Harry Truman, Doris Day, Red China, Johnny Ray, South Pacific, Walter Winchell, Joe DiMaggio Joe McCarthy, Richard Nixon, Studebaker, Television North Korea, South Korea, Marilyn Monroe Rosenbergs, H-bomb, Sugar Ray, Panmunjom Brando, The King and I, And The Catcher In The Rye Eisenhower, Vaccine England's got a new queen Marciano, Liberace, Santayana goodbye We didn't start the fire It was always burning since the world's been turning We didn't start the fire No, we didn't light it But we tried to fight it Joseph Stalin, Malenkov, Nasser and Prokofiev Rockefeller, Campanella, Communist Bloc Roy Cohn, Juan Peron, Toscanini, Dacron Dien Bien Phu Falls, Rock Around the Clock Einstein, James Dean, Brooklyn's got a winning team Davy Crockett, Peter Pan, Elvis Presley, Disneyland Bardot, Budapest, Alabama, Khrushchev Princess Grace, Peyton Place, Trouble in the Suez Chous Little Rock, Pasternak, Mickey Mantle, Kerouac Sputnik, Chou En-Lai, Bridge On The River Kwai Lebanon, Charles de Gaulle, California baseball Starkweather homicides, Children of Thalidomide Buddy Holly, Ben Hur, Space Monkey, Mafia Hula Hoops, Castro, Edsel is a no-go U2, Syngman Rhee, payola and Kennedy Chubby Checker, Psycho, Belgians in the Congo Chorus Hemingway, Eichman, Stranger in a Strange Land Dylan, Berlin, Bay of Pigs invasion Lawrence of Arabia, British Beatlemania Ole Miss, John Glenn, Liston beats Patterson Pope Paul, Malcolm X, British Politician sex J.F.K. blown away, What else do I have to say? Chorus Birth control, Ho Chi Minh, Richard Nixon back again Moonshot, Woodstock, Watergate, punk rock Begin, Reagan, Palestine, Terror on the airline Ayatollah's in Iran, Russians in Afghanistan Wheel of Fortune, Sally Ride, heavy metal, suicide Foreign debts, Homeless Vets, AIDS, Crack, Bernie Goetz Hypodermics on the shores, China's under martial law Rock and roller, cola wars, I can't take it anymore O We Didn’t Start The Fire - Billy Joel Of all the forms of media to sprout up in our world of wireless communication, virtual reality and e-escapism, only music has managed to remain a constant source of anchorage. Whether it is the dissonant shriek of a power guitar or a rhythmic pounding of a bass drum, music has been a universal language that bridges generations and links history together into one seamless story of power-hungry megalomaniacs, oppressive regimes and social liberation. Punk rock, metal, folk, new wave, progressive, rock & roll- all become billboards to which a larger message is broadcast- a message that recounts and reveals the evils of tyranny or the flutter of excitement that prickles under the skin when change is evident and impending. Becoming immersed in history is as simple as turning on a Dylan song; letting Joe Strummer’s voice wail about injustice and inequality is just as powerful as watching The Wall tumbled down and nirvana can be achieved with Lennon’s plea of peace whistling through your ears. Indeed, so very few mediums have managed to harness the overwhelming power that music has and continues to possess in making the world aware of the events that surround them. Billy Joel’s We Didn’t Start the Fire is a song that consists of no lyrics, but the names of people, creations and pivotal events that begin in 1949 and end in 1989. Aside from being one of the greatest summaries of American history available, the song manages to delve deep into everything that made and makes America great and infamous; revered and drenched in so much social, political and economic history that it becomes a true superpower. We Didn’t Start the Fire is a concise summary of the 20th century, which makes it an ideal introduction for a world in which a fire still burns, brighter and stronger than ever before. What you want, baby, I got What you need, do you know I got it? All I'm askin', is for a little respect when you come home (just a little bit) Hey baby (just a little bit) when you get home (just a little bit) mister (just a little bit) I ain't gonna do you wrong while you're gone Ain't gonna do you wrong 'cause I don't wanna All I'm askin', is for a little respect when you come home (just a little bit) Baby (just a little bit) when you get home (just a little bit) Yeah (just a little bit) I'm about to give you all of my money And all I'm askin' in return, honey Is to give me my profits When you get home (just a, just a, just a, just a) Yeah baby (just a, just a, just a, just a) When you get home (just a little bit) Yeah (just a little bit) Ooo, your kisses, sweeter than honey And guess what?, so is my money All I want you to do for me Is give it to me when you get home (re, re, re ,re) Yeah baby (re, re, re ,re) Whip it to me (respect, just a little bit) When you get home, now (just a little bit) R-E-S-P-E-C-T Find out what it means to me R-E-S-P-E-C-T Take care, TCB Oh (sock it to me, sock it to me, sock it to me, sock it to me) A little respect (sock it to me, sock it to me, sock it to me, sock it to me) Whoa, babe (just a little bit) A little respect (just