The Effect of Drugs on the Rock and Roll Culture
Music and drugs have gone together hand-in-hand ever since the explosion of rock and roll on the American culture in the 1950’s. Since then, many gifted performers have succumbed to drug-induced deaths, which is why I feel that drugs negatively effected rock music. Many great pieces of art have been rumored to be created while under the influence of several drugs, or to be inspired by these drugs. Many artists over the years have used drugs as an excuse to escape their fame, and many have used different types of drugs for inspiration for writing pieces of music, or as for an “extra boost” for a live show. While drugs may have helped great works of art to be enjoyed by many, drugs are ultimately responsible for many untimely deaths of many great artists, who died before we could truly see their potential.
The 1960s were an era unlike any other in American history both culturally and politically. Many new changes were being made at this time in our government, and with several tragic events occurring in what seemed to be a series of events (the assassination of JFK, the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., and Vietnam), the styles of music during this time often reflected the emotions of people. The lyrics of the music of the time were changing from simple love songs, to harsh songs about topics such as rebellion, protest, sex, and more increasingly, drugs. As psychedelic drugs became more and more popular in America, bands such as the Jefferson Airplane and The Grateful Dead saw an immense increase in their number of fans, due to large amounts of people who had an affinity for this new, jam rock style of music which was very popular with the psychedelic drug scene (“American Culture: 1960-1969”). Many artists at the time were coming out with albums dedicated to drugs, or albums whose content was about drugs. One such album was The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, which, in addition to including drug-oriented songs, presented a body of
The 1960s were an era unlike any other in American history both culturally and politically. Many new changes were being made at this time in our government, and with several tragic events occurring in what seemed to be a series of events (the assassination of JFK, the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., and Vietnam), the styles of music during this time often reflected the emotions of people. The lyrics of the music of the time were changing from simple love songs, to harsh songs about topics such as rebellion, protest, sex, and more increasingly, drugs. As psychedelic drugs became more and more popular in America, bands such as the Jefferson Airplane and The Grateful Dead saw an immense increase in their number of fans, due to large amounts of people who had an affinity for this new, jam rock style of music which was very popular with the psychedelic drug scene (“American Culture: 1960-1969”). Many artists at the time were coming out with albums dedicated to drugs, or albums whose content was about drugs. One such album was The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, which, in addition to including drug-oriented songs, presented a body of