Remember your favorite song in high school? We will listen to and examine songs that made the Billboard charts between 1964 and 1970, understanding both their personal import and their connection to the social issues of the day. The purpose is to recover what each song meant to us as individuals, members of social groups, and participants in society as a whole. The intention is to foster a sense of community within the group, even if we differ in our evaluations of the songs. For some, a particular song may have defined their adolescence positively; for others, the song may remind them of how challenging growing up can be.

Format: The songs will be organized into categories (“Romantic Break-Ups,” “Alienation from Society,” “Personal Appearance,” “Popular Dances,” “Friendships,” and a whole host of others.) The coordinator will make available a list of songs in each category. The songs can be accessed online through Spotify, iTunes, or other sources. Prior to the first week, the coordinator will send the list of categories and dates. Participants should sign up for the category they wish and lead a discussion on the topic during the session. Feel free to pair up with another class member. Your task is simply to listen to as many of the songs as you can before we meet and come prepared to talk about your reactions to them.

Resources/Expenses: None, except possibly joining an online music service.

Coordinator: Greg Elliott is a lifelong aficionado of popular music, especially the Rock & Roll (1954-1963) and Classic Rock (1964-1970) Eras. He has an extensive collection of 45s, vinyl LPs, and digitized music, and enjoys listening to Oldies and sharing the memories inspired by them.