a little bit) I get tired (just a little bit) Keep on tryin' (just a little bit) You're runnin' out of foolin' (just a little bit) And I ain't lyin' (just a little bit) When you come home (re, re, re ,re) Or you might walk in (respect, just a little bit) And find out I'm gone (just a little bit) I got to have (just a little bit) A little respect (just a little bit) O 1960s CIVIL RIGHTS: Respect – Aretha Franklin The fight for equal rights amongst blacks and whites is an age-old battle that has been raging since President Lincoln outlawed slavery and amended the constitution of America in 1865 (Spielvogel 478). Yet over a hundred years later, the fight still had no concrete resolution. In 1954 Oliver Brown could no longer take the blatant segregation and nationwide accepted racism and launched a class action suit against the Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas (Brown v. Board of Education). The landmark case, which argued for the abolition of school segregation, was brought to the United States Supreme Court and was ruled in favor of Brown (Brown v. Board of Education). Now, with schools being forced to incorporate both black and white children into its classrooms, change tainted the air like blood in shark-infested waters. Within the next ten years, dozens of protests, marches, riots and court cases will be passed before the government, all in an attempt to make civil rights, human rights, legal and binding (Civil Rights Act of 1964). In 1964 President Johnson ended a century of oppression by ratifying the Civil Rights Act which made it illegal to discriminate based on color, religion, ethnicity or sex (Civil Rights Act of 1964). Jim Crow laws in the South are abandoned and a year later, Equal Opportunity Voting is passed, officially stating blacks could vote (Civil Rights Act of 1964). Yet the path to civil rights is one laid with bloodshed and tears. Protests in Selma, Montgomery, and Mississippi were met with not only the interference of state police, but that of the government as well (Hall 108). Iconic figures that will forever immortalize the persecution and eventual victory of equal rights such as Martin Luthor King Jr and Malcolm X will be assassinated, yet their messages will forever echo loud and clear through the minds of every American (Hall 108-109). Martin Luthor King Jr Had a dream, Malcolm X had a mission and singers such as Aretha Franklin had a request: respect. It's the time of the season When the love runs high In this time, give it to me easy And let me try With pleasured hands To take you and the sun to Promised lands To show you every one It's the time of the season for loving What's your name? (What's your name?) Who's your daddy? (Who's your daddy? He rich?) Is he rich like me? Has he taken (Has he taken) Any time (Any time to show) To show you what you need to live? Tell it to me slowly Tell you what? I really want to know It's the time of the season for loving What's your name? (What's your name?) Who's your daddy? (Who's your daddy? He rich?) Is he rich like me? Has he taken (Has he taken) Any time (Any time to show) To show you what you need to live? Tell it to me slowly Tell you what? I really want to know It's the time of the season for loving 1960s COUNTERCULTURE: Time of the Season – The Zombies There are very few who can deny the 1960s were a time of change. On the heels of Foucault’s sexual liberation, the drug revolution and the failing faith in government, the youth of 1960s America were angry (Farber 289). Music had never been more integral to life than during the counterculture movement that burned like wildfire through America (Farber 290). Musicians became the voice of the nation, declaring messages of free love, peace, and pleasure (Farber 329). Suddenly, bands like Jefferson’s Airplane, the Jimi Hendrix Experience and the Grateful Dead began singing about the oppressive shackles of conformity and people began questioning the social norms that had become ingrained in their way of thinking (Farber 326). Soon, the youth rose up and began to protest against the materialistic and close-minded conservative political parties of the 1950s that had not evolved enough for their tastes (Farber 263). School programs were placed under reform as students at campus, such as Berkley, protested, anti-war protests began to emerge as the war in Vietnam waged on and soon the counterculture movement began to symbolize revolt, rebellion and revolution (Farber 318). Yet, in 1969 music, politics and the media all melded in the image that will forever be associated with the 1960s (Farber 329). On a rainy August day, half a million people gathered for a concert that boasted ‘3 days of Peace and music’ (Farber 330). Drugs roamed free, the music was loud and raw and the people who attended underwent a personal insurgency (Farber 330). As The Zombies sung, it was definitely the time of the season where love ran high; it was the time of the season for loving. Born down in a dead man's town The first kick