Music (Global Pop)
The 1920s, 1930s, and 1960s are seen as some of the most controversial decades in the history of America and Brazil. As such, there are varying opinions about the achievements and failures that faced the two countries in this period. However, with all the existing perspectives, majority of the people agree that popular music was a powerful social, cultural, and economic tool in this period (Godi, n.d., p. 211). In addition, global pop music plays a crucial role in determining how people remember this decade. This helps children and the people, who were not yet born at this time, to have a clear understanding of the events that occurred in the past However, it is important to note that the relationship between global pop and the theme of history and memory cannot be generalized but instead has to be applied through the use of specific pop songs from different parts of the world. This paper relates pop music to the theme of history and memory through the use of songs by pop artists from Brazil and the United States. Indeed, popular music can be used to commemorate the past achievements and failures that can be used in enhancing community and personal memories.
The theme of history and memory is concerned in informing the target audience on the various issues that occurred in the past. This may include the historical culture of a country and the ethnic affiliations of the traditional inhabitants. In addition, history is designed to give facts about past occurrences that determined the current state of a country. For instance, history can be utilized to reveal about the slavery in Brazil and America and the impact it had on Brazilians and Americans (Godi, n.d., p. 214). In essence, the theme of history and memory focuses on both the successes and failures that a country or a community experienced in the past.
Since the 1920s, popular was used in the representation of regional and national identities in countries such as Brazil where samba was played as a form of popular music. In reality, popular music was used in many countries to express historical views such as slavery, colonialism, and racial oppression. In Brazil, there was a festival of popular music that used to happen during Carnaval which was held in Old Recife. In essence, all sorts of visitors including young people, older people, and families with children used to attend the Carnaval in Old Recife. Although Rio de Janeiro is the center of Carnaval universe, Carnaval is generally celebrated in various parts of Brazil. For instance, Salvador in Bahia state has its own version of Carnaval where high-energy pop music known as axe is played and sung by artists on top of huge sound tracks (Samba, n.d., p. 22). Samba music was recognized as the popular music of Brazil that was considered to be a symbol of Brazil as a whole.
In the 1920s and 1930s, countries were using their own people and culture as the main source of identity instead of relating to the culture of other nations such as Europe. In Cuba, for instance, Fernando Ortiz was used in creating awareness on the cultural value of Afro-Cuban musical traditions. One of the best known sambas that related to the theme of history and memory is Ari Barroso’s “Aquarela do Brasil” that was sung in 1939 (“Samba,” n.d., p. 16). This song is effective in personifying Brazil as a “devious mulatto” and explains the image of Northeast during the period when slavery was practiced.
Carnaval was celebrated in Brazil even before the first samba school, Deixa Falar, was established in 1928. In relation to the popular music, musicians and music from Salvador and Bahia play a critical role in telling the history of samba and of Brazilian music in general. Bahian composer, Dorival Caymmi and his children are considered to be some of the prominent figures in Brazilian popular music (“Samba,” n.d., p. 23). In most of their music, they told the history of the liberation of Brazil from the colonialists and how the leaders in Brazil managed to deal with the oppression often associated with the exploitation from the colonialists.
Popular music is used to tell the history of the African American Civil Rights Movement and the struggle for other aspects of human rights in the United States. For instance, John Coltrane’s “Alabama” (1963) narrates about the four black girls that were killed during the bombing of the Birmingham 16th Avenue Baptist Church in 1963. This brings about the memory of the struggles and discrimination that African Americans had to endure in the past. Moreover, “Good Vibrations” by Beach Boys tells much about the development in technology that was being experienced in 1966. This popular song is also used to remind its audience about the negative influences of drugs that were there in 1960s (Strong, 2011, p. 89). Another popular song that showcased the use of drugs by most American artists is the “White Rabbit” by Jefferson Airplane (1967). This song reminds its audience why the use of marijuana and other drugs was a major factor that characterized the youth culture in 1960s. This was particularly the case for the most youths who were in campuses and other institutions of learning. Pop music is also used to reveal the negative consequences of drug abuse as illustrated by Velvet Underground’s “Waiting for My Man”.
Global popular music can also be used to tell the history about the high poverty level that was experienced in America in the 1960s. The songs indicate that most of the Americans earned little income while most of them were also unemployed. In particular, ethnic minorities in America’s rural areas were subjected to high rates of poverty. Living in the suburbs was considered to be a sign of poverty and mostly affected the African Americans and other minority groups. Moreover, pop songs highlighting the living conditions in the ghettos remind their audience of the social inequality that dominated America in the 1960s (Strong, 2011, p. 85). However, most of the Americans remained hopeful that the economic situations would become better with time as affirmed by “I’m a believer” by Monkees. Furthermore, the Monkees “back-to-the-land” informs the audience on how Americans were willing to take a different approach in life by embracing technology in the 1960s.
Popular music is also used to highlight the history of some of the cultural festivals that happened in the past. For instance, Mitchell’s song, “Woodstock” reminds us about the Woodstock festival of art and music held in New York in 1969. In the same song, the artist reminds people how the Vietnam and Cold Wars affected Americans in the 1960s. Similarly, Bob Dylan’s “Talkin” is a popular music that boldly highlights the communist efforts to negatively influence the morality of the American youth (Strong, 2011, p. 134). For this reason, Dylan managed to be one of the most famous pop musicians who did not fear to mention the issues that were affecting the American Society.
Global popular music was common in the United States and Brazil from the early 1920s and is used to describe the diverse events that happened in the past. In Brazil, samba is a form of popular music that is used to express historical views on colonialism, slavery, and racial oppression. Many people show up to the Carnaval music festival that is held annually in Brazil to listen to various pop music from different artists. Popular music in Brazil dates back to 1920s and is mainly used to tell about the suffering that Brazilians confronted in the hands of colonialists and how they dealt with it. Some of the popular music artists in Brazil include Dorival Caymmi and Ari Barroso. In America, popular music is used in telling the history of the Civil Rights Movement and how other human rights were violated in the past. Although there were many popular music artists in America, some of the notable ones include John Coltrane, Beach Boys, Jefferson Airplane, Monkees, and Bob Dylan. The issues that are highlighted through their popular music in America include slavery, oppression of the African Americans, poverty, culture, historical wars, and racial discrimination. Therefore, popular music remains an essential tool for revealing history and memories not just in Brazil and America, but also in other countries in the world.
References
Godi, A. (n.d.). Reggae and Samba-Reggae in Bahia. New York: Routledge.
Samba. (n.d.). Samba, Brazil’s National Music. Boston: Routledge.
Strong, C. (2011). Grunge: Music and Memory. Michigan: Ashgate Publishing.
Use the order calculator below and get started! Contact our live support team for any assistance or inquiry.
[order_calculator]