As all of America transitions from the happy, prosperous times during the 20s the music followed the same suit. Songs like, "Happy Days Are Here Again" show the populations general happiness from the wealth and growth that happened during this time period. But these upbeat jovial songs, took a turn with the crash of the economy. Songs like to “Brother, Can You Spare Me a Dime?” sum up how the life in America changed so quickly from the immense amount of wealth that families found themselves with, to almost 50% of the black population being unemployed.
During this time Jazz has been having more and more prevalence through America. In the short time of 7 years Jazz has grown from selling 10 million records to having had sold 50 million records. This increase of consumption of the music can be tied back to the way that the American population needed to express their emotions. As technology has also come along during this time period, radios and jukeboxes were showing up in more places around the cities and people were listen to the music more than they have ever before. "According to many who lived through the Depression, you can't be sad and dance at the same time", is a quote from an article about jazz during the depression, and it summarizes the impact that music played during the time of the Great Depression.
Music is a away of expressing your emotions, and the great depression changed the life of so many different people that the music followed with the change of emotions all through America. As music followed so did peoples reliance on the music.
https://livinghistoryfarm.org/farminginthe30s/life_17.html
https://www.smore.com/94a6r-music-during-the-great-depression
I really enjoyed reading your post, and I liked how you connected the rising popularity of jazz music with the American people's need to express their emotions. I would also like to mention the flourishing movie industry during the Great Depression. The 1930's was considered the "Golden Age of Hollywood", as sound was introduced to film and movies became increasingly popular.
ReplyDeleteSource: https://historycooperative.org/the-history-of-the-hollywood-movie-industry/
I thought this was very interesting to read. The impact that music has on our lives as teenagers today is a good comparison point to this. That which most profoundly affects me, and that which I listen to the most, is always whatever tells a story most relatable to my own. Look to the original version of This Land is My Land to specifically see how the fourth and sixth verses about private property and such were so popular an issue back then that they were then included. Today, the current version omits those verses to mirror the more happy outlook on the economy and the country of now.
ReplyDeleteIt is always interesting to learn how political and economic climates influence the arts. It was interesting to see that music not only acted as a reflection of the era but also was an escape from the Depression. The song titles that you used clearly illustrated the stark differences between the eras of prosperity and depression.
ReplyDeleteI didn't how much politics or the government and economy could influence music. I like how we can take music from an era and interpret things about that era. I wonder if the music in our generation can reflect our era.
ReplyDeleteI wonder how the depression effected other forms of art and popular culture.
ReplyDeleteI think that it's cool how the music reflects the mood of the time. During times of the early 20's, like you said, you had happier music, but then as the depression struck, music gradually got more and more depressing. But I also wonder how the depression changed other parts of society like what Daniel said. Furthermore, I wonder how the Great Depression affected religion. We know about Charles Coughlin who was a catholic priest who gained a lot of followers but that was based upon him attacking the New Deal. So was there a decline in church membership, a resurgence of it because of the widespread unemployment, or did it relatively stay the same?
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