An Ex-Hippie Remembers: Long-Haired Hippie Music

I was in my early teens when the Beatles became popular in America. My parents did not have a TV, so I remember watching the Ed Sullivan show through the window of a local restaurant. We all had favorites; John was mine. Some of my friends preferred the Dave Clark Five and Herman's Hermits, but I was a die-hard Beatle fan. The first thing on my Christmas or birthday wish list was their latest album or 45 record. Most of you probably don't remember the old hi-fi record players. You could put a stack of 10 or so 45's on them and amazingly, when one song was done, the next record would fall down. The things they come up with these days.

I took a lot of teasing from my parent's generation about this obsession of mine. Comments from "All they do is sing, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah," to "When are they going to get a haircut?" Looking back, their haircuts were pretty tame!

But it was their music that captured my heart the most. I've tried to list my favorite songs, but they change every day, depending upon my mood. When I get really nostalgic, I like to turn on an oldies station and listen to:

I Saw Her Standing There
Twist And Shout.
She Loves You.
All My Loving.
I Want to Hold Your Hand.
Can't Buy Me Love

Then there is " Here Comes the Sun" - from The Abbey Road album. I played this at my first wedding, along with "Because" well just because I liked the words.

I also have a lot of fun singing "Octopus's Garden" when I'm feeling silly. Now that I'm getting older, "Will you still love me, when I'm 64?" makes a lot more sense. When I'm feeling quiet and thoughtful, I might play "Let it Be" or "While My Guitar Gently Weeps."

I was not happy when the Beatles broke up. In my young mind, it just didn't make sense. I didn't blame anyone in particular, but I've always felt that none of them have achieved in their solo careers what they accomplished together.

"The hippie subculture is a youth movement that began in the United States during the early 1960s and spread around the world. The word hippie derives from hipster, and was initially used to describe beatniks who had moved into San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury district. These people inherited the countercultural values of the Beat Generation, created their own communities, listened to psychedelic rock, embraced the sexual revolution, and used drugs such as cannabis and LSD to explore alternative states of consciousness."

"On the night of The Beatles' famous performance on The Ed Sullivan Show, 73-million (45 percent) of the nation tuned in to watch the most-talked about group of the day."

"The hippies of the sixties, arguably the most radical generation of youth America has seen to date, were directly influenced by The Beatles."

"So the early sixties saw music becoming more than just entertainment. It was now music with a message. And the messages our poets sang helped us identify with important issues and events that concerned us all. They spurred us to action. These songs had an impact on the consciousness of not just hippies but all society. Some of these songs also broke new ground musically. One way or another they hit us deeply, made us think, made us dream, made us feel as one people."

A Makeshift Peace Sign of Flowers Lies on Top John Lennon's Strawberry Fields Memorial

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I believe I must have had a past life in San Francisco because I have always had a fascination with the area, although I have only been there one time while attending a convention. The song "San Francisco," which was written by John Phillips of the Mamas and Papas and sung by Scott McKenzie, always seems to be calling me back. It was initially designed to promote the Monterey Pop Festival.

The Monterey Pop Festival took place during 3 days in June of 1967. Many great musicians had their first major American appearance there, including Jimi Hendrix, The Who, and Janis Joplin. Some critics claim that it has not received the recognition it deserved and has been overshadowed by Woodstock.

Some of the other musicians who performed during these three days include The Mamas and Papas, Jefferson Airplane, The Byrds, Simon and Garfunkel, and the Association.

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Swirly Turtles
Hopper Hippie Art
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I was still in high school when Woodstock happened in 1969, and I would have been too scared to participate at that time in my life anyway. But I've watched the video many times and feel like I was there in spirit. Some great songs were sung at that hippie love-in. Rolling Stone magazine named it one of the 50 Moments that Changed the History of Rock and Roll.

There is much written about the actual event, so I won't go into that here. It was definitely a moment in time that can never be repeated. I've included some links to other sites that give the history of Woodstock and some personal stories of those that attended. It is definitely worth reading. You will notice on the You-Tube comments that many people bemoan the fact that they were born too late to be a part of the 60's generation.

But what I want to focus on are some of the songs that were sung at Woodstock. There is "Soul Sacrifice" by Santana, "White Rabbit" by Jefferson Airplane (one of my personal favorites), and "Try" by Janis Joplin, who was dead by drug overdose 14 months after Woodstock.

The first time I ever used the F...word was in college singing the anti-war protest song by Country Joe McDonald "I Feel Like I'm Fixing To Die Rag".."One, Two, Three, What are we fighting for?"

I had several Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young albums in college as well. I really like "See Me Feel Me" by the Who. My other favorites include Joan Baez, and Creedence Clearwater Revival. And of course, Arlo Guthrie was there. Joni Mitchell wrote the song that became the theme song for the whole Woodstock event and I've included her version in the You-Tube selections.

Woodstock Poster available at Allposters.com

I am a huge Arlo Guthrie fan. When Alice's Restaurant Massacree came out in 1967, I was hooked. I was a peace activist in those days, so I really related to his message. The movie came out in 1969. I am absolutely amazed at how many young people today have never heard of the movie or the song. So telling someone to sing a bar of Alice's Restaurant when they are fed up with the system, makes no sense to them.

In the late 60's and early 70's, we were bombarded every day with the images from the Vietnam war. We were either being drafted or had friends that were being drafted. Those were scary times. And Arlo was one of the voices speaking out against the madness. Alice's Restaurant made a commentary about bureaucracy that expressed what many of us were feeling. This true story of his life was at the same time funny and entertaining, as well as poignant.

My husband and I refer to this movie/song many times during our lives. If we feel the need to prove something, we talk about the "8-by-10 color glossy pictures with the circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back of each one explaining what each one was." When we feel as though people are judging us for our religious beliefs or the way we live, we talk about being sent to the "Group W bench," which is also kind of ironic since our last name begins with W. And don't get us started; we love to break into "You can get anything you want at Alice's Restaurant," at a moment's notice.

Arlo, the son of Woody Guthrie, is still performing today, along with several of his children. I was fortunate to see him perform in California several years ago. It is an experience that I treasure because of the memories. I also enjoy his humorous commentaries. He was particularly funny when explaining how all the "good" lyrics seem to float by him to Bob Dylan, while he ended up with lyrics such as "I don't want a pickle, just want to ride my motorcycle." (The Motorcycle Song)

Back in the 60's and 70's, we all knew young boys who were being drafted. Some enlisted in other branches of the service to avoid being drafted into the army. My husband joined the Air Force and I had a boyfriend who joined the Coast Guard.

The nightly news was filled with violent pictures of the Vietnam conflict and included a daily body count. Folk singers and rock musicians started changing their civil right protest songs to ant-war songs.

"An anti-war song is a musical composition that either states anti-war sentiments directly, or one which is perceived (by the public and/or critics) as having an anti-war theme. Some show the negative aspects of war, while others satirize war. Most promote peace, in some form or another, while others speak out against certain specific armed conflicts. Many of these songs are considered protest songs, and some have been embraced by various peace movements" Wikipedia