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Popular streaming service Netflix includes a wealth of films, including both documentaries and works of fiction, that serve as history lessons and motivators for aspiring musicians. Mixing inspiration with cautionary tales, these five picks shed light on often overlooked segments of popular music history, from the singers and musicians backing famous bands in the studio to the post-war origin of music-consuming teenagers.
1. Hit So Hard (directed by P. David Ebersole, 2011)
Image via pattydoc.com
Former Hole drummer Patty Schemel's rise to stardom, descent into addiction, and emotional rebirth as a mentor to young female drummers are all chronicled in this moving documentary. Though the valleys in Schemel's career candidly expose the trappings of drug use, the peaks in this story should encourage aspiring musicians, girls in particular, to dream big. More importantly, it should give addicts hope that a better – and completely clean – life is attainable.
2. Muscle Shoals (directed by Greg “Freddy” Camalier, 2013)
Image via magpictures.com
Tiny Muscle Shoals, AL, went from a typical farming town to a mecca for the recording industry in the 1950s via Rick Hall's FAME Studios. After studio musicians the Swampers (made famous by a name-drop in Lynyrd Skynyrd’s "Sweet Home Alabama") found success at FAME playing on seminal hits by Aretha Franklin and Wilson Pickett, they started a cross-town rivalry in 1969 by forming Muscle Shoals Sound Studio. As studio bosses, the Swampers have cranked out a seemingly endless stream of hits, ranging from the Rolling Stones’ "Wild Horses" in 1969 to the Black Keys' Brothers album 40 years later. FAME remained as relevant as ever after the split, serving as an incubator for the Allman Brothers Band and the emerging southern rock sound. Musicians watching this film will get a broader understanding of how session musicians have helped shape popular music history, as well as how geographic location can impact the sounds emanating from a recording studio.
3. Teenage (directed by Matt Wolf, 2013)
Image via showingreviews.com
Though it's not entirely about music, Teenage provides a pretty thorough glimpse at the formation of youth culture – the foundation on which modern popular music was built. When music is discussed, the main focus is post-war era fads like swing dancing, instead of the birth of rock 'n' roll. Still, it's easy to draw parallels between the corporate world's interest in teens' disposable income and the music industry's 60-year legacy of catering to "the kids."
4. 20 Feet From Stardom (directed by Morgan Neville, 2013)
Image via twentyfeetfromstardom.com
A fixture of the music business often undervalued by listeners is backup singers. This Academy Award-winning documentary sheds some well-earned spotlight on the predominantly female and African-American voices that, for decades, have provided gospel-style backing vocals for secular hits. Though stars ranging from Bruce Springsteen to Sheryl Crow help tell the story, the oral histories of such influential backup singers as Phil Spector collaborator Darlene Love are at the forefront.
5. We Are the Best! (directed by Lukas Moodysson, 2013)
Image via moxiecinema.com
This fictional tale of three young, Swedish outcasts starting a band, circa 1982, should be required viewing for all teenage punks. Like many coming-of-age tales, there's lessons to be learned about self-confidence, not fitting in with peers, and the character flaws often forged in broken or overprotective homes. Though it's set in the past, long before the internet made it simpler to find like-minded bandmates and book gigs, current DIY musicians of all ages will relate to film's protagonists.
What are you watching on Netflix this weekend? Let us know in the comments!
Bobby Moore is a freelance writer and historian with an M.A. in public history (University of West Georgia, 2011). He's got a Dead Milkmen tattoo on his chest, and his three-year-old calico is named after the band Tacocat, so he's pretty shameless about his music fandom.
