Youth Movements: Introduction

i. Introduction.
ii. New Suits & New Songs.
iii. Fire 'n' Skill.
iv. A Home of Our Own.
v. Seize the Time.

Introduction

One unique aspect of U.K. youth is its love affair with music. Styles that have moved around the world were picked up by British youth first. If British teenagers were dancing to the reggae rhythm in the late sixties, then, apart from in its West Indian homeland, nobody else was – it wasn’t until the Nineties that reggae in any form found popular success in the United States. Likewise, in decades later, obscure forms of music such as House and Techno were taken from small clubs in Chicago and Detroit, adapted to fit the British scene, and then resold to the world to become global phenomenon’s – just as much as much as the Rolling Stones and others adapted and then sold back the Blues to an American audience in the Sixties and Seventies.
From the mid-Fifties to the mid-Eighties a succession of youth movements was embraced by generations of youngsters – there has not been an era for adolescence like it before or since.
The Fifties Teds were followed by Sixties Mods and Rockers, which led into Hippies and Skinheads, and then in late Seventies Punks, Rude Boys and revivals of all that had come before. All had their own distinct style of dress and music, with associated degrees of violence and drug taking.
They became, for those involved, obsessive ways of life that would take up all spare time and wages. Interest usually started at 15 or 16 and would continue until their early twenties when commitment to work and interest in girls became a bigger priority. Marriage then very rarely happened later that 21 so there was an adolescence gap before the expected obligation.
For the first time in modern history the youth had relative freedom – both financially and morally. There was a gap – the teenage gap – between leaving school and adult responsibility and they would find themselves working but living at home with parents and so with money to spend.
At the centre of this youth explosion both nationally and at various times internationally, was London – it was from here that many new styles and tastes developed and grew. This was partly down to the white youth who embraced modernity with relish, but also down to the influence of groups such as Jewish lads, Italians and West Indian’s who were living and settled in the capital.
Harold Hill was a part of London – the ties between the two areas were strong. Many of the young people still had friends and family living further in, others worked or went to college closer to the centre, while many enjoyed regular nights out in the West End. The crossover of ideas and taste was a continuous process.

Youth Movements
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	i. Introduction. ii. New Suits & New Songs. iii. Fire 'n' Skill. iv. A Home of Our Own. v. Seize the Time. Introduction One unique aspect of U.K. youth is its love affair with music. Styles that have moved around the world were picked up by British youth first. If British teenagers were dancing to the reggae rhythm in the late sixties, then, apart from in its West Indian homeland, nobody else was – it wasn’t until the Nineties that reggae in any form found popular success in the United States. Likewise, in decades later, obscure forms of music such as House and Techno were taken from small clubs in Chicago and Detroit, adapted to fit the British scene, and then resold to the world to become global phenomenon’s – just as much as much as the Rolling Stones and others adapted and then sold back the Blues to an American audience in the Sixties and Seventies. From the mid-Fifties to the mid-Eighties a succession of youth movements was embraced by generations of youngsters – there has not been an era for adolescence like it before or since. The Fifties Teds were followed by Sixties Mods and Rockers, which led into Hippies and Skinheads, and then in late Seventies Punks, Rude Boys and revivals of all that had come before. All had their own distinct style of dress and music, with associated degrees of violence and drug taking. They became, for those involved, obsessive ways of life that would take up all spare time and wages. Interest usually started at 15 or 16 and would continue until their early twenties when commitment to work and interest in girls became a bigger priority. Marriage then very rarely happened later that 21 so there was an adolescence gap before the expected obligation. For the first time in modern history the youth had relative freedom – both financially and morally. There was a gap – the teenage gap – between leaving school and adult responsibility and they would find themselves working but living at home with parents and so with money to spend. At the centre of this youth explosion both nationally and at various times internationally, was London – it was from here that many new styles and tastes developed and grew. This was partly down to the white youth who embraced modernity with relish, but also down to the influence of groups such as Jewish lads, Italians and West Indian’s who were living and settled in the capital. Harold Hill was a part of London – the ties between the two areas were strong. Many of the young people still had friends and family living further in, others worked or went to college closer to the centre, while many enjoyed regular nights out in the West End. The crossover of ideas and taste was a continuous process.