Music has always been an essential part of our lives. Through the years, it had its iconic moments that people still talk about to this day. Here are four of those memorable moments in music history.
The Beatles Plays at The Ed Sullivan Show
During the 1960s, The Beatles stormed into the music scene. The band was formed in 1964 and initially gained fame locally in the UK. They eventually achieved international fame in a phenomenon known in the music industry as the British Invasion, much to their credit. They would later capture the hearts of Baby Boomers from around the world, which was very apparent when they appeared in The Ed Sullivan Show.
On February 9 of 1964, The Beatles performed three songs, starting with All My Lovin’. They were met with the screams and jubilations of teenage girl fans. Just 50 seconds into their performance, the camera panned towards the audience, who looked over-joyed and even appeared hyperventilating with excitement. It was a manifestation of the degree of success The Beatles had achieved. It was estimated that over 73 million Americans watched tuned in to The Ed Sullivan Show to watch them perform that day.
A Turning Point for MTV
MTV practically changed the game in the music industry. Before, all people had were the radio and their local record stores. Then, during the 1980s, tons and tons of people tuned in to MTV to get their music fix. Its broadcast started on the first of August 1981. They aptly kicked things off with Video Killed the Radio Star by the Buggles.
It wasn’t an overnight success for MTV. Though the broadcast network wasn’t lacking ininvestment money, there weren’t too many music videos available during those years. Luckily for them, that soon changed. MTV then turned to R&B artists such as Prince and Michael Jackson. They were a big hit, and soon MTV was on the rise as well. Slowly but surely, Madonna, Whitney Houston, and Duran Duran joined the ranks of the R&B greats. The channel became a cultural phenomenon that became a significant part of the lives of an entire generation.
Michael Jackson’s Moonwalk
To the eternal credit of Michael, he will always be one of the best performers to have graced the music industry stage. Over three decades ago, he performed one of his most iconic dance moves in music history – the moonwalk. It was on the TV special Motown 25: Yesterday, Today Forever, he performed Billie Jean, and though it was only over two seconds of the performance, he did his maiden moonwalk.
Michael is known for doing his choreography. To the surprise of many, the moonwalk isn’t actually a Michael Jackson original. The move is akin to professional dancer Derek Cooley Jaxson’s backslide motions on Solid Gold and Soul Train. Michael’s manager got in touch with Derek and got him to teach Micheal his moves. At first, the pop star wasn’t feeling it, but soon enough, he made the choreography his own and added his signature flair to it.
Bob Dylan and his Electric Guitar
Talking about the cultural impact of music in society, Bob Dylan would surely come to mind. He is one of the greatest musicians in history, and his music has touched the hearts and lives of people worldwide since 1961. He is a folk artist whose music was geared towards the romantic with a degree of political undertones.
In 1965, at the Newport Folk Festival, he shocked the world, and I’m guessing, even himself. He motioned for the roadies to hand him his electric guitar – a Fender Stratocaster. To the surprise of everyone, he eventually got booed off the stage. Some say it was because of poor audio quality, but to some, they believe that he was booed because he was trying to be a rock star with his electric guitar when he has portrayed himself to be a folk singer.
