The radical left and popular music in the 1960s

Abstract

The 1960s was ‘an era of social and cultural change’ (Sandbrook, 2010, p. 200), at the heart of which was popular music, performed by young people for young people. By the middle of the decade, popular music had developed into a major social and economic force and had gained a certain degree of legitimacy, as is evidenced by Harold Wilson’s controversial decision to decorate the Beatles in 1965. However, wedded to notions of respectability, the Labour Party was unable to engage with a phenomenon which was increasingly associated with embarrassing activities such as drug-taking, and with outlandish appearances. Sensing a political opportunity in the changing mood of the country’s youth, sections of the radical left attempted to reach out to popular musicians and their fans. This chapter will suggest that there were two basic attitudes exemplified by the clumsy efforts of the Young Communist League (YCL) and the more sustained activities of parts of the New Left, which courted Mick Jagger and developed, at least temporarily, a working relationship with John Lennon. It will be argued that this tentative encounter between musicians and left-wing activists was the result of the inability of Labour to appeal to musicians and was the product of the changing cultural and political context. Moreover, it influenced future initiatives such as Rock Against Racism (RAR) in the late 1970s.