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Headbanging

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Headbangers" redirects here. For professional wrestling tag team, seeThe Headbangers.
For information concerning medical head banging, seeStereotypic movement disorder.
Dutch death metal bandAsphyxheadbanging during a performance in 2007

Headbangingis the act of violently shaking one's head inrhythmwith music. It is common inrock,punk,heavy metal musicanddubstep,where headbanging is often used by musicians on stage.[1]Headbanging is also common in traditional IslamicSufi musictraditions such asQawwaliin theIndian subcontinentandIran.

History[edit]

Illustrative video of headbanging

Sufi music[edit]

Headbanging has been common inIslamic devotionalSufi musictraditions dating back centuries, such as theIndian subcontinent's 600-year-oldQawwalitradition,[2][3]and amongdervishesinIran'sKurdistan Province.[4]Qawwali performances, particularly atSufi shrinesin the Indian subcontinent, usually in honour ofAllah,Islamic prophets,orSufi saints,often have performers and spectators induced into a trance-like state and headbanging in a manner similar to metal androck concerts.[5][6][7]A popular song often performed bySufisandfakirsin the Indian subcontinent is the 600-year-old "Dama Dam Mast Qalandar"(in honour of 13th-century Sufi saintLal Shahbaz Qalandar), which often has performers and spectators rapidly headbanging to the beats ofnaukatdrum sounds.[3]

The most well-known Qawwali performer in modern times is latePakistanisingerNusrat Fateh Ali Khan,whose performances often induced trance-like headbanging experiences in the late 20th century.[2]Khan's popularity in the Indian subcontinent led to the emergence of fusion genres such asSufi rockand techno qawwali inSouth Asianpopular music (Pakistani pop,Indi-pop,Bollywood musicandBritish-Asian music) in the 1990s which combine the traditional trance-likezikrheadbanging of Qawwali with elements of modern rock,technoordance music,which has occasionally been met with criticism and controversy from traditional Sufi and Qawwali circles.[8]

Rock music[edit]

The origin of the term "headbanging" is contested. It is possible that the term "headbanger" was coined duringLed Zeppelin's first US tour in 1969.[9]During a show at theBoston Tea Partyconcert venue, audience members in the first row were banging their heads against the stage in rhythm with the music.

Furthermore, concert footage of Led Zeppelin performing at the Royal Albert Hall January 9, 1970, on theLed Zeppelin DVDreleased in 2003, the front row can be seen headbanging throughout the performance.[10]

However, an instance of headbanging prior to the alleged coining of the term can be seen duringCream'sFarewell Concertin November 1968, also at the Royal Albert Hall. Specifically during the performance of Sunshine of Your Love, front row audience members with particularly large amounts of hair are seen quickly bobbing their heads to the music in a fashion typically associated with modern headbanging.[11]

Ozzy OsbourneandGeezer ButlerofBlack Sabbathare among the first documented headbangers, as it is possible to see in footage of their gig in Paris, 1970.[12]

In the early 1970s,Status Quowas one of the first hard rock bands to headbang on stage.[13][14]

LemmyfromMotörhead,however, said in an interview on the documentaryThe Decline of Western Civilization II: The Metal Years,that the term "Headbanger" may have originated in the band's name, as in "Motorheadbanger".

The practice itself and its association with therockgenre was popularized by guitaristAngus Youngof the bandAC/DC.[15][unreliable source?]

Early televised performances in the 1950s ofJerry Lee Lewisdepict young male fans who had grown their hair in the fashion of Lewis, where his front locks would fall in front of his face. Lewis would continuously flip his hair back away from his face, prompting the fans to mimic the movement in rapid repetition in a fashion resembling headbanging.

Dave Tyo of Bipolar demonstrating the 'whiplash' technique at CBGB in New York City

Parrots[edit]

At least one parrot, acockatoonamedSnowball,developed the habit of headbanging to music, causing something of an Internet sensation.[16]Scientists were intrigued, as untrained dancing among animals is rare.[17]

Health issues[edit]

In the mid-1980sMetallicabassistCliff Burtoncomplained repeatedly about neck pain associated with his almost constant and heavy headbanging during concerts or even rehearsals.[18] In 2005,EvanescenceguitaristTerry Balsamoincurred astrokewhich doctors postulated may have been caused by frequent headbanging.[19] In 2007, Irish singer and formerMolokovocalistRóisín Murphysuffered an eye injury during a performance of her song "Primitive" when she headbanged into a chair on stage.[20]

In 2009,Slayerbassist/vocalistTom Arayabegan experiencing spinal problems due to his aggressive form of headbanging, and had to undergoanterior cervical discectomy and fusion.After recuperating from the surgery, he can no longer headbang.[21][22] In 2011,MegadethguitaristDave Mustainesaid that his neck and spine condition, known asspinal stenosis,was caused by many years of headbanging.[23]That same year,Stone SourdrummerRoy Mayorgasuffered a stroke as a result of his frequent headbanging while drumming. The event led to him having to re-learn how to play drums.[24]SlipknotsamplerCraig Jonesonce suffered fromwhiplashafter an extended case of powerful headbanging.[citation needed]

