Moral Hysteria and Audience

A moral panic or hysteria is the mass expression of a social group that can appear to be a threat to the older generation. They can be class as movements or phases; like the different artists of the decades being the most iconic and followed during the time period. Below will be the changes through the years of the most impacted artists and groups of their time.

1950's

Elvis Presley

• Elvis Presley had 12 number ones on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart during the 50s in comparison to his 6 number ones in the 60s as during this decade his music was being challenged by the Beatles.
• The genre of Rock and Roll starting in Elvis' hometown of Memphis and was often associated with the Devil. Modern rock and roll groups like Black Sabbath promote their belief and connection with the Devil.
• Clothing became more revealing during this decade which the media mostly say that Elvis responsible for.
• The style of dance became much more risqué and flirtatious.

1960's

The Beatles

• The Beatles had 20 number ones on the US Billboard Hot 100 alone over the 60s and several others in the 70s until the end of the groups career.
• The Beatles were so big that they sold over 178 million albums in the US (more than any other artist) and were listed by Times magazine as the twentieth century's top 100 influential people.
• The accessibility of drugs became a major problem in the 60's as many artists and groups used them which also influenced their fans to do so. Groups like Beatles created what is known as the teenage hysteria due to their enormous popularity.
• The public were introduced to the contraceptive pill; this was believed to encourage teenagers to have safe sex. Music videos also had a knock-on effect as they became much more sexually suggestive.

1970's

Black Sabbath

• The Beatles disband in 1970 millions of fans left devastated and heartbroken. 1977 Elvis Presley was pronounced dead; thousands of people gather outside Graceland to view his open casket.
• Metal Bands like "Black Sabbath" started to emerge into the media, this was a new kind of rock that no one had witnessed previously.
• Anarchy threatens society the public are scared.
• US retreat from the front line in Vietnam which lead to many protests against the U.S government as the population see this a cowardly as the American people died for them. One genre created from these protests was Punk.

1980's

Michael Jackson

• The Pop genre is created with acts such as Michael Jackson, Madonna and Whitney Houston.
• Popular bands of the 80s include: AC/DC, Queen, U2, Def Leppard, Bon Jovi, Metallica and Duran Duran.
• The famous Guns N' Roses formed and Aerosmith made a comeback producing some of there greatest hits.
• Michael Jackson reentered the scene as a solo artist and recorded one of his most well-known albums "Thriller" which sold over 65 million copies worldwide. Others like Prince, Madonna and Whitney Houston were also successful artists at the time but out in the shadow of Michael Jackson.
• Michael Jackson had the first ever African American music video to be aired on MTV.
• Drugs burst back into the circulation of the public due to the availability. 
• Aids was final recognized by the world when Queen's Freddie Mercury was diagnosed with the disease.

1990's

N.W.A

• 1991- Freddie Mercury final died of AIDS after battling with the disease for six years. He did not let his illness stop him from doing what he loved and continued to perform during the six years.
• The invention of the Rap genre is founded by the N.W.A. which consists of Dr Dre, Ice Cube, Easy-E, Arabian Prince, DJ Yella and MC Ren. They were also a group formed through protest due to the American Police Force at the time segregating them and other African Americans at the time. Other famous rappers of the time include: Snoop Dog, Tupac, Eminem, Nelly, Jay Z, Kanye West and 50 Cent. 
• The Rap of this period is a form of non-violent protest which promotes African American rights and a lot of profanity. These rappers were mainly black, however Eminem became the first white rapper of the time and became a instant hit with the black and white communities.
• One of the biggest protests of the era was over Nelson Mandela's release  from prison in 1991 after fighting apartheid in South Africa. His sentence lasted twenty-seven years. Mandela later became the president of South Africa in 1994 and retired in 1999.

2000's

Miley Cyrus

• R&B is created with such songs as "U Know What's Up" by Donell Jones and  "Separated" by Avant. R&B derived from the two current genres of Rap and Pop.
• 11th of September 2001 - the terrorist attack on America that lead to two commercial planes flying into the World Trade Centre this gadgetry horrified the world which lead to the current president of American at the time (George. W. Bush) to invade Iraq and Afghanistan.
• The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan has also had a negative and paranoid effect on our society as  Muslims or many Middle Eastern cultures are stereotypically seen as resembling a terrorist.
• The genre of Grime is created as a sub-genre of rap however is described as more street.
• Music videos start to become more sexualised and violent depending on the genre. The pop genre has the more sexualised content with artists like Miley Cyrus using their body to get attention and not base it of their talent, which in Cyrus' case is very limited. The rap and grime contains the more gory imagery as the lyrics are still about protest and hatred.