The 1960s, music and drugs: From grass roots to global counterculture

How did the relationship between music and drugs create a cultural impact in the 1960s?

The 1960s, a decade heralded by many as an era of music, drugs, free love and much to be optimistic about. But just how did events transpire to create the conditions necessary for these views to be formed? In an attempt to understand how music, drugs and the culture of the 1960s were interlinked, this essay will explore the popular musicians of the time, the popular drugs of the time and how these affected the popular/ Youth Counterculture of the time. In terms of music the main bands to be focused on are the Beatles and the Rolling Stones but other artists such as Buffalo Springfield, Small Faces, Jefferson Airplane and others who reference or use drugs in the creative process will also be discussed. As for drugs, it has been made apparent the main inspirational stimuli of the age were marijuana and LSD however as with music a larger scope will be discussed with primary focus on these two substances; giving a brief history and description of their effects so as to gain an understanding of why they were seen as so inspirational. In turn then, examining society, the Counterculture will be focused on to decipher: were an impressionable youth influenced by their celebrity idols? Was a generational divide created and if so to what extent? And, did the culture of the 1960s have a lasting impact, not just for the ‘acid generation’ but also for future generations? All of this will be taken into consideration when exploring the topic ‘How did the Relationship Between Music and Drugs Create a Cultural Impact in the 1960s?’ During which the decade will be looked at from its humble beginnings, throughout the ‘Beatlemania’ of the mid sixties to the pinnacle of the summer of love before things took a darker turn in the latter part of the decade.

When looking at drugs and music, it is important to find a solid starting text on which to begin research.  Issue 109 of MOJO magazine contains an article on ‘The 100 Greatest Drug Songs Ever’ in which a staggering forty-six per cent of the songs listed are from the sixties. While this list is merely the opinion of the writers and editors it should be viewed as valuable in highlighting the sheer density of ‘drug songs’ produced in the focus era. There are a few main things the historian can learn from this text. Firstly, the article harks back to “the reefer ditties of the pre-war years” indicating that drugs and music had been intertwined long before the main focus of this essay and, the 1960s was a time of great density for drug influenced music production. Moreover, this article also highlights which drugs were related to each individual song, which shows the historian just which substances were available to the artist as a means of inspiration. One can take away that LSD was the most commonly used, followed by ‘multiple drug sources’, then heroin and then marijuana. However marijuana is frequently evident in multiple drug sources meaning it outnumbers heroin; under this reasoning then LSD and marijuana will be the main substances focused on in this text. Finally it should be noted that the top ‘drug song’ on MOJO’s list is one quintessentially both 1960s and drugs by nature. Released in 1967, ‘White Rabbit’ by Jefferson Airplane was written under the influence of LSD but references a variety of other psychedelic substances. It should be taken into consideration that Jefferson Airplane was an extremely popular band in the counterculture and therefore held great influence over many listeners. In fact on 16th August 1969 the band played a set at Woodstock, an event with an “estimated 400,000 youngsters” in attendance. Jefferson airplane could then influence those not only at the festival, but also their fans not in attendance. It should be understood that “Not only were the musicians trying drugs, but many of their fans were using while listening to their music to replicate and enhance the mind altering experience of hallucinogenic drugs.” The historian can then learn from this that many fans would indeed experiment with drugs, in order to gain an experience of the music closer to that of which the artist experienced when composing the song. But just what is the effect of the drugs and why did they strive to replicate it so badly?

