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VIDEOAmerican Idol: Sign of Social Mood?
Kris Allen's victory a sign that Americans long for optimism.
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David has 12 years of diverse management experience in strategy, corporate finance, venture capital, branding, and marketing. David has worked with leading organizations, such as NBC, Comcast, Lifetime, USAA, and Habitat for Humanity, and served as senior strategist and acting CFO for ESPN’s Publishing and New Media business units.
History will look back at 2009 as a year of transition. Great financial experiments are being conducted in the labs known as Citigroup (C) and Bank of America (BAC). Instability is on the rise worldwide, the Obama era is underway, and change is in the air. Beyond the shifting global landscape, the American mindset is rapidly evolving - maybe even remaking itself entirely.
Minyanville -- one of the favorite financial websites at Sparxoo, my firm -- has gone into great depth about the importance and implications of changing social mood.
Last night's American Idol victory by acoustic teen heartthrob Kris Allen is a significant milestone in this groundswell of change. (There's a reason why it's the most-watched show on Fox (NWS)). Yes, Allen’s ballot box resembled that of Barack Obama, who racked up 69 million votes last November.
What’s the big deal? Let’s take a quick look back at music history and its correlation to global events, the economy, and social mood.
1970s
How fitting that Adam Lambert sang with Kiss, a classic American rock band that came to prominence in the mid-1970s - when a difficult economy, stagflation, and an oil shock gripped America. Thirty-five years later, America seemed primed to embrace a rock act with such a spectacular show.
1980s
In the early 1980s, the US was in a state of flux with a new president (Ronald Reagan) facing high inflation, a hostage situation and a recession. Upbeat disco of the ‘70s was dead, and gave way initially to New Wave and Artsy Punk. As America worked her way through challenges, more upbeat music -- including pop soul -- ruled the day. Madonna and Cyndi Lauper joined Michael Jackson as Billboard’s hit-makers.
1990s
Again in the early ‘90s, with the first Gulf War and another recession, the sound of music turned deeper and dirtier. The grunge scene exploded with Nirvana and Pearl Jam, and Woodstock was revived. Nine Inch Nails and industrial rock marked the peak of the edgier social mood. By the end of the decade, bubblegum pop -- led by the Back Street Boys, Nsync, and Ricky Martin -- dominated the charts. The high-energy music reflected the go-go mood as the dot-com bubble inflated.
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