And a blue one and a yellow one, And they're all made out of ticky tacky And they all look just the same. The song by Melvina Reynolds, while on her way through a San “Little Boxes,” written Francisco suburb, was an homage to the conservative lifestyles that the Americans of the late 50s and early 60s integrated into their culture. The song is about a community of people that are made of a substance that is weak in not only substance but also in quality. “ticky tacky,” Reynolds was commenting on the flimsy and seemingly fake nature of the late way of life. 50’s This song is important due to its commentary of the social aspects of the 1950s. The average family in the was made up of a father, a mother, and around 50’s eight children. The mother would tend to the children and the house while waiting for her husband to return from work for their family meal. Life was centered around the family; this included spending time playing board games and listening to the radio. The role of the woman in this lifestyle was difficult, being a full time mother, cleaning the house, and cooking three meals a day was difficult, yet became easier with inventions such as more advanced coolers and dishwashers. Along with these more practical inventions came an influx of gadgets such as the juicer, automatic can opener, Hi-fi radio, etc. etc. These sparkly new items kindled the ever growing fire of consumerism as a result of the effect of World War I. Conformism, consumerism, and materialism put the people of the into 1950’s “little where they all strived for the same things, went to the same universities, had the same boxes” jobs, and eventually they all came out the Reynolds commentary on the average “just same.” family's lifestyle stems from her upbringing, although she did end up forging her own pathway and becoming a successful musician, singer, and songwriter. The catchy tune and upbeat music that goes with the song paints the family life as somewhat of a joke, calling attention to, what
And a blue one and a yellow one, And they're all made out of ticky tacky And they all look just the same. The song “Little Boxes,” written by Melvina Reynolds, while on her way through a San Francisco suburb, was an homage to the conservative lifestyles that the Americans of the late 50s and early 60s integrated into their culture. The song is about a community of people that are made of “ticky tacky,” a substance that is weak in not only substance but also in quality. Reynolds was commenting on the flimsy and seemingly fake nature of the late 50’s way of life. This song is important due to its commentary of the social aspects of the 1950s. The average family in the 50’s was made up of a father, a mother, and around children. The mother would tend to the children and the house while waiting for her husband to return from work for their family meal. Life was centered around the family; this included spending time playing board games and listening to the radio. The role of the woman in this lifestyle was difficult, being a full time mother, cleaning the house, and cooking three meals a day was difficult, yet became easier with inventions such as more advanced coolers and dishwashers. Along with these more practical inventions came an influx of gadgets such as the juicer, automatic can opener, Hi-fi radio, etc. etc. These sparkly new items kindled the ever growing fire of consumerism as a result of the effect of World War I. Conformism, consumerism, and materialism put the people of the 1950’s into “little boxes” where they all strived for the same things, went to the same universities, had the same jobs, and eventually they all came out “just the same.” Reynolds commentary on the average family's lifestyle stems from her upbringing, although she did end up forging her own pathway and becoming a successful musician, singer, and songwriter. The catchy tune and upbeat music that goes with the song paints the family life as somewhat of a joke, calling attention to, what eight
1955-1959APUSHProject.docx