Factors Influencing Music Culture

The music culture which has been a part of the popular entertainment culture realm for many years since the 1930s till the present day and also continuing on into the future has then been listened to on radios and many other devices by thousands of people around the world in many countries such as the United States of America and many more. Music has also included many different genres such as hard rock, country, rock & roll, jazz and reggae, then genres such as rap, rave, techno and electronica have then been added to the realm in recent years.

 Then, however, It was then back in the early years of music when there were many solo artists such as that of Bob Dylan, Jimmy Hendrix and Bob Marley to name a few, who have been known to have had many issues that have been dealing with  mental health problems that are connected with being addicted to drug such as cannabis and heroin. It was their drug habits that they had, that made these artists then become role models for the many young people that would have been listening to their music at the time.  Then, moreover, when it comes to the types of music genres which had a drug connection, there would have been some form of knowledge related to the drug use that was occurring in the early years, which would have included such drugs as that of the psychedelic drugs and the gateway drugs like that of heroin and cannabis and many others that come under that umbrella of drugs. It could then be said that many of the songs that had been written were based around some form of drug use, in which it can be seen for example, that there have been over one hundreds songs that have been written about drug use such as “Needle and the damage done “by Neil Young, which the song that was mentioned above had been written about how there was an opioid crisis that was occurring in America, which was then connected  to underworld in the early years of music.  So then, in this essay, it will discuss how the drugs have had an influence on the solo musicians like Bob Dylan, Jimmy Hendrix and also then the groups like The Beatles. Then it will briefly discuss an event that took place which had an influence on the music scene such as The Woodstock weekend Festival which it was well known that there was massive  amounts of drugs available that were being used. Then it will give some suggestions on how the use of drugs can be changed.

To Begin with, when it comes to popular culture, particularly the music that have been connected to the music culture. There have been many kinds of influences that have come about regarding the issue of drugs which has then become a problem for many artists.  So, an example of this can be seen through some of the artists like that of Jimmy Hendrix and Bob Dylan, who did not deny that they were using drugs when they both had been playing and writing their music in the early years in the realm of reggae music. then, however it also can be seen that the many forms of drugs have become a very large problem for many others who were part of the music industry as well. But then on the other hand, many of the artists who have used drugs in their careers have also had some form of mental health issue that had then been underlying with in their personal lives away from the music scene and has related to the use of drugs.

Then however,  it was during the early years, which a major event took place, which was influencing the style of music that was being played and listened to by many of the festival goers who were there attending, which was that of Woodstock and the genre of music which was being played was that of rock and roll and reggae. So then many of the festival goers would have been on drugs because they would have been listening to the rock and roll , reggae music that mentions the many forms of drugs, in which they would have been playing at the festival, which was where Bob Marley and Jimmy Hendrix had come from because they were playing their music at the festival .  There was also then two other major events which were also influencing the drugs that were being taken at the event that influenced the uses of drugs in the realm was that of the Vietnam war and the beginning of the hippy movement. It was then during this, that police in America were becoming more aware of the use of drugs such as LSD and many other drugs at the time. Then on the same track later, in the same period, saw many of the young people begin to experience with the use of drugs, in which it was becoming a phenomenon, especially in America and Britain, which was where most of the drug abuse was occurring daily. Then, however, according to history, in America, which saw the hippy movement then begin to evolve, saw many  teenagers and adults at the time begin to experience with  drugs at the time when Woodstock was happening, This was because there was a variety of different drugs available and which were then being experimented with, so the kind of drugs that were being used were psychedelics such as heroin and many others. It was a time of free love and antiwar protests which were occurring on some of the University campuses in many parts of America, which then was, seen as being a form of rebellion against the Vietnam war in which there were protest songs being played and small amounts of drugs were being used by the people who were involved in the protests that were protesting the Vietnam war that was occurring at the same time as the Woodstock festival.  The music realm was then beginning to change, this was because of a focus on the use of drugs, which saw social changes happening in America, but it was not until after the sub youth culture had passed was there a continued problem which was a form of rebellion against the government at the time. There was a lot of drugs available in the early years this because the drug that were used had been available because of the black markets that were been given a bad reputation by the governments around the world.

