Story Playlist Help

Historical Accuracy

Today I wanted to talk about something that really bothers me when it comes to story soundtracks. 

The lack of historical accuracy. 

Now, I'm not saying that you have to pick songs from the time period your story is set. I'm just saying that it's impressive if the songs that go along with your story are at least already written by the time that your story is set in. 

And example that I see a lot is modern songs in Tom Riddle fanfictions. Now, I for one don't think that the characters would be listening to a song written nearly 60 years after the story, do you? 

I think that in the 40s, teens were probably listening to more Swing, Big band, Jazz, Latin and Country music, not a song by The Neighbourhood. In fact, I have put a video at the beginning of this chapter that showcases the Top 20 Greatest Songs 1940-1949, which will hopefully help you in your search for historical accuracy. 

Now, I think that historical accuracy should be taken into account up until the 90s. I think if your story is set in the 90s you can get away with putting pretty much any song you want in your soundtrack. But that's just me. 

To help you all out, I have compiled a list of the most popular music acts in the UK for each decade, starting during the 40s (Tom Riddle era) and ending in the 90s (Golden Trio era). 

So here we go. 

Late 30s through early 40s (Tom Riddle era): Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Noel Gay, Leslie "Hutch" Hutchinson, Al Bowlly, Vera Lynn. 

The 50s: John Dankworth, Frankie Laine, Alan Lomax, Ewan MacColl, Jimmy Young, Perry Como, Vera Lynn. 

The 60s: The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who, The Animals, The Kinks, Pink Floyd, Bob Dylan, Sandie Shaw (She won Eurovision in 1967), Rod Stewart, Tom Jones, Dusty Springfield, Van Morrison. 

The 70s: Pink Floyd, Elvis Costello, Jethro Tull, Led Zeppelin, David Bowie, Elton John, Black Sabbath, The Clash, The Sex Pistols, Genesis. 

The 80s: The Cure, The Smiths, David Bowie, Duran Duran, Echo and The Bunnymen, Joy Division, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Queen, The Specials, Wham!/ George Michael, Michael Jackson, Madonna. 

The 90s (Also known as the NME era): The Happy Mondays, Stone Roses, Belle and Sebastian, Blur, Oasis, Supergrass, The Verve, Radiohead, Take That, Spice Girls, My Bloody Valentine, Morrissey, Manic Street Preachers, Kylie Minogue, Michael Jackson, The Chemical Brothers. 

And of course don't forget to look up the chart toppers of each decade to get a better feel of what was super popular. I tried to focus mainly on musicians that originated from the UK, but obviously some American artists slipped their way in. 

I hope that this list helps you. 

GOTTA BLAST! 

-N.