Popular Music and Left-Wing Scottishness

Popular Music and Left-Wing Scottishness

Recent developments in Scottish politics, such as the Scottish National Party’s resounding victory in the 2015 general election, would seem to attest to the existence of a strong sense of national identity underpinned by progressive values. This paper will suggest that popular music has played a sig...

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Αποθηκεύτηκε σε:
Λεπτομέρειες βιβλιογραφικής εγγραφής
Τόπος έκδοσης:URI:https://journals.openedition.org/etudesecossaises,
Κύριος συγγραφέας: Tranmer, Jeremy
Μορφή: Article ou chapitre numérique
Γλώσσα:Anglais
Έκδοση: Études écossaises 2016
Θέματα:
nationalisme
musique populaire
Gauche
thatchérisme
contestation
nationalism
popular music
Left
Thatcherism
protest
Διαθέσιμο Online:Accès Université d'Orléans et IFPM
Accès Université d'Orléans et IFPM
id openedition-oai:revues.org:etudesecossaises_1124
record_format openedition
spelling openedition-oai:revues.org:etudesecossaises_1124 https://doi.org/10.4000/etudesecossaises.1124 urn:doi:10.4000/etudesecossaises.1124 en https://journals.openedition.org/etudesecossaises/1124 2016-04-28T02:00:00Z info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess article info:eu-repo/semantics/article urn:handle:20.500.13089/g5ue All rights reserved Popular Music and Left-Wing Scottishness Études écossaises UGA Éditions - Université Grenoble Alpes info:eu-repo/semantics/reference/issn/1969-6337 info:eu-repo/semantics/reference/issn/1240-1439 URI:https://journals.openedition.org/etudesecossaises Tranmer, Jeremy nationalisme musique populaire Gauche thatchérisme contestation nationalism popular music Left Thatcherism protest Recent developments in Scottish politics, such as the Scottish National Party’s resounding victory in the 2015 general election, would seem to attest to the existence of a strong sense of national identity underpinned by progressive values. This paper will suggest that popular music has played a significant role in the emergence of left-wing Scottishness. It will concentrate on the late 1980s, a key period of political change in Scotland when Margaret Thatcher’s Conservatives were increasingly marginalised, doubts were expressed about the direction of the Labour Party, and demands for devolution were growing. It will focus on two groups in particular—Runrig and the Proclaimers. Although groups in the 1970s and early 1980s, including the Bay City Rollers and Big Country, had tried to bring together aspects of Scottish identity and popular music, they tended to resort to invented traditions. Based on the theories of sociologists of rock according to which the meaning of music comes from its lyrics, sound and performance, this paper will argue that Runrig and the Proclaimers conveyed a contemporary left-wing version of Scottishness. Both groups not only reflected trends in Scottish society but also contributed to shaping them due to the large audience of young people that they attracted. Les dernières évolutions de la politique en Écosse, telles que la victoire retentissante du parti national écossais aux élections législatives de 2015, semblent témoigner de l’existence d’un fort sentiment d’identité nationale s’appuyant sur des valeurs progressistes. Cet article suggère que la musique populaire a joué un rôle significatif dans l’émergence d’une scotticité de gauche. Il se concentre sur la fin des années 1980, période clé de changements politiques pendant laquelle les conservateurs de Margaret Thatcher furent de plus en plus marginalisés, des doutes furent exprimés à l’égard de l’orientation politique suivie par le parti travailliste, et une revendication pour l’autonomie de l’Écosse se fit entendre. Il s’intéresse à deux groupes en particulier, Runrig et les Proclaimers. Bien que certains groupes, parmi lesquels les Bay City Rollers ou Big Country, aient tenté à la fin des années 1970 et au début des années 1980 de tisser des liens entre musique populaire et certains aspects de l’identité écossaise, ils eurent tendance à recourir à des traditions inventées. S’appuyant sur les théories de sociologues spécialistes de la musique rock selon lesquelles le sens d’une chanson provient à la fois de ses paroles, du son, et de la prestation que son interprète en fait, cet article avance l’idée que Runrig et les Proclaimers ont véhiculé une variante contemporaine et de gauche de la scotticité. Ces deux groupes se sont non seulement fait l’écho de tendances présentes dans la société écossaise mais ont également contribué à les façonner en raison de leur réussite commerciale.
collection OpenEdition Journal
language Anglais
format Article ou chapitre numérique
building 0/Bibliothèque numérique/
1/Bibliothèque numérique/OpenEdition Journals/
topic nationalisme
musique populaire
Gauche
thatchérisme
contestation
nationalism
popular music
Left
Thatcherism
protest
spellingShingle nationalisme
musique populaire
Gauche
thatchérisme
contestation
nationalism
popular music
Left
Thatcherism
protest
Tranmer, Jeremy
Popular Music and Left-Wing Scottishness
description Recent developments in Scottish politics, such as the Scottish National Party’s resounding victory in the 2015 general election, would seem to attest to the existence of a strong sense of national identity underpinned by progressive values. This paper will suggest that popular music has played a significant role in the emergence of left-wing Scottishness. It will concentrate on the late 1980s, a key period of political change in Scotland when Margaret Thatcher’s Conservatives were increasingly marginalised, doubts were expressed about the direction of the Labour Party, and demands for devolution were growing. It will focus on two groups in particular—Runrig and the Proclaimers. Although groups in the 1970s and early 1980s, including the Bay City Rollers and Big Country, had tried to bring together aspects of Scottish identity and popular music, they tended to resort to invented traditions. Based on the theories of sociologists of rock according to which the meaning of music comes from its lyrics, sound and performance, this paper will argue that Runrig and the Proclaimers conveyed a contemporary left-wing version of Scottishness. Both groups not only reflected trends in Scottish society but also contributed to shaping them due to the large audience of young people that they attracted.
author Tranmer, Jeremy
author_facet Tranmer, Jeremy
author_sort Tranmer, Jeremy
title Popular Music and Left-Wing Scottishness
title_short Popular Music and Left-Wing Scottishness
title_full Popular Music and Left-Wing Scottishness
title_fullStr Popular Music and Left-Wing Scottishness
title_full_unstemmed Popular Music and Left-Wing Scottishness
title_sort popular music and left-wing scottishness
publisher Études écossaises
publishDate 2016
container_title URI:https://journals.openedition.org/etudesecossaises
url https://ezproxy.univ-orleans.fr/login?url=https://doi.org/10.4000/etudesecossaises.1124
https://ezproxy.univ-orleans.fr/login?url=https://journals.openedition.org/etudesecossaises/1124
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