Then also in the same time period, in the music industry, there were bands in Britain, such as that of The Beatles, that were somehow associated with the use of drugs in their personal lives and through the lyrics of their songs which they had written. One of the most relevant songs that the Beatles had written was “Lucy in the Sky with diamonds”. The song “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” that was written had an underlying hidden reference, which had a connection with drugs that the Beatles were supposed to have been using when they had written the song. Then another music realm that was known for drug use was the jazz genre, in this genre, there were artists using drugs while they were writing their songs. A lot of the drugs that were being taken, were then taken to help with things like anxiety and other issues that had then been related to the use of drugs that the artist has been taking.

 Then, moreover, In Britain back in the early years of music, there have been groups such as the Beatles, that wrote many of their songs about drug use. This group of songwriters had somehow expressed their own lived experience about their own drug use when they were writing the lyrics of their songs.  Then, when it comes to the use of drugs, the song called “Tomorrow never Knows” was one of the earliest songs that The Beatles had written. It was one of the best-known songs in which the lyrics were then relating to the psychedelic drug connections that had been then connected to the orientirialism that was coming from India in the rock and roll music realm.  Then, on the other hand, there were also bands that also had been influencing the music realm by relating the use of drugs in their songs like The Beatles who had been then writing songs. about drug-taking for example of this is the songs yellow submarine, Lucy in the sky with diamonds, Sgt Pepper’s lonely hearts club  were songs that had lyrics which were written, had been about the use of hellinogenic drugs and partying, then there was also the song “I get by with a little help from my friends” which was about the use of cannabis in which one of the lyrics mentions getting high and there were also mentions in the lyrics of turning you on . There were also concerns by many of the listeners that another song that was written by The Beatles “Lucy in the sky with diamonds” was also then about the use of hellinogenic drugs like LSD, which would make the listeners think that they would be in a dream-like state when they were listening to the lyrics of the songs. But  then it was the writers of the song that is John Lennon that had strongly denied that it was about using drugs in that it was about his son at the time who then painted a picture that resembled

Then at the time, when all the members had been experimenting with psychedelic drugs.  A lot of the drugs that were being taken at the time had brought out some of the best hit songs that became huge hits in the entertainment world. Then on the other hand, without the use of recreational drug use by The Beatles, would have been completely different. Then, however, in recent times the use of drugs, particularly heroin, this was because there was a massive amount of experimentation with psychedelic drug use that had been occurring in Britain as well as that of America.

Was about Many solo artists had also influenced the music realm with drugs. An example of this was Bob Dylan, who was introducing the Beatles to the use of drugs, in which he had introduced them to the use of cannabis. The uses of drugs like gateways were then written about in their lyrics. Then, however, on the other hand, when it comes to the realm of the cinema, there were also small amounts of drug use that could be seen on the silver screens that were produced. In the films, there are small amounts of depictions that have been related to the use of tobacco and drugs. It can be argued that in the last ten years. Many of the movies that are being made have seen to be targeting the younger generations through the way they have set up the characters in the films to show them using a drug at some stage within the storyline.

Continuing however, when it comes to the present-day music genres of rap and raves, the main drug that seems to be mainly used is psychedelic and harder drugs. In today’s world there is new music that is associated to rave music which is associated with drugs like ecstasy, in which occurred in the late eights at the time it was the drug of choice when they were attending the raves. However, another realm of music that has been known for the use of drugs is that of the Jazz music realm.

Furthermore, in today’s changing world that is constantly changing daily, there have been many solo artists that have had an influence on the drug scene and have also then been connected to the use of drugs as well through their careers. Then according to Tolson and Cuyjet (2007), who then argued that substance abuse had a negative effect for their careers. Then, however, at the same time there were massive amounts of drugs that were being used.

Then however, in conclusion there needs to more knowledge given when it comes to the use of drugs that has been widely used by many of the people that are performing.

Reference List

• Tolson, Gerald H. (Jerry) & Michael J. Cuyjet (2007) ‘Jazz and substance abuse: Road to creative genius or pathway to premature death’, International Journal of Law and Psychiatry, Vol. 30, pp. 530- 53Bryant
• Smalley, K. & William D. McIntosh (2011) ‘The loss of fame: psychological implications’, The Journal of Popular Culture, Vol. 44, no. 2, pp. 385-397.8