Rock & Roll

We started watching films with musical influences.  One was Hard Day's Night featuring the British Invasion sensation, The Beatles.  The other was a biopic of the band The Doors.  Hard day's night was more for the fans with a funny storyline and a exaggerated behind the scenes look of the John, Paul George and Ringo.  The Doors was a 1991 biopic starring Val Kilmer as Jim Morrison front man of the popular 60's group by the same name.  Both groups paved the way for many artists today who were or still are influenced by their music and also the popularity and the changes their music made. 

My professor brought up a good point that in a Hard Day's Night, the times seemed simpler.  Girls in dresses or skirts running chasing the guys.  With the doors dropping on the scene in 1965 a year later from the release of a hard day's night, the people seem more free love and less simple.  War, love, peace free speech and fear seemed to be fueling a nation.  The Beatles still had their fans but times changed and leaned more towards the Doors and the Who. You can also tell this through the lyrics and melody.  Beatles had more poppy, catchy tunes.  The Doors had more intense and even darker sound along with the lyrics.

I think other influential artists who changed music and paved the way for performers of today are Selena and 1Direction.  Selena changed music by being one of the first artists to have her song be in both Spanish/English topping the charts.  Aside from the popularity of her music, Selena sadly is also known for her abrupt untimely death.  Her successful career though paved the way for several artists to crossover and have a fan base in both languages. 

1Direction is one of those rare right moment stories where five strangers audition for X Factor in Great Britain and get voted off but is later grouped together by Simon Cowell.  They are to me The Beatles craze all over again.  Reason being is not for the music which can be catchy on occasion but because their handsome young men with British accents just like the Beatles.  In my humble opinion I believe the Beatles lyrics have a little more something to them.  None the less, the music is definitely different but the crazed female fans and the millions of dollars in merchandise, film and ticket sales is on the same plateau as them.