Read Between The Frets: The Philosophy of Rock Music

The First Amendment of the United States Constitution:

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.”¹

In 1791, this carefully crafted promise became a part of American legacy due to the fact that our Founding Fathers were so desperately determined to liberate themselves and posterity from restrictions of personal freedom. However, it took approximately a century and a half for Americans to build on these fundamental principles in unprecedented and culturally-significant ways. Though John Muir and Rachel Carson² are considered the forefathers of environmentalism, it was not until concern of man’s continuous destruction of his natural habit found its way into mainstream rock ‘n’ roll music that these rights-which are usually grouped together into one all-encompassing right: freedom of expression- became increasingly significant to the masses. The freedom of expression was wholeheartedly sought after by the greenies which planted their roots in the newly vibrant rock movement. Rock ‘n’ roll became their medium of communication. It became their outlet; their path for change.

“What have we achieved in mowing down mountain ranges, harnessing the energy of mighty rivers, or moving whole populations about like chess pieces, if we ourselves remain the same restless, miserable, frustrated creatures we were before? To call such activity progress is utter delusion. We may succeed in altering the face of the earth until it is unrecognizable even to the Creator, but if we are unaffected wherein lies the meaning?”³ said Henry Miller, a passionate American writer of the late twentieth century.

Henry Miller, like many of his era, began to see man’s destruction of the world around him in a new light. Man ceased to be the victim in a cruel and vicious world. Instead, he became the adversary of peace and creation. This change in ideology sparked life, concern, and activism into the lyrics and artists of the infant rock ‘n’ roll movement which to this day continues to infiltrate the American conscience.

Although environmental activism was not derived solely from the lyrics and artists of popular music, it is evident that music (in this case rock ‘n’ roll music) has always had the unequivocal power to emotionally and ideologically motivate people.

Epiphany

From Marvin Gaye’s “Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)”:

“Oh, mercy mercy me
Oh, things ain’t what they used to be
No, no
Where did all the blue sky go?
Poison is the wind that blows
From the north,and south, and east
Oh, mercy mercy me
Oh, things ain’t what they used to be
No, no
Oil wasted on the oceans
and upon our seas
Fish full of mercury
Oh, mercy mercy me
Oh, things ain’t what they used to be
No, no
Radiation under ground and in the sky
Animals and birds who
live nearby are dying
Oh, mercy mercy me
Oh, things ain’t what they used to be
What about this overcrowded land
How much more abuse from
man can she stand?”⁴

Marvin Gaye recorded “Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)” in his album What’s Going On where he was clearly criticizing man’s ecological vandalisms. With time, Americans began to question what was really going on in the world around them. Protests were organized on college campuses all across America which incorporated many students into the Green Movement. In 1969 at Berkeley University, People’s Park protests were carried out to protect a community garden from being turned into a parking lot. Furthermore, Acts such as the Wilderness Act, the Clean Air Act, and the National Trails Act were drafted by Americans willing to change the catastrophic ways of their past. On April 22, 1970, the first Earth Day was observed.⁵

And yet, over the years environmental activism has continued to increase.

“The ocean I’m surfin’ in is like a toilet that hasn’t been flushed,” said Sol Solomon, an 18-year-old from Santa Monica, California on March 8, 1992. “The sky has got colors in it Picasso couldn’t even paint. What’s going on here? Who’s in control? Some corporate dude who wants to get rich? Some corporate dude who doesn’t care about me?”⁶

Solomon was what the New York Times called a Green Teen. He was a member of an environmental group called YES -Youth for Environmental Sanity- which still consists of a group of youngsters who travel around the United States to inform and educate people about the current environmental situation.⁶ These youngsters were motivated by an era of singers and songwriters who simply took the time to spread the message and concern about the current state of the union (if you will).

In 2007, Live Earth, a monumental music event for the environmental movement, played twenty-four hours of music across seven continents to spread the word about conservationism. Live Earth continued with a campaign to end the corruption of big-time polluters and to persuade several governments into taking action against the crisis.⁷ Furthermore, artists and groups such as Pearl Jam, The Roots, Green Day, and Sheryl Crow continue to fight for and promote the Green Movement. Just about two years ago, Pearl Jam donated approximately one hundred thousand dollars to nine different environmental organizations supporting the cause. Not only that, but these rockers “walk the walk” by busing with biodiesel. The Roots have also done their share by campaigning with PETA to end animal violence.⁸

These contributions have only aided in uniting fans with the common cause of fixing and maintaining a world that everyone shares. It has been evident, since the beginning of times, that man is an imperfect being who alone has the power to destroy the world that he has been placed in. Yet, through something as powerful as music, he can be molded into being a true patriot of his natural habitat and a humble citizen of a society much greater than he will ever be able to fathom. It is through the effectiveness of music that environmental movements have advanced to such a great extent since the 1960s. People now more than ever are aware of the carbon footprint they will leave behind for generations to come, and they are now more willing to sacrifice and to change tradition for the sake of survival. Music is not magic. People are not magicians. Yet, one can help the other change the world.

“Who says we can’t save the earth? If we don’t save it for ourselves, nobody’s going to save it for us.” -Sol Solomon
 

1. United States Constitution
2. Lear, Linda. The Life and Legacy of Rachel Carson. 1996. <http://www.rachelcarson.org/>
3. Quotecosmos.com. 2007. <http://www.quotecosmos.com/subjects/401/Environmentalism>.
4. Stlyrics.com.2002. <http://www.stlyrics.com/songs/g/gayemarvin14982/mercymercyme400425.html>
5. Silviera, Stacy. The American Environmental Movement. <http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/law/lwsch/journals/bcealr/28_2-3/07_TXT.htm>
6. Better, Nancy. Green Teens. March 1992. <http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CE6DA1F39F93BA35750C0A964958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all>
7. Live Earth. <http://liveearth.org/event.php>
8. 15 Green Musicians. 2007.<http://www.grist.org/news/maindish/2007/06/22/musicians/>