Follow These Individuals As Role Models and Idols Who Will Tell Them How to Live Their Lives

follow these individuals as role models and idols who will tell them how to live their lives. It has always been that way since far back in human history. As far as rhythm goes, most songs at the time, such as “Voodoo Child” by Jimi Hendrix, had a smooth rhythm. Other songs had a soft beat to it, such as “Hello Vietnam” by Johnny Wright, since fast and hard music did not fit the theme of the war opposition. The music itself was diverse enough to be whatever anyone wanted it to be because of its numerous genres such as rock, soul, and psychedelic music. To help explain the popularity of this music further, one needs to look at how this music connected to mass media. The media includes news reports, advertisements, and articles giving updates on world events and giving suggestions on ways to live one’s life. The media was originally for the war but changed their position after it became clear that the counterculture was alive and well and wanted their voices heard. Quintessentially: “This music would take the anti- war morale of these protestors and fuel it to continue their intake of the war. This in no way is a political propaganda, just a response to changing times” (Jones). The media is the central passage of influencing large groups of people, simply because this was the time when advertisement began to take over and be everywhere. Billboards showed images of “hippies” that followed the countercultural message to not only gain financial revenue, but also to stay in touch with the youth of America. Messages could be heard, and the spirit of free speech was alive and well. In the long run, the popularity of this music helped further the anti-war effort. Festivals were also meant to integrate the counterculture. Probably the most famous of these festivals was the Woodstock Festival held in August 1969. Woodstock featured some of the era’s popular musicians like John Sebastian, Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Jimi Hendrix, and other various artists that came together to spread the message of world peace. One such famous artist was Country Joe McDonald, the lead man in a well-known band called Country Joe and the Fish. These men were one of the most synonymous bands of the protest movement against Vietnam. Their famous hit the “I-Feel-Like-I’m-Fixin’-to-Die Rag” goes something like this: “And it’s one, two, three, what are we fighting for? Don’t ask me I don’t give a damn Next stop is Vietnam. And it’s five, six, seven, open up the pearly gates, Well there ain’t no time to wonder why, Whoopie! We’re all gonna die!” - Country Joe and the Fish, “I-Feel-Like-I’m-Fixin’-to-Die Rag,” 1967 This and many other songs were popular additions to the Woodstock festival and helped get the word out about the war. Festivals had thousands of people come together like a homecoming to share each other’s thoughts and feelings about world events. Though it was not intended to be as big as it actually was, it ended up gathering 400,000 people in one of the biggest concerts in the history of music. The interactivity of these songs also came about when the soldiers of war listened to the music that was offered at the time. A good example of this comes from the film Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam. The film’s score ironically includes protest music. This was done to show that the soldiers were listening to this music at this time, because if they liked it, that was important since they were in the war. 33.

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