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Music from 1970 to today in the USA and the UK

1970's USA. The 1970's served as a bridge between the seriousness of the music that came out of the late sixties and the excessiveness of music from the 1980's. became one of the biggest and most despised trends in music during the decade. It was so pervasive that many established singers and bands came out with disco songs to keep up with the trends, including rockers like Blondie and Rod Stewart. Heavier and also emerged during the decade, some of it as a retaliation to disco. Punk fashion was also popular with distinct social dress of other subcultures and art movements, including , skinheads, rude boys, greasers, and mods. Punk fashion likewise influenced the styles of these groups, as well as those of popular culture. Many punks use clothing as a way of making a statement

UK. The first big new sound of the 1970s was “Glam Rock”, the main figures of this were , Elton John and of course Gary Glitter. In the bleak political backdrop, these larger that life British bands and characters brought a welcome relief with their platform boots, sequins, nail varnish and colourful hair. The punk movement of the late 1970s began in England. Great British bands of this scene were The Sex Pistols and The Clash. The Punk style was Mohicans, bondage clothes, safety pins, piercings and bovver boots.

1980's USA. In the 1980's music was dramatically changed by the introduction of MTV (Music Television). This meant that music videos became more and more of a necessity in order for artists to gain popularity (especially with the youth) and sell records. A greater importance was placed on the appearance of musicians. Michael Jackson emerged as one of the most dominant artists of the decade and was helped by his creative music videos and pure talent, with his Thriller album and video setting pop music standards. New Wave and Synth-Pop were popular genres and their electronic sounds fit perfectly with the beginnings of the computer age. Hair Metal bands also became popular during the decade with their theatrical and outrageous music videos and performances. Hip-Hop also came into the mainstream during the decade.

UK. The 1980s saw the rise of hip hop and rap music, with American influences powerful once again in the form of such groups as Run DMC and Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. It also saw the rise and fall of the 'New Romantics', typified by groups like Adam and the Ants, who dressed as pirates and highway men and wore huge amounts of makeup.

1990's USA. Like the sixties, the 1990's was a decade of extremes with under- produced, anti-establishment bands and gangster rappers enjoying just as much success as the overly produced and studio manufactured pop groups. The decade was ruled by powerful singers with Mariah Carey, Celine Dion, and Whitney Houston topping the charts. Many artists' personal problems including drug abuse and rap feuds overshadowed a lot of the talent during the decade as well, with the death of many popular musicians due to drug overdose and the murders of rappers like Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur.

UK. Grunge music alongside similar subgenres peaked in popularity during 1990/91 with the success of bands such as Nirvana. This style today is still strongly associated with this decade.

Britpop, a subgenre of created in the UK was formed in this decade. This subgenre developed as a reaction against various musical and cultural trends from the early 1990s, especially the US made Grunge. Blur was one of the several groups to launch this movement by referencing British guitar music of the past and writing about uniquely British topics and concerns. This caught on and other bands still famous to date, such as Oasis joined this trend. Female pop icons such as the “" managed to break America, taking the world by storm and becoming the most commercially successful British Group since .

2000's USA. The music of the 2000's showcased a variety of genres and it reflected a great deal of the pop music that came from the nineties, with many of the same artists and bands remaining popular between the two decades. As the technology of computers and internet sharing developed, a variety of those genres started to fuse in order to see new styles emerging. Terms like "contemporary", "nu", "revival", "alternative", and "post" are added to various genres titles in order to differentiate them from past styles. The popularity of teen pop carried over from the 1990s dominated the charts in the earlier years of the decade.

UK. Popular music of the in the 21st century continued to expand and develop new subgenres and fusions. While talent show contestants were one of the major forces in pop music, British soul maintained and even extended its high profile. New forms of emerged, including grime and dubstep. There was also a revival of and post-punk, which when mixed with produced new . http://www.thepeoplehistory.com

Answer the following questions. Justify your response with quotes from the text.

1 Disco became the biggest trend in music during the 1970's. True False ______2. Disco became one of the most loved trends in music during the 1970's. True False ______3. Why did established singers and bands came out with disco songs? ______4.What was "Punk style"? ______5.How did MTV change the music industry? ______

6. Give two characteristics to describe Grunge music. ______

7.. Celine Dion, and Whitney Houston were very popular in the 1990's. True False ______8. dealt with international topics. True False ______9. A lot of the music in the 2000's revisited popular music from the 1990's. True False ______

What kind of music do you like? Why? (Write a paragraph) ______

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