1980's in the World and Music

To start the music scene in the 1980’s there was another very influential death- John Lennon, who was assassinated in New York City. One of the most important things in the 1980’s music scene was the fact that synthesizers and drum machines were now included widely in music. This was mainly in the pop music, but could also be found in other genres. Many genres have their root in the 80’s, such as Indie, Emo and Hip Hop/Rap. Something of note in the music scene is that rock, which had been the dominant genre for the past 30 years, was now starting to lose its power to pop music.

Rock in the 1980’s was mostly focused around its subgenres, such as arena rock and glam rock which found huge popularity throughout the 80’s in bands such as Styx and Aerosmith. Soft rock in bands such as the Eagles was very popular as well. Genesis also took this style and made it their own, releasing albums like ‘Invisible Touch’. Alternative rock also became popular with bands like R.E.M..

In pop, which had now become very popular, Michael Jackson ruled, with albums such as Thriller, which is the best selling album of all time.

Viewers also had a new way to view their music- music videos. This helped listeners interact with the band in a new way. No longer did they have to travel to see the band live when they could now see them on television. This also caused a few problems; people now cared about how the band looked. Sometimes this caused bands to become famous without having any real talent. This also led the way to racism. People who owned MTV at the start believed white kids, or people with money, did not want to see black culture. By the end of the decade, however, African-American videos were played frequently and were very popular. The first African-American video played on MTV was ‘Billie Jean’ by Michael Jackson. Another thing of note was the anti- disco movement that started in the early 80’s.

In the world during this time, religion, patriotism and materialism began to comeback, the complete opposite of the hippie era. There was also a large anti-drug movement in the United States, this was a result of the large drug use in the 70’s. Although there were stricter sentences imposed, drug use still continued. However, one drug that did decline in use was tobacco, due to rising health concerns.

Video games also became popular during this era. The technology had now arrived, and arcades were now being set up around the world. Bands could now also reach an audience through this, by promoting certain games.

Environmentalism also increased in this era as people started to see the effects. Recycling and conservation programs were created to reduce the stress on the environment. Nuclear power plants were beginning to be opposed due to the Chernobyl meltdown in Russia.
Popular trends in the 1980’s were things like arcades, laser tag, swatches and pogo sticks.
What makes this era so interesting is how the music industry changed. People were forced to buy CDs as other players were becoming obsolete. This caused the industry to gain large amounts of money which they used to promote music. This is the first era where bands became mechanically produced, to fit the criteria of the people. The music was not the focal point anymore, the looks and the ability to be marketed were.