Chronology Atlas

Cultural Chronology

The songs that outlasted everything

Between 1962 and 2024, the music industry transformed seven times. Genres exploded and faded. Formats replaced formats. Artists rose and fell. Two remained.

8 minInteractive Timeline
1962
1970
1980
1990
2000
2010
2020
Rolling Stones (1962-present)
U2 (1976-present)
Major songs
Artists lost
Hover for genre waves

1962 - 1976

Origins

Two bands form while formats establish

Dominant Format

Vinyl Records

1962Rolling Stones form

Blues-influenced rock group forms in London

1964British Invasion

Wave of British acts dominate. Most fade within years.

1965(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction

Rolling Stones release defining anthem. #1 in US and UK.

1968Sympathy for the Devil

From Beggars Banquet. Dark, literary rock arrives.

1969Brian Jones dies

Founding Stone dies at 27. Band continues.

1969Gimme Shelter

Let It Bleed. Song captures end-of-decade darkness.

1970Jimi Hendrix dies

Guitar innovator dies at 27. His recordings endure.

1970Janis Joplin dies

Blues-rock pioneer dies at 27. Three weeks after Hendrix.

1971Brown Sugar

Sticky Fingers opens with instant classic. Still played live.

1971Jim Morrison dies

Doors frontman dies at 27. Band disbands.

1972Exile on Main St.

Double album recorded in French basement. Later acclaimed as masterpiece.

1976U2 forms

Four Dublin schoolmates begin a 50-year career

Genres Rising

Rock & RollBritish InvasionPsychedelia

Genres Fading

The Pattern

Formats changed seven times. Genre movements lasted 3-5 years. Two artists remained in continuous operation for 50+ years.

The songs endured. Everything else was infrastructure.

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