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Why do the '70s have (almost) no (pop) cultural influence?
- Thread starter Grzi
- Start date
Thefuck
You're listening to disco most times you listen to pop.
You asked for this blowback OP. Such an odd thing to say.
You're listening to disco most times you listen to pop.
You asked for this blowback OP. Such an odd thing to say.
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I don't really view the 70's as being nihilistic, I view them as embodying something that is more grounded and human. Everything from that whole era feels scrappy and just made by some person. Which is probably why it seems easy to overlook, in a lot of ways it seemed less concerned with spectacle a lot of the time and embraced wanting to do something differently. Especially coming right before the 80's.
As for disco and punk, I'd argue those are honestly probably two of the most influential genres on pop music today. Disco creates a direct line through all dance music right up until now, and punk taught corporations that they didn't have to put any effort into the music they produce (I'm sort of kidding). But like Lady Gaga, while largly inspired by the 80s, is very inspired by the 70s.
As for disco and punk, I'd argue those are honestly probably two of the most influential genres on pop music today. Disco creates a direct line through all dance music right up until now, and punk taught corporations that they didn't have to put any effort into the music they produce (I'm sort of kidding). But like Lady Gaga, while largly inspired by the 80s, is very inspired by the 70s.
The myths that disco didn't age well, wasn't good, doesn't influence music today, etc. kill me. The people who hated on disco for decades now listen to pop music that is at times explicitly disco. Rock bands over the last few decades have had disco influences too.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tETXbPu73Zc
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qP5NraxJsoA
Hell, the 70s even birthed the beginnings of CGI advertisements.
It's not that the 70s had no impact, it's that the 80s had a much much longer run on the nostalgia train than anyone really could've reasonably expected.
I mean, 70's is disco, punk, rock and the birth of electronic music. They have an absolutely massive influence on music today.
Unless you listen to Classical FM, your favourite music genre (whatever it is) will contain some big 70's influences.
The fashions have a little less influence, but that's because 80's and 90's revivalism is currently more in vogue.
Unless you listen to Classical FM, your favourite music genre (whatever it is) will contain some big 70's influences.
The fashions have a little less influence, but that's because 80's and 90's revivalism is currently more in vogue.
I don't think I've ever disagreed with the entire premise of a thread as much as I have this one. Just everything about the thesis statement is so flawed that I don't even know where to begin deconstructing it.
I'd argue that 70s rock has been a heavy influence on everything from Punk to Grunge to Metal. The 70s movie scene also greatly influenced the indie scene of the late 90s which in turn pushed the medium in new directions since. It was a hell of a decade and more influential in my eyes than the 80s (and I was born in 78 so my childhood was the 80s).
Maybe it's just the people I hang around with, but I see a stronger 70's influence in fashion than 80's. 80's is more popular in media because it's more visually striking, but irl I'm more likely to run into someone wearing autumnal colours, muted yellows, oranges and browns, with nature prints like flowers and mushrooms; a leftover from the peace and love of the 60's but with all the colour faded (lining up with your observation of draining hope and cynicism). Baggier, looser fits too.
I also hear a lot of 70's music influence in general and on the radio. Disco, soul, rock and folk all have various levels of success and influence. Similar to the 80's being visually striking the associated sounds are usually pretty unsubtle too; spacey synths, huge reverb drums etc so you're more likely to pick up on it, but there's also a clear origin for a lot of 80's inspired synthwork like the Stranger Things theme you can draw back to the likes of I Feel Love by Donner Summer and Moroder in the 70's.
I also hear a lot of 70's music influence in general and on the radio. Disco, soul, rock and folk all have various levels of success and influence. Similar to the 80's being visually striking the associated sounds are usually pretty unsubtle too; spacey synths, huge reverb drums etc so you're more likely to pick up on it, but there's also a clear origin for a lot of 80's inspired synthwork like the Stranger Things theme you can draw back to the likes of I Feel Love by Donner Summer and Moroder in the 70's.
