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An exploration of Anarcho-Punk artists and the political, economic, and social movements in 1980s America.
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ABOUT THE PROJECT
THE IDEA
The sub-genre of punk, Anarcho-punk, is filled with anger towards the government, attacks on political agendas, and disruptions of social norms. These artists are producing their music as a counter-cultural response to the events during this time period, giving voice to concerns that otherwise may not be heard.
THE GOAL
The goal of this project is to analyze Anarcho-punk music released by major groups in the 1980s and place them within the context of the political, economic, and social contexts of the time.
THE EXECUTION
This project was completed by choosing eight influential Anarcho-Punk artists that were popular in the 1980s and analyzing the song lyrics from three of their most popular songs. Information regarding the political, economic, and social context in the US was then used to in conjunciton with the analyzed music to get a full picture of the era and the statements that the artists were making with their music.
THE PROCESS
1. The top eight Anarcho-Punk rock groups active during the 1980s were chosen based on the highest numbers of monthly listeners on Spotify.​
This included bands from the United States, Great Britain, and Canada. While this project primarily focuses on the historical context in the U.S., bands from other countries were widely listened to in the U.S. and reflect common themes and mindsets of the time period.
2. The top three songs from each group released during the 1980s were chosen based on the highest number of total listens on Spotify.
3. The chosen songs were then analyzed for common themes, symbolism, and historical references.
The specific areas of interest were, but not limited to, political, economic, and social references made by the artists. Song meanings were determined through online research as well as personal interpretation. Commentary by others on music forums was considered, but not relied on.
4. Through research done online as well as from print material, a general historical context of 1980s America was put together in order to understand the intentions of the artists.
When specific historical events could be traced back to song lyrics, it was mentioned in the analysis.
5. Songs were then organized by common themes (political, economic, and cultural) to get the full picture Anarcho-punk genre within the 1980s time period.
Many songs had multiple themes and were therefore placed in multiple categories when appropriate.
6. This project was completed over a two month time period beginning in October 2018 and was completed on December 3, 2018.