From Glam Rock to New Wave
How music in my youth shaped my style and attitudes
In the 1970s, Top of the Pops was the British youth’s chance to see what the artists performing the current tunes looked like. At my house on a Thursday night my older siblings were allowed to leave the dinner table early to watch the show. This sharpened my appetite for the songs which I was hearing blasting from their bedrooms — music more raw and exciting than what my mum played on her Roberts radio.
My eldest sibling had an attic bedroom, its sloping walls were crowded with posters pulled out of Melody Maker (a publication about bands and music). On the rare occasion I was invited in I sat quietly, almost overwhelmed by the volume at which the music was played. I’d gaze excitedly round at images of their favourite glam rock artists, Bowie, Roxy Music, Marc Bolan and Alice Cooper. When I heard Life on Mars played, the snatches of lyrics I could grasp were both bewildering and exciting, School’s Out spoke directly to me that summer.
I was given a transistor radio for my birthday so I spent the summer listening to current tunes. Because that year was a scorcher, heat and sunlight are forever entwined in my memory with the tracks I heard that year. I felt excited when Sugar Baby Love by the Rubettes hit the number 1 spot.
When I was allowed to hurry my meal on Thursday nights and leave the table to watch Top of the Pops and I was fascinated by Donny Osmond and the Rubettes’ lead singer, both wore a cap and had a dreamy look in their eyes. Feeling more kinship to this style of music, my love of glam rock began to wane.
At boarding school, radios & tape players were not allowed, but in the evenings, we could use the record player in the gym. The result was that my music taste was moulded by what music my peers bought. I discovered a love of the Beatles because one girl shared her older sister’s records, but more current favourites became Howzat by Sherbet, Substitute by Clout. Ma Baker by Boney M, was a track I loved for it’s ‘dangerous’ Bonnie and Clyde theme and the guy’s deep voice, contrasting with the female harmonies.
Roll on a couple of years — I was bold enough to sneak a radio to school. It was necessary to hide it in case of dormitory inspections (which could happen without warning, you might even be in lessons). To my teenage brain, music seemed as necessary as food and water to survive!
Tuesday nights, after lights out, we music lovers pressed radios to our ears, listening to the patchy broadcasting as Radio Luxembourg counted down the charts. There were thrilling new releases and I tried hard to stay awake to find who’d reached number 1. Hong Kong Garden by Siouxsie and the Banshees, You make me Feel (Mighty Real) by Sylvester, Boogie Oogie Oogie by Taste of Honey.
I owned a basic record player, so I treated myself to singles such as Wow by Kate Bush, Making Plans for Nigel by XTC, Lucky Number by Lene Lovitch. My first boyfriend bought me Dance Away by Roxy Music, which I still love today.
Hormones took hold, bringing to my notice lyrics that said less about love and more about frustration and lust. These grabbed my attention; they struck a chord with what was happening inside me. Kiss you All Over by Exile, 7Teen by The Regents, Different for Girls by Joe Jackson and (still a favourite) My Sharona by the Knack.
It felt freeing to sing along to more risque lyrics and at night, if I got the urge for furtive pleasure, rather than thinking: “this is wrong” or “my parents would disapprove,” my mindset was “this must be healthy — everybody’s doing it”.
I was keen to join in with the old Musically Ranting for the prompt of the 70s because that decade provided so many icons and influencers and much to discover. I enjoy when music takes me on a new journey, but it’s as much fun when it refreshes happy memories of times past.
Using my link to get membership to Medium directly supports me, plus giving you access to all its great content. Subscribe to my email so that new stories I post come directly to your inbox.