The 1970s – A Decade of Decadence

 

 “Je t’aime… moi non plus” (French for “I love you… me neither”) is a French duet written by Serge Gainsbourg. It was written for and sung with Brigitte Bardot in 1967, but that version was not released until 1986. In 1969, Gainsbourg recorded a version with his lover, Jane Birkin. It reached number one in the UK, and number two in Ireland, but was banned in several countries owing to its sexual content. The song has been covered by many different artists.”

I adored my teenage years, Britain in the 70s, I had a blast; life was a gas, (Marc Bolan and T.Rex “Life’s a Gas” from the album “Electric Warrior”1971), there was so much going on, so much change and so much freedom.

So much of everything, I could write about these glorious years until the cows come home, which is why I am now on part 3!

I will add links to parts 1 and 2 at the end of this post.

The 70s was a decade of decadence; a sexual revolution, musical innovation, youth subcultures, anti-war demonstrations, protests and rebellion, and streaking (running naked through packed sports events).

Where fashion was concerned, the slogan could have been; “Anything goes”.

It was the Age of Aquarius, the inspiration for the musical “Hair”, Hair tells the story of the “tribe”, a group of politically active, hippies of the “Age of Aquarius” living a bohemian life in New York City and fighting against conscription into the Vietnam War.

 

 

The seventies was a decade of beginnings; the first Earth day celebration, the first Gay Parade in New York City, the first test tube baby, Louise Brown, and Atari introduced the Pong game, a vision of things to come!

 It was also, a decade of endings, The Beatles Split up, Elvis died and the Vietnam War finished.

 

 

The seventies was a decade of property booms, oil crises, five official states of emergency, four general elections and four Prime Ministers.

A decade of change, heat waves, haircuts and Ford Cortinas.

Maybe the most significant change was for women; Germaine Greer caused uproar with her first book, “The Female Eunuch” Published in 1970, which became an instant bestseller, a book pushing for equality and women’s rights.

 

 

As late as 1971, women were banned from going into Wimpy bars on their own after midnight, the explanation for this, being that only prostitutes were out alone at that hour.

Only eight short years later, Britain had its first woman Prime Minister; Margaret Thatcher.

Women had come a long way!

 

 

I missed the tail end of the 70’s, the last three years, as I had left England for Greece in February 1977, but oh, I heard all about the goings on there.

My father sent me letter after letter, informing me of the strikes, the unrest, inflation, no family news, just that, doom and gloom!

I was more worried about missing out on the punk rock era and Vivienne Westward; “Anarchy in the UK”.

 

 

What I didn’t miss out on though, were the countless hairstyles; pageboy, afro or long and flowing.

We all wanted to look like Farrah Fawcett and would watch hours of “Charlie’s Angels” to study how she achieved that coveted look.

 

 

Suddenly it was all about unisex, men and women wore the same clothes, used the same perfume, had the same haircut, both boys and girls had the layered, feathered,  “Rod Stewart cut”, or, “The Shag”, a most unfortunate name!

 

 

Around this time, there was a popular hair setting gel on the market; Dippity Doo, it came in either pink or green, different strengths I suppose, it left your hair wonderfully  stiff and crunchy!

 

 

I’m sure Marc Bolan, of “Telegram Sam” fame, with his unruly, shaggy corkscrew curls, must have secretly bought this by the ton!

 

 

 The 70s were all about Glam Rock; David Bowie, Elton John, Rod Stewart and many, many more.

 

 

You weren’t hip if you didn’t have the right gear:  platform shoes, flared trousers, leopard skin, snakeskin and fur, all accompanied by copious amounts of glitter, shiny was the name of the game.

 

 

Biba was all the rage, Biba, created by Barbara Hulanicki, from a mail order company in the 60s, to global phenomenon of the 70s.

“I love old things. Modern things are so cold.
I need things that have lived.”
Barbara Hulanicki

 

 

Laura Ashley, a welsh secretary, living in London, started out making napkins, tea towels and tablecloths, in an attic in Pimlico, before going global with her romantic floral prints.

 

 

Kate Bush wowed us.

 

 

 Blondie, aka Debbie Harry, wore double denim.

 

 

“Nothing has changed much since the 70s, women need to shrug off criticism,
as I did, back in the day”
Debbie Harry

Ossie Clarke, 70s Designer, from “Up North” in Salford, who met his untimely death at the age of 54, when he was stabbed to death by his former Italian lover, Diego Cogolato,  gave us bohemian flair.

 

 

Gypsy wanderlust reigned.

 

 

“Luckily, I was raised by a kind of gypsy family,
which is why I always got on better with people who worked in circuses,
than with other kinds of actors.
My mum was so carefree with us in a beautiful way. We were used to sleeping anywhere”

Lou Doillon, daughter of Jane Birkin and sister of Charlotte Gainsbourg.

The 70’s began minus two heartthrobs; two idols who were no longer “available”.

 

 

In 1969, not one, but two members of The Beatles had the audacity to get married!

That was the beginning of the end for The Beatles.

 

 

Highlights of The 70s

1970

 

 

The first floppy disk is introduced.

Egyptian President Nasser Dies and is replaced by Anwar el Sadat.

 

1971

 

 

Mick Jagger married Bianca in St. Tropez, France.

 

1972

 

 

Terrorists attack the Olympic Games in Munich.

Watergate scandal begins.

 

1973

 

 

 

Paul Getty kidnapped.

U.S pulls out of Vietnam.

 

1974

 

 

Patty Hearst kidnapped.

Mikhail Baryshnikov defects from U.S.S.R.

 

1975

 

 

Arthur Ashe is the first Afro-American to win Wimbledon.

Microsoft is founded.

I met MGG (My Greek God).

 

1976

 

 

Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot becomes prime minister (and virtual dictator) of Cambodia after Prince Sihanouk steps down.

Israeli commandos attack Uganda’s Entebbe Airport and free 103 hostages held by pro-Palestinian hijackers of Air France plane.

 

1977

 

 

Elvis Presley dies.

Marc Bolan Dies.

I swapped England for Greece.

 

1978

 

 

Mother Teresa wins The Nobel Peace Prize.

Sony introduces the Walkman.

 

1979

 

 

Shah leaves Iran after years of turmoil. Ayatollah Khomeini takes over.

Conservatives win British election; Margaret Thatcher becomes new prime minister.

And thus we leave the phantasmagorical 70s, and head towards the 80s, towards an era of big hair, shoulder pads and filofax.

I had all three!

 

Related Posts:

The 1970s – Growing up in Leeds – Yorkshire

A 1970s Christmas in Leeds – Yorkshire