Swinging London
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Swinging London is a catchall term applied to dynamic cultural trends in the United Kingdom, centred in London, in the second half of the 1960s.
It was a youth-oriented phenomenon that emphasized the new and modern. It was a period of optimism and hedonism, and a cultural revolution. One catalyst was the recovery of the British economy after post-World War II austerity and rationing which lasted through much of the 1950s. Journalist Christopher Booker, a founder of the satirical magazine Private Eye, recalled the "bewitching" character of the swinging sixties: "There seemed to be no one standing outside the bubble, and observing just how odd and shallow and egocentric and even rather horrible it was."[1].
"Swinging London" was defined by Time magazine in its issue of 15 April 1966 and celebrated in the name of the pirate radio station, Swinging Radio England, that began shortly afterwards. However, "swinging" in the sense of hip or fashionable, had been used since the early 1960s, including by Norman Vaughan in his "swinging/dodgy" patter on Sunday Night at the London Palladium. In 1965, Diana Vreeland, editor of Vogue magazine, said "London is the most swinging city in the world at the moment." [2] Later that year, the American singer Roger Miller had a hit record with England Swings, which presented a stereotypical picture of England, with lyrics such as "Bobbies on bicycles, two by two."
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[edit] Music
Already heralded by Colin MacInnes' 1959 novel Absolute Beginners, Swinging London was underway by the mid-1960s, and included music by The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and other artists from what was known in North America as the British Invasion, as well as the growing popularity of Psychedelic Rock as Jimi Hendrix being represented as cultural icon, supported by British bands like Cream. This music was heard in the United Kingdom over pirate radio stations such as Radio Caroline, Wonderful Radio London and Swinging Radio England.
[edit] Fashion & symbols
During the time of Swinging London, fashion and photography were featured in Queen magazine, which drew attention to Mary Quant. The model Twiggy was another icon and the world's first supermodel. Twiggy has been called "the Queen of mod," a label she shared with others, such as Cathy McGowan, who hosted the television rock show, Ready Steady Go! from 1964 to 1966.[citation needed] Mod-related fashions such as the miniskirt stimulated fashionable shopping areas such as Carnaby Street and the Kings Road, Chelsea. The fashion was a symbol of youth culture.
The British flag, the Union Flag, became a symbol, assisted by events such as England's home victory in the 1966 World Cup. The Mini-Cooper car (launched in 1959) was used by a fleet of mini-cab taxis highlighted by advertising that covered their paintwork.
[edit] Film
The phenomenon was featured in films of the time, celebratory and mocking. These include: the Michelangelo Antonioni film Blowup (1966), Darling (1965), The Knack...and How to Get It (1965), Alfie (1966), Georgy Girl (1966), Modesty Blaise (1966), Casino Royale (1967), Smashing Time (1967), Bedazzled (1967), and Up the Junction (1968).
The comedy films Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997) and Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999) resurrected the imagery as well as the 2009 film The Boat That Rocked.
[edit] Television
One television series that reflected the spirit of Swinging London was The Avengers. The BBC Television show Take Three Girls (1969) is noted for Liza Goddard's first starring role, an evocative folk-rock theme song ("Light Flight" by Pentangle), and for scenes in which the heroines were shown dressing or undressing. In an episode of BBC's Adam Adamant Lives!, Adamant (Gerald Harper), an Edwardian adventurer suspended in time since 1902, was told, "This is London, 1966 — the swinging city."[3] An episode of the detective series Man in a Suitcase opened with the announcement: "This is London... Swinging London".
[edit] Books
Adam Diment's spy novels featured Philip McAlpine, a foppish, long-haired, pot-smoking British spy straight out of Carnaby Street.
[edit] Bibliography
- Nuttall, Jeff (1968). Bomb culture. MacGibbon & Kee. ISBN 0-261-62617-5.
- Levin, Bernard (1970). The Pendulum Years. Jonathan Cape. ISBN 0-224-61963-2.
- Melly, George (1970). Revolt into Style. Allen Lane. ISBN 0-713-90166-7.
- Sandbrook, Dominic (2006). White heat: A history of Britain in the swinging sixties. Little, Brown. ISBN 0-316-72452-1.
- Sandbrook, Dominic (2005). Never had it so good: A history of Britain from Suez to the Beatles. Little, Brown. ISBN 0-316-86083-2.
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ Christopher Booker (1980) The Seventies
- ^ Quoted by John Crosby, Weekend Telegraph, 16 April 1965
- ^ Episode, Beauty is an Ugly Word (1966)
[edit] See also
- Pop art
- Portal:London
- Austin Powers
- Cool Britannia, a British-wide phenomenon in the 1990s and 2000s.
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