Pop culture decades as opposed to calendar decades

Cafe Society
1

We all have pop cultural associations with particular decades, but the associations we have don’t necessarily match up with the calendar.

I’ve always thought that the associations one has with the Fifties–innocence coupled with Cold War paranoia, the advent of Rock and Roll, and the more popular TV shows–would be better defined as somewhere between 1953-1954 (Elvis and the Sun sessions) and 1963-1964 (the Kennedy assassination/the Beatles arrive in the US).

As for the Sixties, let’s say from 1963 to 1973 (Nixon resigning, US withdrawal from Vietnam).

Seventies: 1973 to around 1982, when the recession ended, MTV debuted, and John Hughes started directing.

Eighties: 1982 to 1991, when the next recession started, Bush v.41 began floundering, and Nirvana released Nevermind.

Nineties: 1991 to Sept. 11 2001.
Going backwards from the Fifties:

Forties: 1941-1952, with 1 1/2 year interregnum (wars hot, cold, and hot).

Thirties: 1929-1939, with another interregnum while the US was waiting for the war to come to it.

Twenties: 1919-1929.

Teens: Not too sure here, but I’d assume something like 1909-1918 (Post-Roosevelt, pre-war era).

Naughts: 1901-1909 (era of Roosevelt and the Progressives).

Additions, expositions, corrections? How do you define your favorite decade?

2

Nixon resigned in '74, and I’d say the '90s began with Clinton’s campaign in early '92 – but otherwise I pretty much agree.

3

i’ve divided them into these categories, not necessarily pop culture, but it is heavily influenced by it.

20’s: 1920-1929: this is convenient because of the stock market crash.
30’s: 1930-1941: the Great Depression and isolationism didnt really end 'till ww2.
40’s: 1941-1945: world war 2.
50’s: 1946-1963: Yeah, it was a long decade, but this is how I percieve it, not necessarily how others do. I know that Rock and/or Roll intruded in the middle of this, but other than that, I dont really see much cultural difference between end of ww2 and the Beatles.
60’s: 1963-1970: 60’s in my mind started with the Beatles and ended with Kent State. Yes, there was still a lot of musical change to occur till the “Musical 70s” but everything after that was tinged with a sense of worthlessness and despair as to contrast with the hopeful 60’s.
70s: 1970-1980: Again, we have a happy coincidence here: The election of Ronald Reagan, inciting the “greed is good” era, coincided with the onset of the Video Game Explosion. 1980 is totally pegged as the start of the 80s.
80s:1980-1990: Yes, Nirvana may have finally busted through with Nevermind on the cusp of 1992, but stuff in the preceding 2 years, such as NIN and RHCP, is still extremely modern by comparison with the then-faltering Hairband movement.
90s:1991-2001: it’s obvious that the 90s ended on 9/11/2001 :frowning:

4

I can only speak for the decades I’ve lived through, but here is my take one it:

60’s: ran from approximately 1965 to 1973.

70’s: Once we pulled out of Vietnam the 70’s started. They went from 1973 to 1980.

80’s: The 1980’s started the night Reagan was elected.

90’s: The 90’s started when Iraq invaded Kuwait and we decided to go to war.

I agree that the 90’s–and for that matter, the whole century–ended on Sept. 11, 2001.

5

I dunno, maybe the day he was inaugurated (Jan. 20, 1981), since the Iran hostages were released at that very hour, or close to it. But I seem to recall “Morning in America” not really kicking off until after the 1982 midterms

I disagree–I saw the Gulf War as the culmination of the 80s military buildup and geopolitical maneuvering, at least in terms of popular perceptions at the time. Moreover, the Soviet Union lasted until December 1991, several months after the Gulf War ended, and Bill Clinton didn’t become a household name (as far as I can remember) until sometime in the presidential primary season the following spring. So I stand by 1992.
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My reference points are mainly political, I guess, but I’m hoping for some perspective in terms of wider popular perceptions–which manifest themselves through pop culture, not only elections.