The Death of Punk and the Turn of a Decade: 1979

A detailed Summary of The Death of Punk and the Turn of a Decade: 1979

My essay will highlight the major socio-political events of my chosen year, 1979, before relating how the rock genre, in particular, punk-rock changed and mirrored, to an extent these events in England.

Some say 1979 marked the end of an era. Certainly, as the end of a decade, what came after this tumultuous year was a decade that seemed fairly reluctant, in the case of some musical genres, to let go of the past. In NME's Rock 'n' Roll years they describe how the '80s 'would spend much of the decade ahead celebrating it's past rather than building for it's future.' (NME 1992:336) So, if it was into this uncertain time that the world of music was heading, something must have been lost from the highs that defined for so many the 1970's.

At the beginning of this year, England was experiencing many social problems after having weathered the 'winter of discontent' tha

With the death of Sid Vicious on February 2 and Malcolm Mclaren's Glitterbest management company being forced into liquidation, Punk was all but dead. At least it was in the eyes of everybody save a few pretenders congregating at the genre's previous stomping grounds. 'The Kings Road still attracted the punk minions but the whole style had transmogrified into an absurd caricature of itself.' (Colegrave & Sullivan 2001:342) The people that had created and defined punk had had enough. Malcolm McLaren, Vivienne Westwood, Johnny Rotten, Billy Idol and others had decided to abandon the sinking ship and try their luck over the Atlantic. Colegrave & Sullivan (2001:342) affirm in their cronicle that 'New York was where punk as an entity now truly belonged'.

In conclusion, punk's exodus from Britain, along with the New-Right power politics of Thatcherism meant 1979 was a year in which the rough edges were smoothed and the free

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Approximate Word count = 622
Approximate Pages = 2 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Music

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