This is a mini paper (about 2 pages) that I wrote for my American Film History class. We were told to write about music in a film of our choosing, and I chose to write about Dennis Hopper's 1969 film Easy Rider.
One of the most iconic films of the sixties, Easy Rider (Hopper, 1969) explores the counterculture movement that involved a separation from traditional ways of living into a more liberal, free-spirited lifestyle that involved drugs, sex, and – you guessed it – rock ‘n roll. Not only is the film unique because of its influence from French New Wave films, specifically Godard’s Breathless, and its subject matter, which previous filmmakers had been reluctant to focus on, Easy Rider features a brilliant soundtrack that adds meaning and agency to the film, specifically to the scenes in which these songs are played. Since the only non-diegetic music in the film is from the soundtrack, which consists of ten songs, all from the rock genre, the scenes in which music is played become all the more striking. The rock-heavy soundtrack uses the music of The Byrds, Steppenwolf, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, and other rock artists to set the tone and influence the audience’s reactions to what they’re seeing play out onscreen.
The first song of film, “The Pusher” by Steppenwolf, plays a few minutes in, right after Billy and Wyatt finish up a coke deal and are getting ready to set off on their bikes. The song is about a drug pusher who cares little for anyone but himself. There is a line that says, “Well, now if I were the president of this land/You know, I’d declare total war on The Pusher man, I’d cut him if he stands/Yes I’d kill him with my Bible and my razor and my gun.” These verses seem to be referencing the conservative part of society that abhorred the emerging hippy culture and their way of living. This song fits in perfectly with the beginning of the film because it introduces the audience to these two rebels who clearly do not have any desire to be chained down to a traditional lifestyle. They use drugs to get by (both by selling and consuming them), and their only goal seems to be to experience as much as possible and live life without responsibility.
Another example is from later in the film, when Wyatt, Billy, and George are riding down the highway, George on the back of Wyatt’s motorcycle, while the song “If You Want To Be A Bird” by The Holy Modal Rounders is playing. The song is about breaking free from a life of restrictions, as one can gather from the lyrics: “If you want to be a bird/Why don’t you try a little flying … Why be shackled to your feet/When you’ve got wings/You haven’t used yet.” Like “The Pusher,” this song fits in well with Wyatt and Billy’s lifestyle, as they never allow themselves to be tied down to any one place. They bike across the country, meeting different people and experiencing new things, and they don’t let the pressure of society’s expectations of how a person should live hold them back. This song encompasses their entire approach to life, and it also shows their influence on George and his subsequent desire, after experiencing the way they live, to live a more relaxed and carefree life. At one point in the scene, the three of them are flapping their arms up and down like wings as they ride, showing a literal connection between them and the song. They are both literally and figuratively acting like birds, which is what makes this song choice so perfect.
Music plays an important role in films, and Easy Rider is no exception. The two examples above show that the songs in the film add subtext through which the audience can better understand the story and its messages. Each of the ten songs provides the audience with supplemental commentary on what is happening while simultaneously setting the tone for the scene. Also, the fact that the soundtrack is comprised solely of rock songs gives the film a fun, easy-going feel. The soundtrack is most definitely one of the reasons Easy Rider is and always will be an American classic and a perfect representation of the counterculture movement and the ideals by which these free-spirited people lived their lives.
One of the most iconic films of the sixties, Easy Rider (Hopper, 1969) explores the counterculture movement that involved a separation from traditional ways of living into a more liberal, free-spirited lifestyle that involved drugs, sex, and – you guessed it – rock ‘n roll. Not only is the film unique because of its influence from French New Wave films, specifically Godard’s Breathless, and its subject matter, which previous filmmakers had been reluctant to focus on, Easy Rider features a brilliant soundtrack that adds meaning and agency to the film, specifically to the scenes in which these songs are played. Since the only non-diegetic music in the film is from the soundtrack, which consists of ten songs, all from the rock genre, the scenes in which music is played become all the more striking. The rock-heavy soundtrack uses the music of The Byrds, Steppenwolf, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, and other rock artists to set the tone and influence the audience’s reactions to what they’re seeing play out onscreen.
The first song of film, “The Pusher” by Steppenwolf, plays a few minutes in, right after Billy and Wyatt finish up a coke deal and are getting ready to set off on their bikes. The song is about a drug pusher who cares little for anyone but himself. There is a line that says, “Well, now if I were the president of this land/You know, I’d declare total war on The Pusher man, I’d cut him if he stands/Yes I’d kill him with my Bible and my razor and my gun.” These verses seem to be referencing the conservative part of society that abhorred the emerging hippy culture and their way of living. This song fits in perfectly with the beginning of the film because it introduces the audience to these two rebels who clearly do not have any desire to be chained down to a traditional lifestyle. They use drugs to get by (both by selling and consuming them), and their only goal seems to be to experience as much as possible and live life without responsibility.
Another example is from later in the film, when Wyatt, Billy, and George are riding down the highway, George on the back of Wyatt’s motorcycle, while the song “If You Want To Be A Bird” by The Holy Modal Rounders is playing. The song is about breaking free from a life of restrictions, as one can gather from the lyrics: “If you want to be a bird/Why don’t you try a little flying … Why be shackled to your feet/When you’ve got wings/You haven’t used yet.” Like “The Pusher,” this song fits in well with Wyatt and Billy’s lifestyle, as they never allow themselves to be tied down to any one place. They bike across the country, meeting different people and experiencing new things, and they don’t let the pressure of society’s expectations of how a person should live hold them back. This song encompasses their entire approach to life, and it also shows their influence on George and his subsequent desire, after experiencing the way they live, to live a more relaxed and carefree life. At one point in the scene, the three of them are flapping their arms up and down like wings as they ride, showing a literal connection between them and the song. They are both literally and figuratively acting like birds, which is what makes this song choice so perfect.
Music plays an important role in films, and Easy Rider is no exception. The two examples above show that the songs in the film add subtext through which the audience can better understand the story and its messages. Each of the ten songs provides the audience with supplemental commentary on what is happening while simultaneously setting the tone for the scene. Also, the fact that the soundtrack is comprised solely of rock songs gives the film a fun, easy-going feel. The soundtrack is most definitely one of the reasons Easy Rider is and always will be an American classic and a perfect representation of the counterculture movement and the ideals by which these free-spirited people lived their lives.