1970s American Music and Fashion

1970’s AMERICAN MUSIC AND FASHION

The 1970s were known as the famous era of ‘disco’, where different types of pop music were separated into a multitude of styles. Disco became popular, first being introduced in dance clubs in the mid seventies, with famous songs such as “The Hustle” by Van McCoy. Some of the well known female artists of the time were Donna Summers, Gloria Gaynor, and Anita Ward, from these singers began the phrase ‘disco divas’. The invasion of British well known bands such as the Beatles and the Rolling Stones were coming to an end and the death of Elvis began the sad end to the two major influences of the 60s and 50s. Some of the most famous singers and bands of the 70s were “Aerosmith, the Bee Gees, David Bowie, Jackson Browne, Alice Cooper, Eagles, Electric Light Orchestra, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Fleetwood Mac, Billy Joel, Elton John, Led Zeppelin, John Lennon, Pink Floyd, Bob Seger, Bruce Springsteen, Rod Stewart ,Three Dog Night, and The Who” (‘1977 Fads’, modified 2008, viewed 13th of April 2008,
http://ahsclassof77.com/custom2.html). The Village people had top ten hits with “Y.M.C.A” and the Bee Gees has many hit songs following their Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. These various bands became major icons of the 70s, and reflected the stylish night clubbing life that has continued to evolve even to today.

The seventies was a time when teenagers were beginning to be exposed to various new media and hence newer ideas in almost every area. Disco came and fell quickly within the 70s due to religious revival and the rise of conservatism. Disco therefore afterwards came to be associated with gays and minorities. “The end of the seventies saw the rise and fall disco and the opening of chic clubs like New York's Studio 54 where outrageous sex acts, excessive drug use, and tax evasion ran supreme”( ‘Web Generation 170’, modified 2008, viewed 13th of April 2008, http://www.wgeneration.com/1970.html). Experimenting with music in the 70s became popular; such experiments included experimental classical music. The experimentation of classical music later “influenced both art rock and progressive rock as well as the punk rock and New Wave genres” ( ‘Web Generation 170’, modified 2008, viewed 13th of April 2008,
http://www.wgeneration.com/1970.html). The 70s began a mixed combination of different music styles which later through much controversy altered the form and expression of music.

The 1970s began where the 1960s left off, people became frustrated, restless and critical of the status quo, questioning traditional authority and social hierarchies, and flamboyantly expressive. This type of expression formed the wide variety of fashion and non traditional form of clothes. The sixties hippy fashion trend lasted into the seventies. Men began to grow their hair to shoulder length and non-traditional clothes began to grow popular such as bellbottom pants, hip huggers, colorful patches, hot pants, platform shoes, earth shoes, clogs, T-shirts, and gypsy dresses. Knits and denims were the fabrics of choice. All different forms of clothes became popular from leisure suits for men and everything from old designed dresses to hot pants and mini-skirts. “The movie Annie Hall (1977) even inspired a fashion trend with women sporting traditional men's clothing such as derby hats, tweed jackets, and neckties worn with baggy pants or skirts” (‘GN SU06’, modified 2008, viewed 13th of April 2008,http://www.nursing.ufl.edu/news/GatorNurseSummer06.pdf). The seventies became an era of defiance and slowly began the rebellion within society.

Identity was a major aspect of the 70s. This is shown through the untraditional clothes and radical expression of music. Through blogging you are constructing a very different type of identity. The identity is represented online by how you blog, what you blog consistently about, and other visible elements. Some blogs can be based purely on your personality or a variety of topics, such as political, social or even economic. These topics the blogger posts creates and identity. “Blog branding is the development of your blog’s online identity into a brand, a consistent online identity”(‘Blogging tips’, modified 2008, viewed 13th of April 2008,
http://lorelle.wordpress.com/2007/05/25/blogging-tips-book-blog-branding-and-identity/). If a blog is representations of yourself, perhaps even a promotion of yourself such as with work companies, you suddenly become the logo of your blog. “A portrait featured in the header, sidebar, gravatars and avatars, and even in your email reinforces the image that you represent your blog and your blog is you” (‘Blogging tips’, modified 2008, viewed 13th of April 2008,
http://lorelle.wordpress.com/2007/05/25/blogging-tips-book-blog-branding-and-identity/). Your own personal blog indicates that you create a visible online personal, where others can see your behavior and you becomes your blog’s representative.

REFERENCE LIST:

‘Blogging tips’, modified 2008, viewed 13th of April 2008,
http://lorelle.wordpress.com/2007/05/25/blogging-tips-book-blog-branding-and-identity/

‘GN SU06’, modified 2008, viewed 13th of April 2008,
http://www.nursing.ufl.edu/news/GatorNurseSummer06.pdf

‘Web Generation 170’, modified 2008, viewed 13th of April 2008,
http://www.wgeneration.com/1970.html

‘1977 Fads’, modified 2008, viewed 13th of April 2008,
http://ahsclassof77.com/custom2.html