Just to hit on the 'bleak' point rather than influential pop culture media examples again, as I said, I also felt a lot of 70s film/tv was bleak, and my memories of it are of faded pastel colours with a lot of orange and beige, walls stained with stale cigarette smoke, with an undertone of Cold War fears.Anyway, a lot of people got my post wrong, it seems. So let's try to make it as simple as possible:
A) Why was everything so bleak, cynical, and nihilistic in the 70s (music, films etc.)? This question maybe got lost somewhere in the first post. It's a genuine question that I'd like to know the answer to.
B) Is that the reason why the music and fashion from that decade rarely get referenced and have no direct influence on the music and fashion of today?
I am aware that there would be no hip-hop without disco etc. but the general sound from that era (punk, disco, psychedelic rock) isn't intertwined in the current pop cultural sound (and look, when it comes to fashion) like the sounds from the '80s and '90s are.
Hopefully, this makes it clear lol, I wasn't making a statement, I was only saying how it feels to me and wanted to get opinions from others. I was born in the 80s and have been a hip hop head since I was 5 (literally), so I'm obviously missing a lot of knowledge.
Also, I found a great article that mentions a lot of the stuff I've been trying to say just now:
Why Were the 1970s So… Weird?
Stephen Paul Miller calls the 1970s the uncanny decade—the “undecade.” Things were particularly weird in these years, which remain shrouded in America’s cultural memory, as if by a kind of sm…lithub.com
I realise you're primarily interested in US media, but the equivalent to this odd feeling you are trying to outline is encapsulated in stuff like Scarfolk here, which is a parody of public information media with all it's typography, colours and ominous undertones of the time by graphic designer Richard Littler. Kinda related to the idea of hauntology.
View: https://twitter.com/Scarfolk/status/1557057583122468865?s=20&t=-DQTND6ifURYFFadkBl4CA
Scarfolk - Wikipedia
Hauntology - Wikipedia
I mean just in music, Queen is one of the biggest bands of all time, and was mainly responsible for the rise of music videos as we know them...
As to why everything was bleak: the western world just got into a major economical crisis, Vietnam was fresh in memory, the US had the at the time biggest political scandal in decades... yeah I'd been bleak too.
As to why everything was bleak: the western world just got into a major economical crisis, Vietnam was fresh in memory, the US had the at the time biggest political scandal in decades... yeah I'd been bleak too.
Minions rise of guru takes place in the 70's and it's a kids movie.
The world moved much slower then, there were hardly any worldwide phenomena. Rapid communication? Some people didnt even get a television until the early 80s. No such thing as fast fashion. I don't begrudge people saying Star Wars was more of an 80s thing. That's when most people actually watched it, on a VHS.
Just because the 60s (but when exactly in the 60s?) were a big trend break doesn't mean stuff neatly slots into a decade of influence. Maybe someone in New York wore some flared jeans in the 60s, but for the rest of the world, that was halfway into the 70s. Guns n Roses had most of their hits in the 80s, but were bigger with 90s kids, etc.
Just because the 60s (but when exactly in the 60s?) were a big trend break doesn't mean stuff neatly slots into a decade of influence. Maybe someone in New York wore some flared jeans in the 60s, but for the rest of the world, that was halfway into the 70s. Guns n Roses had most of their hits in the 80s, but were bigger with 90s kids, etc.
There is also the argument that the "disco sucks" movement was largely fueled by homophobia and racism
The OP literally writes off disco and then immediately complains there weren't any big black musicians. It's absurd.
This
So many black artists from the 70s influenced so many genres of music that it's near insulting to say that their work had "no cultural influence"
Op, I hope you don't think Elvis invented Rock music
On that note, the latter part of that decade feels hella modern compared to the early 70s -- from malls to suburban architecture and industrial design, the template comes out of that era. '78-'82 is Peak Boomer Consciousness, where movies like The Midnight Express and The China Syndrome were the Golden Truth.