But before looking too closely at the effects the drugs give the user it should be seen as important to learn how psychedelic substances made it into mainstream music (where they would have the most cultural impact). It would then be interesting to learn how drugs began to influence “the decades most popular commercially successful rock-pop musicians and social phenomenon”; if any concept were to capture public imagination and influence its followers it would arguably be ‘Beatlemania’. It has been made known; “On August 28, 1964, Bob Dylan got the Beatles high at The Delmonico Hotel in New York City.” This should be seen as a turning point for the influence of drugs in music.  Dylan, who himself “had first experienced the drug [marijuana] during his short spell as a college student”, had taken marijuana to a band that would dominate the music scene for the duration of the decade. The historian knows that after this defining moment, cannabis became influential to the Beatles as Ringo Star, drummer in the band, was quoted stating: “Grass was really influential in a lot of our changes, especially with the writers” indicating that the act of Bob Dylan introducing drugs to the group changed the course of their music production and then, in turn, the music that 1960s society was exposed to. However one should not study a single band in isolation; naturally then another globally popular example should also be looked at to see if drug taking was common practice for groups of this status (which of course it was). The historian can ascertain from Tony Sanchez in his work I Was Keith Richard’s Drug Dealer, which offers a remarkably detailed insight into the sheer quantity of substances that were being used by the members of The Rolling Stones, that LSD was particularly inspirational for guitarist Brian Jones, recollecting: “On LSD, the door to the vault of his mind swung open, he told me, and he was able to write songs and play guitar the way he had always dreamed.” This personal account produces concrete evidence that dugs also provided inspiration for the music produced by The Rolling Stones and, drug taking was common in the creative process of music. It has now been explored just how drugs made it to the most popular band of the epoch and that they were not alone in their usage.  The effects and a history of these drugs should now be explored so as to gain an understanding of the frame of mind the artists were in; as many of their fans sought to do.

When examining the effects of the two focus drugs it should be seen as a natural decision to start by analysing marijuana, after all this is the drug that most people first experience (excluding alcohol). Cannabis is arguably one of the most historically founded recreational substance as “the oldest written record on cannabis use comes from the Chinese Emperor Shen Nung in 2727 B.C” indicating its multicultural nature, extensive history and versatile uses. In Mitch Earleywine’s work Understanding Marijuana: A New Look at the Scientific Evidence one can learn, the primary effect of marijuana consumption is that “Time and space appear distorted. The senses seem more sensitive”, one can also learn from this text that the senses of euphoria and relaxation increase and “orgasms appear enhanced”. It is therefore clear why taking this drug was appealing to some, not only musicians but their fans also. The historian should be able to see then that marijuana may have been partly responsible for the more relaxed ambiance to the album ‘Rubber Soul’ by the Beatles, released in 1965, the year after they were introduced to marijuana. The effects of the drug can also be seen as prevalent in the song ‘Itchycoo Park’, an excitable proclamation of getting high by the Small Faces. One can note that the writer of the song is obviously referring to an enhancement of the senses and an increase in euphoria due to the repetition of “It’s all too beautiful”.Moreover the sense that time has been distorted by the drug is captured in the bridge of the song which begins “I feel inclined to blow my mind”, when a ‘flanging’ effect is utilized to recreate the slowing of time. It is recommended that one listens to the song to understand fully how this effect is replicated. Now that the effects of marijuana have been discussed, it is necessary to discuss those of LSD.

The psychoactive drug LSD (more specifically LSD-25) “was introduced by Timothy Leary in the early 1960s and was quickly adopted by young people”, this then makes it clear that it was a very much of the era. Robert Masters and Jean Houston have gone into great detail on its effects in their work The Varieties of Psychedelic Experience: The Classic Guide to the Effects of LSD on the Human Psyche, listing them mainly as: “changes in visual, auditory, tactile, olfactory, gustatory and kinesthetic perception; changes in experiencing time and space; changes in the rate and content of thought; body image changes; hallucinations; vivid images – eidetic images – seen with the eyes closed, greatly heightened awareness of color”, the list literally goes on and on, indicating then just why this substance was so inspirational to some artists. Now that one understands the effects and why they were used in the creative process it is important to learn how available these drugs were to the public.

