The 1970s was a complex decade. Many traditional social values lost much of their strength and were challenged by others, which often would have consequences for many years to come. In a Norwegian context many of the opposing tendencies of the period can be summarized with three key words: Petroleum, protest and pop.
The first significant Norwegian oil find in the North Sea was made in 1969. The production seriously began in 1975, and in 1979 the new oil field Statfjord came into operation. The production was under relatively strong government control through the state owned oil company, Statoil, founded in 1972. The oil activities made Norway one of the world’s richest countries but it also had its difficult aspects. Readjustments in trade and industry, the blowout of the Bravo oil rig and hazardous working conditions were some of the major issues.
The 1970s were introduced by the EEC referendum with the Norwegian “no” to membership, while the 1st May 1978 battle between police and youth marked that important aspects of the age were coming to an end. The contradictions of the decade manifested themselves in a series of large and small protest movements, pointing in different directions. The beginning of the decade was that of a radical political character, but it ended with a definite move towards the right of the political spectrum. The 1970s was the age of women’s liberation, Sami revolt and the environmental movement, but also a time when protests against duties and taxes, bureaucracy and a growing number of immigrants seriously began.
During the transition of the 1960s and 70s, new music genres like country rock, folk rock, prog rock and heavy metal arose. Disco music had its breakthrough in the middle of the decade, while the end was characterized by punk and new wave. In Norway folk songs and ballads were very popular, the singer-songwriter Lillebjørn Nilsen being one of the major stars. The middle of the decade was by far dominated by progressive rock represented by bands such as Popul Vuh. Platform shoes and clogs can be said to symbolize the contrasts between the 1970s pop- and rock culture in Scandinavia. These opposites were exemplified by the Swedish bands ABBA and Hoola Bandoola Band, that were both popular in Norway.