Inside Pop: The Rock Revolution

Background

Leonard Bernstein, a classical composer and director of the New York Philharmonic, was among the earliest American classical musicians to publicly acknowledge the artistic value of the rock wave led by the Beatles. His stature with conservative and middle-aged viewers helped bridge the age and philosophical gap between them and the youth-oriented message of the music. On the show, Bernstein described himself as "fascinated by the strange and compelling scene called 'pop music'" and stated that while most of it was "trash," the remainder was "so exciting and vital … it claims the attention of every thinking person."

He also suggested that parents might banish contemporary pop from the home, but added, "I think this music has something terribly important to tell us adults." According to Beach Boys biographer David Leaf, the documentary was originally intended to focus on Brian Wilson, who was then recording the album Smile. Oppenheim told biographer Steven Gaines that he was curious about Wilson and found his household "a strange, insulated household, insulated from the world by money…A playpen of irresponsible people."

An interview with Wilson was attempted but yielded little; discarded sequences included Wilson at his pool and recording with his group. Leaf wrote that the program's scope was expanded due to the band's waning popularity in early 1967, and no references to Smile appeared in the film.

Program contents

Inside Pop opens with an interview between Bernstein and songwriter Tandyn Almer. Bernstein then discusses the Beatles' contributions to modern songwriting, noting unexpected key and tempo changes in "Good Day Sunshine" and "She Said She Said." He admires the range of musical moods in contemporary pop, citing the Beatles' "Penny Lane," "Eleanor Rigby," and "Love You To" for their trumpet solo, orchestral strings, and Indian raga qualities, respectively, and the Rolling Stones' "Paint It Black" for its "arab café" mood.

Seated at a piano, he compares some Beatles efforts to works by Bach and Schumann and lauds Bob Dylan's lyrics as befitting "a bombshell of a book about social criticism." Bernstein says the poetic and subtle nature of pop lyric writing represents "one of our teenagers' strongest weapons," as "Protected by this armor of poetry, our young lyricists can say just about anything they care to, and they do care." He also expresses admiration for the Left Banke's "Pretty Ballerina" and its use of Lydian and Mixolydian modes, and for the Monkees' "I'm a Believer."

Other artists mentioned include the Byrds, the Association, and Tim Buckley. For the end of part one, Bernstein invited teenage folk singer Janis Ian to perform "Society's Child," a song about interracial romance that had been banned by many radio stations. The second part includes footage of civil unrest in Los Angeles from November 1966, showing young people protesting a curfew on Sunset Strip. Studio interviews feature Frank Zappa, Roger McGuinn, members of Canned Heat, the Unidentified Flying Objects, Gentle Soul, and reporter Paul Robbins, all discussing music's power to effect change.

Zappa warns of an imminent "revolution," adding "it's going to be a sloppy one, unless something is done to get it organized in a hurry."

Legacy

On April 25, 1967, CBS aired Inside Pop: The Rock Revolution, a television special that treated pop music as a serious art form for the first time. Janis Ian’s song “Society’s Child” became a top 20 U.S. hit after Leonard Bernstein supported it and she appeared on the program. Journalist Nick Kent reported that Brian Wilson was upset by the praise he received in the documentary, which hastened the breakdown of the Smile album. Following the broadcast, Tandyn Almer worked as a staff songwriter for A&M Records and co-wrote several songs with Wilson.