Episode 21: Rockin' the Vote: 70s Rock and Politics
PLAYLIST
“Give Peace a Chance” by John Lennon (1969)
“Imagine” by John Lennon (1971)
“Stoney End” by Barbra Streisand (1971)
“Listen to the Music” by The Doobie Brothers (1972)
“Clap for the Wolfman” by The Guess Who (1974)
“One Way Out” by The Allman Brothers Band (1972)
SHOW NOTES
This episode looks at the 26th Amendment and how rock music was used to try to lure new young voters.
00:58 Amy gives a brief history of the ratification of the 26th Amendment, which lowered the voting age from 21 to 18. It came in the wake of young American fighting and dying in Vietnam. The average of American soldiers in Vietnam was 19, so it may have been the collective conscience of the nation that helped push the amendment through Congress.
03:10 The Beach Boys did a series of PSAs in 1971 to encourage newly eligible voters to register to vote. Amy plays two of them.
04:10 The 1972 election was the first that permitted 18, 19, and 20 year-olds to vote. It was Richard Nixon vs. George McGovern (Shirley Chisholm ran too, and she was the first African American to seek a major party nomination for president.)
05:20 Amy runs down some of the political activism highlights of John Lennon and Yoko Ono in the late 60s and early 70s. “Give Peace a Chance” was recorded at John and Yoko’s bed-in at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal in 1969. This song becomes a global anthem for peace.
08:25 Lennon released another peace anthem in 1971: “Imagine.” For that matter, “Happy Xmas (War is Over)” was also released in 1971.
10:45 John and Yoko performed at a concert in Ann Arbor, Michigan in December 1971 for the political activist and musician John Sinclair, who sold two joints to undercover police officers and was facing 10 years in prison. The Monday morning following that show, which also featured Stevie Wonder and Bob Seger, Sinclair was suddenly released. The New York Daily News published an article that pointed out the potential power of the youth vote.
12:53 Lennon discussed doing an anti-Nixon tour in 1972. This did not happen because his outspoken ways got the attention of the FBI, helped along by the noted racist and right wing conservative, Senator Strom Thurmond. Lennon’s 1968 marijuana arrest would keep him from getting his green card and have him facing deportation for several years.
15:04 Would fans at rock concerts care about politics or did they just want to hear the music?
15:45 Warren Beatty organized the Rock ‘n Rhetoric concerts across the nation that were either pro-George McGovern rallies or anti-Richard Nixon rallies, depending on how you wanted to look at them. He convinced his famous friends to serve as ushers. For $100, Jack Nicholson would usher you to your seat at the Los Angeles Forum to hear Carole King, James Taylor, and Barbra Streisand. Streisand was a major score because she wasn’t doing live performances at that time. Amy plays “Stoney End” to give a sample of the new Streisand sound.
19:40 Did Streisand have any regrets about supporting McGovern, who lost the election in a landslide? No! Amy plays a clip of Streisand’s remarks at a ceremony honoring Warren Beatty as proof.
20:50 Beatty raised hundreds of thousands of dollars money McGovern, which was the first time that the power of famous bands and singers was harnessed in this way for a specific candidate.
21:30 The late-night music variety show, “Midnight Special “was borne out of the 26th Amendment. The pilot aired in August 1972, which was a 90-minute special that focused on encouraging young people to vote. John Denver hosted the pilot and was joined by Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Cass Elliot to sing “Leaving on a Jet Plane” after she encouraged young people to get out and vote.
24:15 Burt Sugarman had to pay for the pilot out of his own pocket. but it was picked up as a regular series, debuting in 1973. It was on the air until 1981 and showed that, in an era when most networks signed off at 1 a.m., late night television could be successful. It came on at midnight or 1 a.m. on Fridays, depending on your time zone.
26:10 “Midnight Special” provided an opportunity for fans to see singers and bands that they would not ordinarily get to see. The Doobie Brothers made their TV debut on Episode 4. Many rock bands were worried about how they were going to sound, since they were not lip synching on this show. Amy played the Doobies’ live performance of “Listen to the Music” from that episode, which didn’t sound bad at all.
31:30 Wolfman Jack, the show’s announcer, was already a radio icon. Amy plays a clip of Wolfman Jack’s radio show to give a sample of his unique style.
32:35 Wolfman was such a star that in 1974, The Guess Who wrote a hit song about him: “Clap for the Wolfman.”
34:30 The Allman Brothers Band released “One Way Out” on Eat a Peach in 1972. Four years later they opened a concert with that song but before they did that, they were introduced by presidential hopeful Jimmy Carter. How does this happen? Well, it happens when Carter is friends with the president of Capricorn Records. (Full disclosure: Carter did become good friends with Gregg Allman.)
36:53 Record label executives began to use their authority to get bands to perform at concerts for candidates. Did the fans that went to these shows care about the candidates or were they just there for the music? Fans at concerts for Jerry Brown and Jimmy Carter were asked to “donate” the ticket fees to the campaign, making those fees eligible for matching federal funds
39:40 Amy plays a Marky Mark PSA for Rock the Vote from 1992. The task of getting young people to vote, as well as the debate over the relationship between celebrities and politics continues.
SOURCES
“The Allman Brothers Band live 1976 - One Way Out (with intro by Jimmy Carter).” You Tube. March 9, 2020. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHuFTFwN3xg
American Film Institute. “Barbra Streisand & Senator George McGovern Salute Warren Beatty.” YouTube. January 8, 2010. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVT1rpFAPGQ
“THE BEACH BOYS - Register to Vote PSA - 1971” You Tube. Sept. 21, 2012. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWLbtsDeC_Y
Greenberg, Peter. “A New Political Beat to Follow: Rock and Roll.” Detroit Free Press. April 23, 1972.
Greenblatt, Mike. “Producer Revisits Midnight Special TV Series.” Goldmine. February 20, 2015. https://www.goldminemag.com/features/producer-revisits-midnight-special-tv-series
Klein, Joe and Dave Marsh. “Rock Meets Politics in 1976.” Rolling Stone. September 9, 1976. https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/rock-meets-politics-in-1976-57158
Leogrande, Ernest. “Smoke Signals.” The New York Daily News. December 14, 1971.
Mastropolo, Frank. “Doobie Brothers’ Tom Johnston Reflects on ‘Listen to the Music’ at 40.” Ultimae Classic Rock. November 29, 2012. https://ultimateclassicrock.com/doobie-brothers-tom-johnston-reflects-listen-to-the-music-at-40/?utm_source=tsmclip&utm_medium=referral
“The Midnight Special 1973.” You Tube. March 20, 2018. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6bjDQ6qXYk
Parkinson, Hilary. “Records of Rights Vote: Old Enough to Fight, Old Enough to Vote.” National Archives. November 13, 2013. https://prologue.blogs.archives.gov/2013/11/13/records-of-rights-vote-old-enough-to-fight-old-enough-to-vote/
Phillips, McCandish. “Rock ‘n’ Rhetoric Rally in the Garden Aids McGovern.” The New York Times. June 15, 1972.
The US vs John Lennon. Film. Directed by David Leaf and John Scheinfeld. 2006.
Wiener, Jon. “Rocking the Youth Vote - From 1972 - 2004.” The Nation. October 7, 2004. https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/rocking-youth-vote-1972-2004/tnamp/
”Wolfman Jack! Howlin’ on the Air Part 1.” You Tube. July 13, 2013. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WiFAYQBZG7M