Peace Symbol and Music
"When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace." ~ Jimi Hendrix
The late 1960’s and early 1970’s experienced an overwhelming rush of peace-seeking hippies. They first exploded into the music scene in 1967 in San Francisco, where a “Human Be-In” was hosted to join people in love and peace. The symbol was present on posters, buttons and clothing (Kosbun, 94). Music events, band posters and concert venues like the Fillmore all contained the peace symbol in psychedelic colors with swirling backgrounds. Many album cover designs also contained the design of the peace symbol, such as the Grateful Dead poster below (Miles, 175).
(www.artknowledgenews.com)
Events such as the Summer of Love and Woodstock Nation were “embodiments of the peace symbol”; they stood for love and unity (Kosbun, 102). These musical events were described as “an Eden” where people could free their souls and come together in an anti-war setting (Kosbun, 102). As the Vietnam War was in full action, music transformed during the 1970’s. Artists like John Lennon began singing to unite people with peace. Songs like “Imagine” and "Give Peace a Chance" urged the population to stop fighting and love one another. Music provided another community for people to unite in and present the symbol as their visual representation of ideas.
“All We are saying is give peace a chance.” ~ John Lennon
(www.news.bbc.co.uk)
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