I took was when I hit the ground You end up like a dog that's been beat too much 'Til you spend half your life just covering up chorus Born in the U.S.A. Born in the U.S.A. Born in the U.S.A. Born in the U.S.A. I got in a little hometown jam And so they put a rifle in my hands Sent me off to Vietnam To go and kill the yellow man chorus Come back home to the refinery Hiring man says "Son if it was up to me" I go down to see the V.A. man He said "Son don't you understand" chorus I had a buddy at Khe Sahn Fighting off the Viet Cong They're still there, he's all gone He had a little girl in Saigon I got a picture of him in her arms Down in the shadow of the penitentiary Out by the gas fires of the refinery I'm ten years down the road Nowhere to run, ain't got nowhere to go I'm a long gone Daddy in the U.S.A. Born in the U.S.A. I'm a cool rocking Daddy in the U.S.A. Born in the U.S.A. O 1970s VIETNAM: Born in the USA – Bruce Springsteen To date, Vietnam is still considered the greatest blunder in the glorious history of the United States of America. The Vietnam War, which took place from 1954-1975, was a long, impossibly drawn out war. From the very beginning, U.S soldiers were barely welcome in an area they deemed necessary to protect from the evils of Communism. Calamity ensued as American soldiers battled not only the Vietnamese guerrillas, but also the harsh and unfamiliar jungle that was Vietnam. Chaos followed as more and more U.S soldiers were shipped home in body bags, causing President Lyndon B. Johnson to institute a draft on young American boys. This created uproar on U.S soil and events only became worse. Historians can agree that the miscalculation of Northern Vietnamese military and tactical power (i.e. soldiers and land) was one of the principal reasons the United States lost the war in Vietnam. Previously, when presidents Truman and Kennedy were in office, there were an estimated 900 ‘military advisors’ in Vietnam (Lieber 184). When the United States took an active role in Vietnam from 1960 to 1968, the number rose from roughly 15,000 soldiers to a whopping 8,744,000 soldiers in active battle (Lieber 184). By these numbers alone, it was evident that the Viet Cong faction was incredibly outnumbered and outgunned by American forces (Sauvain 168). Even though Americans had the number advantage, they had not counted on the rough jungle terrain, humid weather and marshy lands, which put them at a huge disadvantage, for U.S soldiers were misinformed and unequipped to fight in such conditions (Sauvain 168). The Viet Cong had a deadly advantage of knowing their terrain and utilized it mercilessly as they fought as guerrillas, choosing to engage in small battles against isolated groups, rather that fight a full scale war they were positive they would lose (Sauvain 168). The Viet Cong slowly picked away at American soldiers, reducing their numbers exponentially (Lieber 185). Northern Vietnamese superiority was continually reaffirmed as the Viet Cong delivered blow after devastating blow to American soldiers. No matter how much land U.S troops would bomb or how many Viet Cong soldiers they would kill, American soldiers never seemed to gain the advantage over their Asian foes (Beresford 148). The fights and killings of Americans escalated to such a level, that President Lyndon B. Johnson had to institute a conscript in order to meet the quota of soldiers necessary to win Vietnam (Lieber 187). The Tet Offensive, which happened on January 31, 1968, (the Vietnamese New Year or, Tet) seemed to be the straw that broke the camel’s back (Lieber 187). The Viet Cong launched an all-out attack on an American base and hundreds of dead soldiers were being sent back to the United States each month (Sauvain 169). It was only after this bloodbath, that Americans realized the war was truly pointless and impossible to win (Sauvain 169). The Viet Cong had greatly over preformed and out powered the Americans, thus leading to the America’s inevitable loss in the Vietnam War. Children were being whisked off to fight a war they were not prepared for; people would not sit down and take it anymore. As Barry McGuire’s brilliant anti-Vietnam song, Eve of Destruction states, “You’re old enough to kill, but not for votin’”: a tragic, yet incredibly realistic summary of American in the 1970s. Tin soldiers and Nixon coming, We're finally on our own. This summer I hear the drumming, Four dead in Ohio. Gotta get down to it Soldiers are cutting us down Should have been done long ago. What if you knew her And found her dead on the ground How can you run when you know? Gotta get down to it Soldiers are cutting us down Should have been done long ago. What if you knew her And found her dead on the ground How can you run when you know? Tin soldiers and Nixon coming, We're finally on our own. This summer I hear the drumming, Four dead in Ohio. 1970s ANTI-WAR AMERICA: Ohio – Niel Young With Vietnam at its pinnacle of media coverage, anti-war protest became more and more abundant. When