I wish I was a punk rocker (with flowers in my hair)
28 June 2006
Sandi Thom's new hit "I wish I was a punk rocker (with flowers in my hair)" suggests a longing for a bygone age. An age with "revolution in the air". An age she was born too late for.
Retro is hip to use a term from the sixties. Today even young people are looking back!
The magic of the sixties was that there seemed a real possibility that society could change for the better, in ways that really mattered. And, yes, there were changes. Modern life was born in the sixties. Social conventions were scrapped and taboos broken down. Even the Internet had its beginnings in the 60s.
Today, we have seen the return of religious hatred and environmental concerns not addressed in the past have come back to haunt us. In the sixties we looked to the East for new age philosophy. Today it's cheap imports and call centres. There does not seem much to be cheerful about.
2006 is becoming the Retro Summer
We are lapping up the style of the sixties and seventies. Are we rejecting the values of today and going back to the 60s and 70s?
Sandi Thom's record is a wistful longing to go back to '69 and '77. Like most popular culture it mixes and matches the past, but it's still a great song - an anthem for today's retro culture.
Go to:
- www.sandithom.com [you might need a flash plugin]
- Summer of '67
- Back to the 70s