of drugs such as marijuana, their lifestyle was a reaction against work and adult values.

© HarperCollins Publishers 2010 Interpretation Why such a fuss about pop music? Everything was shared, groups of people lived together in communes and aimed to make the world a ‘better place’. Just a few people lived the lifestyle, but it was very influential. Perhaps the high-point of the sixties music scene was the Woodstock Festival, in New York State, in August It is estimated that 400,000 people attended the three- day event and watched most of the world’s leading performers.

© HarperCollins Publishers 2010 Interpretation The 1960s: A good decade? Historian one The 1960s were a turning point in history. For the first time, footballers and pop musicians became celebrities, and young people felt as if they were being listened to. The sense of artistic freedom meant bands like The Beatles and The Rolling Stones experimented and laid down the basis of modern music. People had a sense of freedom, that times were changing and better, and peaceful times were ahead. Woodstock and pirate radio represented major breakthroughs in social history.

© HarperCollins Publishers 2010 Interpretation The 1960s: A bad decade? Historian two The 1960s was a dangerous decade – pop music had a bad influence on people, encouraged drugs, laziness and lack of respect for parents and authority. Whilst The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix and Bob Dylan preached love and ‘dropping out’, they were more than happy to make lots of money from record sales. Woodstock and pirate radio were two things we could have done without.

© HarperCollins Publishers 2010 Interpretation Now your turn… Which of the historians do you agree with? Why do you agree with them? Are there any points that you can think of that the two historians haven’t covered? Be prepared to present your judgement to the rest of the group.