MUSC 1800: Popular MusicPunk and New Wave
Dr. Matthew C. SaundersLakeland Community College
C-1078
Punk and New Wave
• International movements• “Back to basics” rock• Nihilistic approach • What is New Wave?• What is punk?
Big Idea
• When a dominant style enters its “decadent” phase, a possible reaction is to strip it to its bones in search of meaning.
Protopunk• Musical, philosophical
and fashion models for later groups
• The Velvet Underground– “I’m Waiting for the Man
,” 1966• Iggy Pop & The Stooges– “Search and Destroy,”
1973• The New York Dolls– “Jet Boy,” 1973
Punk• CBGB: Center of early
punk scene in New York• Television– “Double Exposure,”
(live, 1974)• The Ramones– “I Wanna Be Sedated,”
(1978)• The Sex Pistols– “Anarchy in the UK,”
1976
New Wave
• More polished version of punk, developed ca. 1976 in both US and UK
New Wave Musicians
• Elvis Costello (b. 1954)– “Radio, Radio,” BBC,
1978• Other bands tended
toward a pop sound– The Cars: “
Just What I Needed,” 1978 (live 1979)
– Blondie: “Call Me,” 1980
The Music Video• Song-length film with
images tied to the music
• “soundies,” 1940s• “promotional clips,”
late-1960s and 1970s• New Wave bands were
early adopters in the mid-1970s
• MTV (Music Television)
Watching a Music Video: The Talking Heads• Things to consider:– Diegetic vs. non-diegetic– Representational vs. non-representational– Visual techniques and composition– Symbolism– Performance, narrative, or conceptual?– Postmodernism
• “Once in a Lifetime” (1981)– Music and Lyrics by David Byrne and Brian Eno– Played on MTV during its first day of programming