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You started the thread with the assertion that the 70's have very little cultural influence. You didn't ask IF the 70's had little influence, you presented it as a given and asked WHY. Then, in your OP, you dismissed so much of the decade's influence. When people replied directly to your points in your post, you doubled down, by writing off anything posted. You also chose to ignore every post that did present examples of currently influential 70's culture.
Instead, you're trying to claim that people don't want to have a discussion.
Serious question....since Star Wars began production in '76, and Lucas had obviously been working on it prior to that....but you're setting it as an '80s thing, does that mean you see no cultural influence from any band at Woodstock? No cultural influence from Hendrix or CCR or Grateful Dead or The Who? Or no cultural influence from the Summer of Love? Yes, that was the 60s, but it was the late 60s, so that makes it 70s for you...right?
Outside of music, I'd also argue that fashion trends of today are heavily influenced by mid 70s trends.
There is a multi-part documentary series on apple TV+ that is just about music in the year 1971.
it is very good, I Highly recommend watching it, especially if you want to know what was going on at the time, and how it influences us today.
View: https://youtu.be/7QUSrefGO34
it is very good, I Highly recommend watching it, especially if you want to know what was going on at the time, and how it influences us today.
View: https://youtu.be/7QUSrefGO34
Hell, ask any modern musician who has their hand in composing music if the 70s were influential and they would all resoundingly reply with a "Yes".
As someone else put it, OP's thread should be retitled to "my ignorance of the 70s".
A lot of 70s interior design has been making a comeback over the past several years. Colors and patterns with a modern touch but its roots is from the 70s.
I mean, in Movies alone, the 70s gave us:
Star Wars, Jaws, Clockwork Orange, Rocky, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Carrie, Network, one of the first Superman movies...
Star Wars, Jaws, Clockwork Orange, Rocky, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Carrie, Network, one of the first Superman movies...
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They even used Robert Redford for authenticity.
OP is also ignoring that the Foo Fighters just did a Bee Gees cover album this year. Dave Grohl has said he outright steals disco beats regularly.
Yeh, there's not much to discuss when the OP just wants to ignore reality.
OP
OP
User Banned (2 Weeks): Inflammatory Point of Comparison
And again, people fail to get what I am saying, but that's probably because I didn't articulate my thoughts well enough in the OP, so I guess I'm sorry for that?
Still, the backlash is insane, but I'm used to Internet forum nerds loving nothing more than to prove someone wrong or own them or whatever. Shows how close we actually are to the alt-right rhetoric, eh? Nevermind.
Anyway, let's try like this - I am aware of the influence disco had on hip hop and the music of the 80s and 90s etc. I said already I am a hip hop fan first and foremost lol, including genres like r&b, dancehall, grime, and everything else, I know about sampling no need to teach me about that.
What I wanted to say was that nothing that is a part of the cultural zeitgeist today can clearly be described as 70s inspired, if you get what I mean.
When I say that no one dresses like they did in the 70s, I'm not talking about your friends or the members of your favorite obscure band, I'm looking at glo al fashion trends.
Likewise, when it comes to music, you won't hear the sound or aesthetic of the 70s being referenced DIRECTLY. Obviously there are some examples like Daft Punk, but none of it is as prevalent as the direct influence of the aound of the 80s or 90s. You have musicians actually trying to look and sound conpetely like they are from that era. Which is a direct influence. The 70s did influence a ton of music, which is still being made today - so the influence is indirect, but you won't hear a song and say - wow, this is so 70s inspired, meaning it has the feel of that era, but it happ3ns often with tje 89s and 90s, that's all.
Of course punk is influential, but ever since the post punk revival of the aughts and early 2010s ended, you can't really feel its influence anymore. And I'd argue that punk as a coubterculture doesn't really fall under what most would consider the apirit of the 70s or whatever. Don't know, hopefully this makes it at least somewhat more clear.