faced with the starling reality that American soldiers were perishing in groves, President Johnson had no other choice but to pass a conscription bill in order to meet the quota of soldiers needed to continue fighting (Lieber 187). Although public opinion of the war started off strong, (having triple the amount of supporters as opposing), by the time 1971 came, the numbers had shifted to double the amount opposing the war (Lieber 188). This incited major riots as Americans, mostly students, from all across the country began protesting American involvement in Vietnam (Kolko 130). Young men who refused to join the war would either burn or tear their draft papers, not wanting to be a part of the futile war (Kolko 130). Protestors mocked Johnson with slogans like, “Hey! Hey! LBJ! How many kids did you kill today? We don’t want your war. Draft beer, not boys. Eighteen today, dead tomorrow.” (Sauvain 169). To make matters worse, the Vietnam War was the first war to be televised to American households (Spielvogel 622). People, for the first time in history, were witnessing the horrors of war and the public saw, that no matter how many men were shipped over to Vietnam, America could not win (Spielvogel 622). The combination of the draft and television led protests to become angry and increasingly violent; so much so, that police were continually called to halt demonstrations (Sauvain 170). All the protesting, picketing and riots culminated to a tragedy, which in essence, was the wakeup call America desperately needed. On Monday, May 4, 1970, students at Kent State University were protesting the war when Ohio National Guardsmen opened fired (Lewis and Hensley). For thirteen seconds, twenty-eight Guardsmen released a barrage of bullets, instantly leaving four students’ dead, one permanently paralyzed and eight wounded (Lewis and Hensley). After this catastrophe, it became painstakingly obvious that something had to be done. It was almost as if Nixon was fighting a war on two different fronts, having to not only deal with the situations in Vietnam, but as well, what was happening in his country (Lieber 189). It was through this split that Nixon realized Vietnam was lost, thus pooling all his efforts into removing remaining soldiers from the country America had previously spent ten years occupying. Niel Young sings about those four students who believed so strongly in peace they were willing to lay their lives down. The haunting refrain of ‘four dead in Ohio’ will forever be a reminder that peace is something not to be taken for granted, for it can all end with one precisely aimed bullet. Remember when the days were long And rolled beneath a deep blue sky Didn’t have a care in the world With mommy and daddy standing by When happily ever after fails And we’ve been poisoned by these fairy tales The lawyers dwell on small details Since daddy had to fly But I know a place where we can go That’s still untouched by man We’ll sit and watch the clouds roll by And the tall grass wave in the wind You can lay your head back on the ground And let your hair fall all around me Offer up your best defense But this is the end, this is the end of the innocence O’ beautiful, for spacious skies But now those skies are threatening They’re beating plowshares into swords For this tired old man that we elected king Armchair warriors often fail And we’ve been poisoned by these fairy tales The lawyers clean up all details Since daddy had to lie But I know a place where we can go And was away this sin We’ll sit and watch the clouds roll by And the tall grass wave in the wind Just lay your head back on the ground And let your hair spill all around me Offer up your best defense But this is the end This is the end of the innocence Who knows how long this will last Now we’ve come so far, so fast But, somewhere back there in the dust That same small town in each of us I need to remember this So baby give me just one kiss And let me take a long last look Before we say good bye Just lay your head back on the ground And let your hair fall all around me Offer up your best defense But this is the end, this is the end of the innocence 1980s IRAN-CONTRA: End of the Innocence – Don Henley With Vietnam now a rather uneasy memory in the back of America’s head, President Ronald Reagan tried to turn the eyes of Americans toward the future instead of lingering in the past. Tax cuts, increased government spending and promises of national security (due to an increase in arms manufacturing) had all Americans marveling at the power of the slightly bumbling President (Cholmsky 193). Yet, even though the future of America looked as bright as Reagan’s star at Mann’s Chinese Restaurant, there was turmoil brewing overseas in the Middle East. A battle waged on between the leader of Iran, Ayatollah Komheni and his abhorrence of America (Cholmsky 203). Dubbing the US, ‘The Great Evil’ the Ayatollah and America never saw eye to eye (Heater 171). All of that changed when the Hezbollah, a militant branch