History Through Music

   Have you ever listened to a song and been flooded with images and feelings of the time period?  Have you ever heard  a song and instantly been taken to that place?   Music has a way of triggering emotions and feelings and painting a picture that can take you places that you've never been before.  Take for example Buffalo Springfield's "For What It's Worth."  You may not know this song by its title but click this link and you may find it instantly recognizable.  What images popped up in your mind?  Where did the song take you?  What time period did you think of?  Music is universally understood and its messages and feelings that it can provoke can withstand the measures of time.  Lyricists, song writers, musicians, and artists throughout history have used music as a social commentary of the times.  Just like a text book or a historical document, music can be used as a lens into the time period that a song was written.  You can use a song as a reference to help understand what the social climate of the day was or what the culture of time period was like.  In this activity you will dive into a decade of your choice and examine the social and historical aspects through the lens the songs of that time.