As it has been learnt, drugs did indeed make an impact in popular music at this time. In 1960, seventy-nine percent of British households owned a television. Why is this significant? Because during this decade both the BBC and ITV broadcast weekly popular music programmes, with “Arguably the most fashionable early ‘60s pop programmes” being Ready, Steady, Go! (An ITV production) which ran from 1963 to 1966. In 1964 the BBC launched their strong rival, Top of the Pops which “Quickly attracted a large and loyal audience”.These programmes, in combination with the percentage of people who owned a television gave bands a strong platform on which to promote themselves, meaning that more people could hear their music and in turn be drawn towards drugs to enhance their listening experience; especially a young and impressionable audience. This consequently indicates that drug related music was readily available to society, but were the drugs themselves available? It can be learnt; in 1962 marijuana was “Still a little used substance in mainstream society”, however this was of course prior to the Beatles themselves becoming regular users, or as influential as they would become.   It should also be made apparent that this article also references experimentation with cocaine, heroin and a multitude of other substances. Conversely, towards the latter half of the decade in 1967 an American “national-based telephone poll of college students found a 5% life time prevalence of marijuana use. Two years later, this proportion jumped to 22%”> this clearly indicates that as the decade progressed marijuana became more available, at least to U.S college students (Teens and students being a major part of the ‘youth’ counterculture). Personal accounts from the ‘Grasscity’ forum seem to price an ounce at around $10 at this time. Personal accounts such as this seem to be the only way to gauge the price of cannabis, as obviously it was illegal and had no standard/ indexed price. There seem to be even fewer (if any) references to its British cost, indicating that it was more available in America than England. LSD should now also be examined in its historical context.

As it has been learnt, Timothy Leary introduced LSD in the early 1960s. It should be known though that even by 1966 “there was no acid sub culture in Britain”,showing, uptake of the drug was not instantaneous. However by this year John Lennon experimented with the drug for at least the third time “intending a serious voyage of self-discovery” it was this ‘trip’ which inspired the song “TOMORROW NEVER KNOWS, it introduced LSD and Leary’s psychedelic revolution to the young of the Western world, becoming one of the most socially influential records The Beatles ever made.” It can then be argued that this song took LSD, as a concept in music, to a mass audience, where the album it came on (Revolver) “entered the UK chart at no. 1 where it enjoyed 7 weeks in that spot.” This shows the historian that the album was extremely popular and exposed LSD inspired music to a great number of people. One could then assume that Lennon’s experimentation with LSD led it to become “The best known and most popular hallucinogen” which gained a cult following when “Leary went on to found his own sect, partly because LSD was banned, religious usage was the only ground left on which it could be defended, mostly because the drug cult was a religion”; it should be understood that “his personal following was never large, but drug use became common place among the young anyway.” Returning to the aforementioned work by Tony Sanchez, one can learn that “using the drug [LSD] in the mid-sixties meant you were part of an exclusive camaraderie”, this reference to ‘exclusivity’ indicated that it was still not in common use by the ‘mid-sixties’ but still only used by artists.  However later on in the text Mick Jagger talks about how he doesn’t “go much on it (LSD) now the cats (fans) have taken it up”, almost harking back to a golden age of LSD consumption prior to it being available to a larger market, indicating that fans did indeed follow in their idols footsteps. Once again this prudently highlights music’s influence over society. It has then been revealed that LSD, whilst not immediately prevalent at the start of the decade, was in use. It was the adoption in the mid 1960s by mainstream musicians that gradually made the drug more available.

It has so far been shown that drugs did indeed have an impact in music, in turn influencing the counterculture. One should then progress to examine the effects of the counterculture on mainstream society. It should be known that this was an age of equality and free love. This historian can see this mirrored in the reforming legislation of this time most prominently in the 1965 Race Relations Act as well as the legalization of male homosexuality in 1967. In 1965 “the first Race Relations Act outlawed racial discrimination and set up the Race Relations Board (R.R.B) to investigate complaints”, largely reflecting the sense of equality the counterculture stood for. The act was later strengthened in 1968. Furthermore, in 1967 “Sexual Offences Act came into force in England and Wales and decriminalised homosexual acts between two men over 21 years of age and ‘in private.’” This shows clearly the progressive nature of the reforms being made at this time and emphasizes the ‘free love’ aspect of the counterculture. But radical, liberalizing legislation such as this was not just prominent in England. In America the Civil Rights Movement pressed for equality and in 1964 Martin Luther King led a march 250,000 strong that ultimately led to the signing of the Civil Rights Act in the same year. The act “banned discriminatory practices in employment and ended segregation in public places”. This declaration of equality must be viewed as an important positive effect of the counterculture. The anti-war/ pro-peace sentiment of the decade is obviously reflected in the music that was produced. Buffalo Springfield’s ‘For What its Worth’ is an excellent example of the counterculture adopting a song, not originally intended as an anti-war song, and finding a message of peace in it, after which it “quickly became a well-known protest song” largely against the war in Vietnam. It ought to be made known that this song was released in 1967, the year of the summer of love; peace was therefore a strong motif of music producers during this year as well as the rest of the sixties. Another song that takes a more direct approach to the subject of peace came in 1969 when Edwin Starr released his “intense Vietnam protest song ‘War (What is it Good For?)’. Clearly bringing the message of peace, carried by the music of this time, to light.  The positive effects of the counterculture have then been highlighted in the movements, acts and music of the focus era; the negative effects should no be examined to gain a balanced view of the counterculture, so that an evenhanded and comprehensive conclusion can be drawn.