of the Shi’a, kidnapped American citizens and kept them hostage in Lebanon (Heater 171). To the south of America, trouble reared its ugly head and when the Sandonistas and Contras locked in battle in Latin America (Cholmsky 199). The US had been providing the Contras with weapons and financial aid since the early 80s so they could fight the domineering Sandonista regime (Cholmsy 199). Though, after the disastrous subterfuge that occurred in Nicaragua it became illegal for countries to fund de facto military organizations (Cholmsky 198). With the institution of the Boland Amendment of 1982, it became illegal for the United States to continue funding the Contras in their plight (Cholmsky 198). This becomes pivotal in the Iran-Contra scandal of 1986, seeing as how without the knowledge of President Reagan, Colonel Oliver North, aide to National Security Advisor John Poindexter, arranged for the selling of outdated American weapons to Iran in exchange for the hostages in Lebanon (Cholmsky 209). The money that was then attained from the transaction between Iran and the US went straight into the funding of weapons for the Contras (Cholmsky 209). Once light of this scandal hit the airwaves, Americans everywhere were outraged and disappointed (Heater 105). Although the American populous was not foreign to the concept of their government lying to them (having undergone the ordeals of Watergate with Nixon), what made this particular scandal so monumental was the fact everyone was forced to bear witness as Reagan, the leader of their land, admitted to being left in the dark, a puppet with tattered strings (Heater 105-106). It truly was the end of innocence, for people became disillusioned and hurt as their Teflon leader apologized to the world, revealing just how badly America had flubbed. Come gather 'round people, wherever you roam And admit that the waters, around you have grown And accept it that soon, you'll be drenched to the bone. If your time to you, is worth savin' Then you better start swimmin', or you'll sink like a stone For the times they are a-changin'. Come writers and critics, who prophesize with your pen And keep your eyes wide, the chance won't come again And don't speak too soon, for the wheel's still in spin And there's no tellin' who, that it's namin'. For the loser now, will be later to win For the times they are a-changin'. Come senators, congressmen, please heed the call Don't stand in the doorway, don't block up the hall For he that gets hurt, will be he who has stalled There's a battle outside, and it is ragin'. It'll soon shake your windows, and rattle your walls For the times they are a-changin'. Come mothers and fathers, throughout the land And don't criticize, what you can't understand Your sons and your daughters, are beyond your command Your old road is, rapidly agin'. Please get out of the new one, if you can't lend your hand For the times they are a-changin'. The line it is drawn The curse it is cast The slow one now Will later be fast As the present now Will later be past The order is Rapidly fadin'. And the first one now Will later be last For the times they are a-changin'. - 2 O The Times They Are A Changin’ – Bob Dylan In conclusion, the events of modern history are as clearly outlined in musical lyrics, as they are history books. Scandals, liberations, protests, victories and defeats are embroidered in the tapestry of songs and live in the throbbing harmonies of chorus’ and refrains. As Bob Dylan one eloquently phrased, ‘the times are a changin’’. The songs themselves might fade into classics, yet the messages that were relayed still remain prevalent in today’s society. As long as there remains a spark of hope, a protest flag or an aspiration for a better future, there will always be a song to accompany the sounds of people marching to the beat of their own drums. Works Cited Brown v Board of Education. March 15, 2006. Online Available: , 2005. Chomsky, Noam. The Culture of Terrorism. Montreal : Black Rose Books, 1988. Civil Rights Act of 1964. March 17, 2006. Online Available: August 13, 1996. Farber, David. The Sixties Chronicle. Lincolnwood, Illinois : Legacy Publishing, 2004. Hall, Simon. Peace and Freedom: The Civil Rights and Antiwar Movements of the 1960s. Philadelphia : University of Pennsylvania Press, 2005. Heater, Derek. Our World this Century. Walton, Oxford : Oxford University Press, 1992. Kolko, Gabriel. Vietnam: Anatomy of a Peace. London; New York : Routledge, 1997. Lewis, Jerry and Thomas Hensley. The May 4 Shootings At Kent State University: The Search for Historical Accuracy. March 17, 2006. Online Available: Summer, 1998. Lieber, Robert. No Common Power: Understanding International Relations. Glenview, Illinois: Scott, Foresman/Little, Brown College Division, 1988. Sauvain, Philip. Key These of the Twentieth Century. Wellington, England : Stanley Thornes Publishers Ltd, 1996. Spielvogel, Jackson. Western civilization: A Brief History. Belmont, California : Thomson/Wadsworth Learning, 2002.