Punk music History of American popular music; Period 5The poet Victor Hugo once stated that “music expresses that which cannot be expressed in words and that which cannot be silent.” This quote seems to represent punk music in a way that isn't immediately apparent. Punk is considered an "underground" genre and style popular among teenagers and young adults who feel oppressed. The expression "you can't put it in words" and "you can't keep quiet" perfectly describes the ideals of punk. The punk genre and era were born in 1977 in the United States and Great Britain. Punk was born in a time of a failing economy, mass unemployment, dysfunctional government, racial strife, and a time when new possibilities seem unavailable. This new type of music seemed to come from an angry subculture. The philosophy of this music comes from anger, disillusionment, deviance, violence and desperation. The idea of no future has become a concept present in many songs. This scene began "as a reaction against disco, pop and progressive rock" (Morrison 2006). The genre thrived and declared its difference from other types of music. In order to express themselves freely, "punk musicians and singers rejected musical ostentation and artifice" (Morrison 2006). They abandoned embellishments, keyboards and production. “…all that remained were sharp guitars, pumping bass, pounding drums and growling voices singing frankly realistic lyrics” (Morrison 2006,). The music itself seemed to offend rather than please. There are many artists and bands that birthed the punk scene in the late 70s and into the 80s. These bands include The Sex Pistols, The Ramones, Patti Smith, Velvet Underground, NOFX, Dead Kennedy's, Iggy Pop and MC5 (or Motor...... middle of paper...... Bathroom. Cambridge: Harvard University Press , 1993. (accessed 10 February 2014). Brenden. The History of Punk Rock, 2006. (accessed 10 February 2014). Shively, Denise. “History of the Vans Warped Tour.” (accessed February 10, 2014. Simon, Leslie. Wish You Were Here !, © 2006 by Hopeless Records, MP3 download.Panic! At the Disco, the only difference between martyrdom and suicide is press coverage, © 2005 by Fueled By Ramen, music video on the Internet.Blink-182, All The Small Things , © 1999 by Jerry Finn, Internet music video.
tags