It has so far been shown that drugs effected music, music affected the counterculture, and the counterculture pressed for change in society. However the negative impacts created by said counterculture in this decade, as well as the end of the 1960s, should now be discussed so as to create a balanced and fuller picture. Towards the close of the decade the messages of peace, love and equality that embodied the era turned sour. One can see this in the Rolling Stones performance at Altamont on 6th December 1969. It has been suggested that this event effectively “ended the Sixties”; set in a “dull, lifeless landscape … there was no palpable feeling of joy or even happiness” that many associated the 1960s with. The scene itself vastly juxtaposed the idealized setting of Woodstock; in comparison the Altamont Speedway was simply bleak. The day continued with the Hell’s Angles providing an unofficial security force and as a result of this there were many senseless beatings and the stabbing of eighteen year old Meredith Hunter. It really does seem then that this concert marked the end of harmony, love and other motifs that were prevalent until this day. Moreover, one can see the crumbling of these ideals in the actions carried out by the Manson Family. This group, led by Charles Manson, attempted to facilitate a racial was between “blackies” and “whiteys” by committing a series of “several notorious murders in the late 1960s” and tried to implicate “the African-American community with various acts such as disposing of the victims wallets in an area highly populated by African-American residents.” This is the very much against the messages of peace and equality that the counterculture held in high regard as shown earlier. The influence of this group was seen during the trial in 1970 when “prosecution witness Barbara Hoyt was lured by a Manson family member to Hawaii and was given lethal doses of LSD”; the use of drugs had shifted from that of inspiration and ‘mind expansion’ to a substance used to kill (fortunately in this case the victim survived). Finally whilst not necessarily a negative effect of the counter culture, it is worth mentioning the dissolution of the Beatles “on April 10, 1970, when an ambiguous Paul McCartney “self interview” was seized upon by the international medias as on official announcement of a Beatles breakup.” For many this was seen as the end of the epoch as the band was almost symbiotic with the 1960s and its prominent ideologies of love and peace.

From the points discussed, it can consequently be concluded that music and drugs created a substantial impact during the 1960s. One can see this not only in the counterculture as a whole but also in smaller sects such as Timothy Leary’s following as well as the Mans on family- these groups also highlight how drugs inspired the counterculture, but also took it to its extremes. One can clearly see the development of the drugs in society following the example of their popular musicians i.e. after 1966 there was the development of an ‘acid subculture’ shadowing the more common use of LSD in the music produced by the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and Jefferson airplane. The effects of these drugs were analysed so as to understand the appeal of the substances, not only as inspiration to the musicians but also the fans. Also the move from the ideas of equality and peace shown in the liberalizing legislation and anti-war protests of the time, towards a more turbulent culture nearing the end of the decade has been examined so that one can understand how the counterculture flourished and unfortunately fell into an unstable state, once again highlighting the effect of music and drugs. It has also been shown how drugs initially made it into the popular music scene, in the example of Bob Dylan and the Beatles. Evidence of drugs affecting their music was given with the example of the album Rubber Soul and the song Tomorrow Never Knows, as well as the examples given for the Rolling Stones. One should therefore be able to see how drugs in music developed from ‘Grass Roots to Global Counterculture’ and just how the ‘Relationship Between Music and Drugs Created a Cultural Impact in the 1960s.‘