The power of music

The 1960s was a complex time, where our country was severely divided. (Sound familiar?) Parents told their sons to cut their hair, but they wanted to “let their freak flag fly,” women were burning their bras, and protests were rampant. It was a time when music represented many who didn’t have a voice, or at least one loud enough to be heard. I’m not sure music today offers the same message.

When Marvin Gaye sang, Brother, brother, brother, there’s far too many of you dying , we didn’t have to guess what he meant, and yet his words, along with so many others like, seemed to unite those of us trying to make sense of the world around us, especially when we saw on TV those young college students, unarmed college students, shot by the National Guard. Tin soldiers and Nixon coming…

The 70’s brought in disco, the 80’s new wave, hip hop came to the forefront in the 90s and beyond. Music has evolved and is still a vehicle for expressing one’s desires or frustrations. Who can forget those students singing Shine after the Parkland shootings, their impassioned words scolding, begging for change?

When I think of the 60’s music, I cannot help but think of that great three-day outdoor concert, Woodstock. It not only represented the sounds of the day, but Max Yasgur’s farm seemed to offer a place for thousands of peace-loving hippies to create a united front.

The 60’s was a movement that inspired me to write Wild World, a novel not only based on my experiences as a student during that turbulent time, but also as a police officer. (That story for another blog.)  You’ll see that music plays an important part in my writing, which leads me to ask, what type of music inspires you?