As far as movies go, yes, of course there are influential films from the 70s, people on discord literally know me for having Michael Corleone as my avatar, that's not the point I was trying to make.
I was talking about the bleakness of cinema from that era (Leafshield mentioned colors and Scarfolk, great examples), and how it is rarely reproduced in movies or TV shows nowadays, unlike the 80s or 90s.
Of course the movies crom that era influenced moviemaking in the decades to come, but I just wanted to know why it is not as popular (?) to go back to or reference that era in the media products of today. (I know about LicoricePizza, there's still a lot more stuff inspired by the culturw of the 80s and 90s)
I typed this on my phone, so I'm guessing it might be hard to read but oh well.
And yeah, the thrrad title should have been different, but I still tthink the furst post gets the point across decently, but most people just jumped on me after reading the title.
Still, the backlash is insane, but I'm used to Internet forum nerds loving nothing more than to prove someone wrong or own them or whatever. Shows how close we actually are to the alt-right rhetoric, eh? Nevermind.
Anyway, let's try like this - I am aware of the influence disco had on hip hop and the music of the 80s and 90s etc. I said already I am a hip hop fan first and foremost lol, including genres like r&b, dancehall, grime, and everything else, I know about sampling no need to teach me about that.
What I wanted to say was that nothing that is a part of the cultural zeitgeist today can clearly be described as 70s inspired, if you get what I mean.
When I say that no one dresses like they did in the 70s, I'm not talking about your friends or the members of your favorite obscure band, I'm looking at glo al fashion trends.
Likewise, when it comes to music, you won't hear the sound or aesthetic of the 70s being referenced DIRECTLY. Obviously there are some examples like Daft Punk, but none of it is as prevalent as the direct influence of the aound of the 80s or 90s. You have musicians actually trying to look and sound conpetely like they are from that era. Which is a direct influence. The 70s did influence a ton of music, which is still being made today - so the influence is indirect, but you won't hear a song and say - wow, this is so 70s inspired, meaning it has the feel of that era, but it happ3ns often with tje 89s and 90s, that's all.
Of course punk is influential, but ever since the post punk revival of the aughts and early 2010s ended, you can't really feel its influence anymore. And I'd argue that punk as a coubterculture doesn't really fall under what most would consider the apirit of the 70s or whatever. Don't know, hopefully this makes it at least somewhat more clear.
As far as movies go, yes, of course there are influential films from the 70s, people on discord literally know me for having Michael Corleone as my avatar, that's not the point I was trying to make.
I was talking about the bleakness of cinema from that era (Leafshield mentioned colors and Scarfolk, great examples), and how it is rarely reproduced in movies or TV shows nowadays, unlike the 80s or 90s.
Of course the movies crom that era influenced moviemaking in the decades to come, but I just wanted to know why it is not as popular (?) to go back to or reference that era in the media products of today. (I know about LicoricePizza, there's still a lot more stuff inspired by the culturw of the 80s and 90s)
I typed this on my phone, so I'm guessing it might be hard to read but oh well.
And yeah, the thrrad title should have been different, but I still tthink the furst post gets the point across decently, but most people just jumped on me after reading the title.
I feel like a better framing of this thread isn't 'why doesn't the 70s have any pop culture influence', as that's clearly a false assumption. The point on bleakness is a different issue entirely, and perhaps a better framing would be 'why is 1980s influence *seemingly* so much more prominent in computer games, kids cartoons and media in general right now'. Which is another different issue rooted in the creation of multimedia properties (starting in 1977 with Star Wars), enjoyed by kids that are now adults, of there being less stigma to adults enjoying cartoons and superheroes and D&D etc now, etc. Plus 70s influence perhaps feeling more subtle as the years go by. There's so many aspects to it that you don't need to throw the 70s in a dumpster to look into why anything relating to the 80s is being greenlit at the moment. Essentially, there's at least 3 topics there.