I have a theory.. is it so..or is it way off ?

[ironglow]

  I rarely comment upon music, since it plays such a small part in my life, but I have come up with an idea, which for me..explains the changes
  that have taken place in my lifetime.

  Pop music of the 30s through the 50s, was a soothing, comforting sound...while starting in the 60s it has seemingly become more raucous, year by
   year..
 
    Here's my idea..am I right or wrong?

  Back in the 30s through 50s...most people worked hard, most at heavy labor and longer hours, so when they  had time to relax and slow down, the
    pace, they wanted soothing, comfortable sounds to go with it.

  Conversely, since the 1960s and the automation of many tasks, hard physical work has become less common...so more tense music was needed to
   work off the unused energy.

  Then too, with the "welfare society", where some folks do little more than lay around...fast moving music was needed, to work off the unspent
    energy.
   In both of these situations where little labor is expended, the problem has only been exacerbated, so even wilder music is needed.

    Encapsulated.. hard work, soft music... little work.. harsh, music..   OK..tell me if I am off-base..

[darkgael]

IG: what an interesting set of ideas.
  “Then, too, with the "welfare society", where some folks do little more than lay around...fast moving music was needed, to work off the unspent energy.” That idea appears twice. Is there any objective evidence that it is so?
Remember that much of that energetic music was focused on a small proportion of the population. The rest of us continued on as before. In addition, it is worth noting that during those quiet radio years we had ragtime,’jazz, bebop and a host of other forms of energetic music. It was not all soothing and comforting,

[ironglow]

IG: what an interesting set of ideas.
  “Then, too, with the "welfare society", where some folks do little more than lay around...fast moving music was needed, to work off the unspent energy.” That idea appears twice. Is there any objective evidence that it is so?
Remember that much of that energetic music was focused on a small proportion of the population. The rest of us continued on as before. In addition, it is worth noting that during those quiet radio years we had ragtime,’jazz, bebop and a host of other forms of energetic music. It was not all soothing and comforting,

  Nothing to back it..  As I said, it is just a theory.

[GTS225]

Hmmmmm.....you are supposing that the group you labeled as the "welfare society" has energy to begin with, and even energy in abundance, hence the "unspent energy" phrase you used.

How about guys like me, a child coming of age during the 60's-70's, that leans toward the rock bands of the 70's and 80's........Alice Cooper, Rolling Stones, Def Leopard, Aerosmith, etc.?  Or maybe I'm the anomaly in your theory.

Roger

[ironglow]

Hmmmmm.....you are supposing that the group you labeled as the "welfare society" has energy to begin with, and even energy in abundance, hence the "unspent energy" phrase you used.

How about guys like me, a child coming of age during the 60's-70's, that leans toward the rock bands of the 70's and 80's........Alice Cooper, Rolling Stones, Def Leopard, Aerosmith, etc.?  Or maybe I'm the anomaly in your theory.

Roger

  Did you work at hard, heavy labor..where you wanted to unwind toward the end of the day?  If so you may be an anomaly..

  As I said, just a theory..

[Bob Riebe]

 
    Here's my idea..am I right or wrong?

  Back in the 30s through 50s...most people worked hard, most at heavy labor and longer hours, so when they  had time to relax and slow down, the
    pace, they wanted soothing, comfortable sounds to go with it.

  Encapsulated.. hard work, soft music... little work.. harsh, music..   OK..tell me if I am off-base..

WELL ---- I do not know where you grew up but if you were ever at a Polka Fest, Country Music Fest. Spike Jones Music etc., etc, it was NOT soft soothing music.

I grew up with Polka, Western, and Spike Jones, Mitch Miller and a lot of others.
Music classes in High School introduced me to classical music and I have had great affection for it ever since, but before that nothing was soft music, unless, you consider the music that back in the days when many radio stations played music and talk shows and new.
Up here it was WCCO, KSTP and a few others. My home towns was KDUZ, which like most of the area small town radio stations played what was called Old Time music .
I was in my thirties before they started to change formats.
Therefore:
I think you are wrong.

[Land_Owner]

Did you work at hard, heavy labor..where you wanted to unwind toward the end of the day?  If so you may be an anomaly..

  As I said, just a theory..



No, but he could be due compensation!

[Lloyd Smale]

way back in the 20's speak easys and wild half naked girls (flappers)dancing was popular when prohibition was in place and my grandma was young. moonshine and bathtub jin were the rage. yup people even smoked pot then and opiates and cocaine were available in the store or in the mail. the music was far from soothing and behavior worse than the 60's rock and roll hippy generation.

[ironglow]

way back in the 20's speak easys and wild half naked girls (flappers)dancing was popular when prohibition was in place and my grandma was young. moonshine and bathtub jin were the rage. yup people even smoked pot then and opiates and cocaine were available in the store or in the mail. the music was far from soothing and behavior worse than the 60's rock and roll hippy generation.

   ..And could it be that they were folks who were "rippers' after dark...and slept a good share of the day...

  BTW;  Flapper were not necessarily"wild, half naked girls"..  Almost any girl who followed the fads, could have been a flapper.

     During that era, the "hip" girls who followed the fads, were wearing the old "5 buckle arctic" overshoes.  The trick was to leave most of the
    buckles....... unbuckled.  Thus, the tops of their boots flapped around with their rapid movements..

  5 buckle artics...  https://www.amazon.com/Liberty-DuraWear-Rubber-Protective-Buckles/dp/B00C9Q8M2Q?th=1

[Lloyd Smale]

point is the decay of morals didnt start 4 years ago or 10 years ago or 20 years ago. Television and the internet just made it harder to hide

[darkgael]

I do not know that morality enters into it. Ironglow did not mention it in his original post or any subsequent posts.
The idea is complicated for sure. The time period cited is, perhaps, the most critical in the last thousand years involving as it does a great worldwide depression, both WW2 and Korea, the rise of Communism, the atomic age with all its threats and promises, the dawn of the computer age, Rock and Roll, the onset of commercial radio ( greatest growth 1930-37), commercial TV began in 1941, caught up and passed radio by 1950.
Lots going on,

[ironglow]

  In my personal observation, the decline may have started earlier, but IMO, it reached a major downturn at about 1962-1964 period.

  I was serving in Germany from 62 through 65...and I saw some badly immoral situations.  Because of my narrow scope of view at the time,
   I was viewed the German people asa in a moral decline.

  I thought.... "well, when I get back to ythe states..I won't see such lack of decency !"  Imagine my chagrin, when I got back to the states and
   the same thing was going on !

  Now, we have reached a new depth..seemingly recognizing as legitimate, every sexual perversion that a sick mind can dream up, and a
   hesitancy to piunish most crimes in certain cities..

    One hope oin the horizon...the explosion of crime and immorality, signals the possibility of a soon return of Christ !

[darkgael]

“Decay of morals”…. Decline……
Now you fellows are changing the idea. The original idea was  that there is a relationship between what radio audiences listen to and the kind of work that they do.
Hard work, soft music…..etc. No mention of moral decline .
That is not to say that there is no connection

It is a separate topic.

[ironglow]

“Decay of morals”…. Decline……
Now you fellows are changing the idea. The original idea was  that there is a relationship between what radio audiences listen to and the kind of work that they do.
Hard work, soft music…..etc. No mention of moral decline .
That is not to say that there is no connection

It is a separate topic.

  Correct DG, we did wander a bit..and it appears that more that half here are not cordial to my theory... OK, I'll accept that !