Hi Friends – welcome back to 50s Tunes with Steve, the best place to listen to, learn about, and snap along with some of the great artists of the 1950s.
My friends, it saddens me to say this, but unfortunately this will be the last time we cross paths.
50s tunes with Steve will be coming to an end today as this will be my final blog post.
This is certainly a bittersweet moment for me. I’ve enjoyed teaching so many of you about the music of the 50s. Walking you through these artists lives and their music over the last 4 months has been nothing short of a pleasure for me.
I look up to these artists and I have nothing but incredible respect for what they achieved in their lives – good, bad, and ugly, I standby them and the values they stood for as individuals.
I listen to the music of the 50s not just because the tunes are catchy and the music gives me a sense of happiness, but because I know that the people behind the music are good, honest, decent human beings.
They never sang about drugs, they never sang about committing crimes, and they never over sexualized the lyrics the way you hear some songs do today.
Some may tell you their music was frivolous and lacked lyrics that connected with the human experience - I disagree. That’s not to say that some songs aren’t frivolous – they are, very much so in fact, but oftentimes there’s a real message to be heard, and the way in which these talented singers get that message across is both passionate and captivating.
One of the things that will always kill me is when I hear people say that the artists of the 1960s revolutionized music. It’s the word “revolutionized” that really grinds my gears.
Take that word with a grain of salt. Revolution isn’t always a positive.
The 60s was the rise of the counterculture against the establishment. Speaking in terms of music, the artists I enjoy were considered the established and the new artists like The Beatles, Bob Dylan, and Jimi Hendrix, were considered artists of the counterculture movement. Patti Page, Perry Como, and Pat Boone were now for older people.
To me, all the 60s did was make music louder, more technologically tuned, and uncanny in its lyrics. Not to mention, the new artists threw the idea of “class” out the window. And half of them were on drugs which they claimed they used for “inspiration!”
I can tell you, the artists of the 50s weren’t using drugs to get inspiration for their songs. Why? Because they were good, wholesome people.
Hopefully, through this blog, I’ve been able to show you why I admire the artists of the 50s and why I believe the music of this era will never be matched.
My friends, whenever you hear the voices of Perry Como or Patti Page, Frank Sinatra or Dean Martin, Kay Starr or Jo Stafford, may you always think of me, and may you recall a time when music was sweet, tender, and melodic in its sound.
Thank you for reading!
Until we meet again friends, this is your 50s music fanatic, Steven B. – signing off!
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