All of my work will be focused on songs underlining each analysis or historical fact. In addition,

The racial diversity of mainstream music in the 1960s was widely spread, which is why this was such a significant decade for music. There was a so called “British invasion” that took place roughly between 1964 and 1966. British bands like the Rolling Stones, the Kinks, the Animals, the Beatles, and many more came to America bringing their version of rock music with a British twist (British Invasion). The

Punk rock music has been used for decades to express dissatisfaction with society, government, or any idea common in mainstream media. Yet punk rock is not simply a tangent of the mainstream, it is a dynamic and fluid genre with many distinct songs. Don Letts, a mainstay in the London punk scene during the 70’s and 80’s, went as far to say that hip-hop was essentially “black” punk. While punk and hip-hop music are stylistically different, the fundamental tone of the two genres is the same. Even throughout the decades, hip-hop has sang the same issues as punk, including the plight of the lower class, police brutality, and gang violence.

Though there were these different styles of rock, The British Invasion had more to do with the pop “beat” bands than the R&B or “frat” bands. Soon this genre

The attitude common in the subculture is the resistance to selling out, which means abandoning one’s values and changing in musical style toward pop to embrace anything that’s mainstream capitalist culture in the exchange for money, status, or power. Punk rocks’ common thinking wasn’t only anti-authoritarism, and not selling out but also non-conformity, direct action, and a DIY ethic. The DIY attitude was pointed towards stepping forward and speaking without any restraint. To fight with warrior qualities to achieve what you were striving for. The kind of thinking and motives for punk rock subjects was to not settle for what society made acceptable and standard but to think and work outside of the box that was holding them in.

The mid to late 1970s brought about a slow but steady change in punk rock. With the advent of heavy metal and punk rock bands an explosion of new rock genres emerged. The change was started by three bands from New York. The New York Dolls, the Dictators and the Ramones started a new trend that quickly spread throughout Europe and the rest of the world. It slowly caught on in the US and when it finally did the hardcore form of punk rock became a national expression for millions of teens and young adults for the next two decades.

     The punk subculture is often seen as a rebellious group of misguided youngsters who often come from lower class dwellings and haven’t gotten the attention that they needed so they dye their hair, dress differently, and act differently. In Facing The Music edited by Simon Frith, Mary Harron reduced the meaning of punk to “the spectacle of middle-class children dressing up in a fantasy of proletarian aggression and lying desperately about their backgrounds” (History). The flipside to that is that maybe these youths are expressing their individualism and choose to stray away from

Most of the original rebellion was directed towards the British class structure. They wanted to express their disapproval of the structure that governed their country. In The Jam’s “Eton Rifles”, the band sarcastically attacks the upper class, calling them arrogant and preaching to them that rugby is the only thing making them strong (Punk 68). The Sex Pistols’ album “God Save The Queen” portrays the Queen of England with a safety pin through her nose on their cover. The reaction to this outburst of shocking rebellion from the mainstream society was a strong, displeased one. American writer Greil Marcus defined punk as, “…refusing the future society has planned for you.” Thousands of social misfits attempted just that. Through the many causes for this rebellious political expression: communism, anarchy, feminism, etc., the punks of England had a focus and a reason. It was this that made the “punk” a valid, yet undesired member of society, and the British public got to see this sociological change first hand (Chamberlain par.8). Although this movement was short lived, its impact was a phenomenon, and its effects were long- lasting, which distinguished this group from previous generations.

The British Invasion took place during the mid-1960’s. British musicians began to look toward their American counterparts for inspiration, copying their styles and advertising to fans in the United States. By this point, British youth had been interested in American rock and roll since the 1950’s, captivated by its pronounced beats and suggestive lyrics (Robbins). However, Britain did not have the same musical background as the United States. In the States, rock and roll emerged from a coalescence of Country and Western, Rhythm and Blues, and Pop music (Stuessy). Because of this, rock from the United States had deep roots, while rock from Britain before the mid-1960’s lacked depth and was simply an imitation. Eventually, rock began to take off in Britain from two main locations: Liverpool and London. This music became insanely popular in both Britain and the United States (Robbins). When studying the British Invasion, it is important to analyze the musical differences between Liverpool and London, as well as look at why this music became so popular in the United States.

Secondly, Punk Rock artists were rebels with a cause, their motive, destruction and rebellion through their ideology. “In its original nature, the punk culture has been primarily concerned with individual freedom, which

Both US and UK bands experimented with music and various styles and tried to explain their experience through lyrics. For example, the American punk band “Ramones” created their specific lyrics and sounds. Similarly, “Fall Out Boy”

A contributing factor that resulted in punk becoming so popular in the U.K. was the sociopolitical environment in Great Britain, as at the time the nation was undergoing major social upheaval. During the early nineteen-seventies, the global oil and steel manufacturing crises rocking most of the world helped throw the United Kingdom into a recession. The recession resulted in the British government cutting funding for many essential services which in turn would lead to strikes, riots, rolling blackouts and an unstable government. The economy was slow to recover thanks to high inflation and unemployment rates resulting in stale economic growth. It was estimated that more than half of all 18 year olds were either unemployed or underemployed.

According to magazine Rolling Stones, Sex Pistols was not the first punk band, but it is certainly one of the most influential in history. Because of this statement, I choose this band as representative of British punk aspirations, and I will deeper examine its connection to Bakunin’s work. Therefore, Sex Pistols is the band that has influenced the most formation of the punk image and widely contributed to its later development of punk music. When they first entered the scene, they provoked a cultural shock. They did not have virtuous guitar lines or profane text, instead, they music was raw to the bone, just as they were. Also, a lot of people argue why they made such an impact on society and encouraged others to observe reality from the different point of

Rock and roll is a genre that started with groups wanting to try something new, and grunge took that desire to an all new level. Grunge mixed pieces of punk, heavy metal, and some pop in to one all new genre. The effects of grunge brought the subgenres Riot Grrrl, Slacker Rock, and Britpop. All three of these subgenres had their own effects on culture and created a new community around them. Riot Grrrl and Slacker Rock especially had a life style formed around them.

It was in this dissatisfaction with the state of the countries they called home, as well as their own state of life, that fueled much of the politically charged music that punk has become known for. This anger was channeled into music, by both listeners and performers. While punk had many similarities to the avant-garde movement that was also happening at the time, it was primarily a form of rebellion toward society, not art. The punks wanted change in their lives. The anarchism of punk had been focused at the personal level.

Throughout Hanif Kureishi’s novel, The Buddha of Suburbia, there is a focus on the emergence of the punk scene in London during the 1970s. The first obvious encounter we have with punk in the novel appears on page 129, when Karim and Charlie go to the Nashville and see their first punk band. The Nashville is a popular venue where many punk bands got their start, and a lot of famous bands, such as the Sex Pistols, performed. Karim describes the scene that they come upon with a great detailed description of the outlandish appearances of both the audience and the band members. He also describes the unusual way they are acting, the aggressive way they are dancing and the abuse between the band and audience. Though his attention is mainly on the emergence of the