Jayden Little
Ms.Cramer
College Comp 1 Honors
9 May 25, 2022
Argumentative essay
The 1970s was a groundbreaking genre. The 1970’s and the leaps and bounds that
technology was doing at the time changed how we make music forever. They emergence of
social walls being broken down during the seventies show how we are more accepting as a
society today. Also, the genres and styles of the 70’s such as disco, punk, orchestral/grandiose
rock, and Hip Hop to name a few grew to prominence in the 70’s. All of these elements lead to
the great and influential time of music that was the 1970’s. The 1970s are the most important and
influential decade of music because of its technical influence, social influence and merging and
creation of several pivotal genres we see today.
In the 1970’s a lot of technology was invented and utilized like we have never seen
before. Synthesizers were a large part of music in the 70’s because of the futuristic sound they
mad with matched the rising Hip-Hop and Disco genres. In modern music you cant go without
hearing some form of a synths in popular music. Along with synthesizers, the electric piano
became very popular as it created a more convenient way to have the sound of a piano in a song
without the hassle of using a full-size piano. In 1977 the sampling synth was invented which
allowed prerecorded sounds to be used in a new song. The sampling synth would be one of the
most influential tools to hip hop. The sampling synth allowed for chipmunk soul and Trap to
pave their way as some of the most popular Hip hop genres, these genres were pioneered by
Kanye West and Three Six Mafia and the Wu-Tang Clan.
Music in the 1970’s had a delt with a lot of pollical and social commentary. With the rise
of counterculture and a united states that always seemed to be engulfed in some form of war. The
genre of punk music which stood against conservative values, western capitalism, and “The
Man”. People were outraged at this because, they thought this music was going to make their
children devil worshippers. They thought this because this Punk music’s very brash and vocal
openness against mainstream culture. Also a explosion of African American music acts and
artists exploded into the scene. They were seen in the burgeoning genres such as Hip-Hop, RnB,
Jazz, and Funk. This helped a lot with representation for Minority groups in music as it was a
mostly white dominated space for most of America’s history. These social stepping stones
allowed subject matter such as civil rights and social disparities to be put in the forefront of a lot
of popular music today. During the 1970s genders roles were being challenged by many of
music’s greatest super stars at the time such as Kiss, David Bowie, Elton John, and Queens’
Freddie Mercury. They incorporated make-up, tight fitting clothes, and showing more skin which
at the time were all seen as more feminine traits. Glam rock in the 1970’s was seen as a genre for
“weak” and not “manly” men, but now we see these stars as pioneers for men being more
androgynous and feminine with their style choices. Which helped many people feel more
comfortable because they saw very famous people do it first and be applauded for it in the end.
Many new exciting genres came to the forefront in the 1970s. Punk, Hip-Hop, and Metal
music just to name a few. These genres can to fruition in the 1970s and still have their influence
felt to this day. Metal music is arguably the most popular subgenre of all of music because of its
grasp stylistically on mainstream rock and roll for such a long time. Punk Music was also a genre
come to prominence in the New York, Moscow, and London music scenes. It had a new fresh
take on politically charged music. This fresh new take had a edge and angst never seen before in
music. Hip Hop which also found its popularity at this time is one of the most popular music
genres of all time. Along with being one of the most popular it can be argued that it is the most
important socially. These genres have normalized a lot of subject matter and people that did not
have platform at the time.
In closing, the musical influence from the 1970’s is felt in all spaces in music. This can
be seen with the normalization of social commentary in music. The new genres of the 70’s which
became the mainstream of modern music that we see today. The 1970’s changed how we treat
music, instead of looking at it like media we now look at it as art. The 1970s are the most
important and influential decade of music because of its technical influence, social influence and
merging and creation of several pivotal genres we see today.
Works Citied
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