Flower Power....

 I heard a song today for the first time in a long time...Scott McKenzie singing San Francisco..

"If you're going to San Francisco.... be sure to wear some flowers in your hair" etc., etc., Just one of the many beautiful songs from that era of peace, love, and dreams of a better future for the world in general.

The sixties and early seventies; where did it all go so wrong!

The hippie counter culture, as it was called at the time, of which the Scott McKenzie song became its ambassador, grew from people with the same beliefs of peace, love, and saying no to violence. 

The Vietnam war was indeed a nightmare for so many at the time and seemingly there was no end in sight.

Bob Dylan's "Tambourine Man"...Hair's "The Dawning of the Age of Aquarius" .."Blowing In The Wind"...The Who's "My Generation" and as they said at the time The Mamas and Pappas were "California Dreaming" along with the Beach Boys, Jan and Dean surfing and sending good vibes around the world. Making us all wish we lived in California; as did I growing up in London at the time.

And so as in the song  "The beat goes on"...and so it does, on, and on...in fact we still hear the songs of the sixties/seventies played today and they really sound as fresh now as they did back then.

Is it really so long ago? I heard about it "Through The Grapevine" as Marvin Gaye sang to us.

Beautiful and a beautiful time of peace and love. Everyone had endured enough death with Vietnam, agent orange, and bodies seen being buried daily on the TV news. Over two million deaths and what for? Indeed what for? A total waste of good young lives and enormous amounts of money spent on the weapons of war. Thankfully ending in April 1975 after lasting almost twenty years!! It was time for change,,,radical change,

Sounds familiar today even more so! 

It was also a rebellious time for youth growing up and questioning the status quo of the time. Free of the social "normal". It was the age of psychedelia and a change of pace in music and in life.

An awakening in fashion followed the changing mood, attitudes, and the new found freedom of the time and all that was reflected in colourful, vibrant clothing, beads, bells and flowers.

Woodstock music festival happened in 1969 and was a mega event...many festival goers today reflect that period of freedom and community.

The intentions were good and well meaning. People did wear flowers in their hair, wore small bells of peace round their necks..colourful clothing reflective of the time..just a period filled with many good intentions. Everyone was just war'd out...if that's even a word! 

A bit like now once again!

I often wonder where we went so wrong and the world continued down the path of wars and tribalism. Somehow missing the opportunity for world peace as was the intentional aim of the flower power movement that spread to so many countries around the world,

Of course many in the media treated it as a joke, as they do, but the intentions were there, and the intentions were good.

Maybe there is no money in peace...or is that just me being cynical? No I'm afraid that's the truth.

There is certainly no money to be made from peace... Full Stop!

Scott McKenzie is on YouTube...worth a listen. Take the time 😘