Springsteen’s powerful vocals and thought-provoking lyrics perfectly capture the spirit of youthful disillusionment and a desire to escape societal confines in pursuit of an unreachable American dream.

American Artists like Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, The Byrds, and Santana redefined popular music, fusing traditional blues music with a newer, scrappier sound. Joplin’s dynamic powerhouse vocals, Hendrix’s wild, unrestrained guitar riffs, and Santana’s Latin- inspired rhythms led to the emergence of this new genre--one that was intertwined with the growing counter-culture movement. Rock concerts were legendary; many rock icons performed at the infamous Woodstock music festival in the summer of 1969, originally billed as “3 days of Peace and Music.”

After the end of WWII, the United States faced the challenge of returning back to normalcy after six years of destruction and damage. With a booming Post-war economy, the 1950’s ushered in a number of ideals, the most prominent of which was the prosperous nuclear family. Though women had occupied traditional male roles during the war, as soldiers came home, women’s roles reverted to housewives and homemakers.

I was fully expecting this song to be as bad as...well, let’s just say I was pleasantly surprised that it was better than Holy.

With the country being ravaged by a world war, Americans relied on music to lift their spirits in trying times. The decade was one of radical change: due to the vast number of men fighting abroad, women flooded the workforce to replace them. The radio became essential to the American family, both for news of the war and for broadcasts of the most notable artists of the decade.

I have noticed a trend in rap music: crackly lo-fi intros.

For our second piece together, I bring to you #TogetherAtHome. The idea behind this series is to bring live music to us all when, as we all know, we can’t go out and enjoy it.

The 1930’s was a decade of irony. The stock market crash of 1929 wiped away the optimism of the 1920’s as America’s economy crumbled leading to famine, poverty, and depression. However, Hollywood was born and began to feature jazz and swing in productions.

“The decade witnessed a titanic struggle between an old and a new America as well as the rise of a modern consumer economy and mass entertainment. All of these themes were played out in the nation's music.”

Everything about this screams “why.”

At this point, I’m immune to surprises.

For all the music lovers out there, I understand how hard it is to experience the miracle of live music during Covid-19. Being stuck at home, you can’t go out and experience amazing concerts. But, all of our favorite artists are doing things to help us connect during this time. 

Charlie Puth, The Weeknd, BTS and more.