ABSTRACT
This chapter highlights how the fifties and sixties saw the struggle for Black Civil Rights re-emerge into the public arena and become one of the most significant, pressing social issues America had faced. Using the song ‘Colored Spade’ as its primary case study, the analysis in this chapter explores how harmful stereotypes are utilised in Hair and discusses the ways in which Black characters are represented through song, dance, text, and costume, ultimately asserting that through reappropriating these stereotypes, these representations function as powerful moments which give voice to those historically placed on the margins of American society. The chapter uncovers ways in which the text and score work together to communicate a specific message which has further connections to images circulating in popular culture, most notably through the work of Jimi Hendrix.