Several case reports can be found in the medical literature which connect excessive headbanging toaneurysmsandhematomaswithin the brain and damage to thearteries in the neckwhich supply the brain. More specifically, cases with damage to thebasilar artery,[25][26]thecarotid artery[27]and thevertebral artery[28]have been reported. Several case reports also associated headbanging withsubdural hematoma,[29][30]sometimes fatal,[31]andmediastinal emphysemasimilar toshaken baby syndrome.[32]An observational study comparing headbanging to non-headbanging teenagers in a dance marathon concluded that the activity is associated with pain in varying parts of the body, most notably the neck, where it manifests aswhiplash.[33]

See also[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related toHeadbanging.

References[edit]

  1. ^Vogelsanger, Sara."The History of Headbanging".relentlessbeats.Retrieved10 March2017.
  2. ^abGehr, Richard (October 1991)."World Beat: Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan".Spin.7(7). SPIN Media LLC: 100.
  3. ^ab"Lal meri pat: This is how the Red Sain puts the djinn and Sehwan in a trance".The Express Tribune.19 October 2011.
  4. ^"The Headbanging Dervishes of Eastern Kurdistan".CVLT Nation.19 January 2018.
  5. ^Singh, Bismark (August 2018)."An Evaluation of Religious Unity in the Indian Context: Based on Indian Sufi Shrines".ResearchGate.
  6. ^Bukhari, Kyle (2014)."Restraint and Transgression: Ecstatic Movement and Profane Lyricism in the Sufi Qawwali at Urs Ajmer Sharif".Academia.edu.
  7. ^Rockwell, John (5 March 1975)."Qawwali Music Stirs Audience".The New York Times.
  8. ^Salhi, Kamal (2013).Music, Culture and Identity in the Muslim World: Performance, Politics and Piety.Routledge.p. 194.ISBN9781317963103.
  9. ^Lewis, Dave; Pallett, Simon (2005).Led Zeppelin: Concert File.Omnibus Press.ISBN978-1-84449-659-4.
  10. ^"Led Zeppelin - Communication Breakdown - Royal Albert Hall 1970".YouTube.15 October 2007.Archivedfrom the original on 2021-12-14.Retrieved23 February2015.
  11. ^"Cream - Sunshine Of Your Love (Farewell Concert - Extended Edition) (1 of 11)".YouTube.July 13, 2011.RetrievedMay 12,2023.
  12. ^"Black Sabbath Paris 1970 Live Full Concert".YouTube.10 August 2013. Archived fromthe originalon 2013-10-17.Retrieved23 February2015.
  13. ^"Status Quo - Spinning Wheel Blues (1970)".YouTube.
  14. ^"Paper Plane - Status Quo (1973)".YouTube.
  15. ^"Yahoo".Archived fromthe originalon 28 July 2014.Retrieved23 February2015.
  16. ^"Snowball The Dancing Cockatoo Vogues And Body Rolls On Beat".NPR.org.
  17. ^Yong, Ed (July 8, 2019)."Not a Human, but a Dancer".The Atlantic.
  18. ^Matt Taylor,Metallica: Back to the Front: A Fully Authorized Visual History of the Master of Puppets Album and Tour,Simon and Schuster, 2016, p.164.
  19. ^"Evanescence Guitarist: Filling Ben Moody's Shoes | Interviews @ Ultimate-Guitar.Com".Archived fromthe originalon November 16, 2006.
  20. ^Roisin Murphy’s Head-Banging-AccidentArchived2014-09-03 at theWayback Machineiheartberlin.de. 30 October 2007. Retrieved on 24 August 2012.
  21. ^Slayer Frontman Tom Araya To Undergo Back Surgery, American Carnage Tour To Be Rescheduledmetealunderground.com. 7 January 2010. Retrieved on 4 August 2012.
  22. ^"No more headbanging for mortal Slayer frontman".The San Francisco Examiner.Archived fromthe originalon 27 May 2013.Retrieved23 February2015.
  23. ^"Ouch! Headbanging Hurts…".cbslocal.com.Archived fromthe originalon 23 February 2015.Retrieved23 February2015.
  24. ^"STONE SOUR's ROY MAYORGA 'Had To Re-Learn How To Play' Drums Following His 2011 Stroke".blabbermouth.February 18, 2021.RetrievedMay 10,2021.
  25. ^Edvardsson, Bengt (7 Jul 2011)."Head banging associated with basilar artery thrombosis".Neurology India.59(3): 478–9.doi:10.4103/0028-3886.82756.PMID21743194.
  26. ^Rajasekharan, Chandrasekharan (2013)."Basilar artery thrombosis due to head banging: hazard of a religious ritual".BMJ Case Reports.2013:bcr2013009840.doi:10.1136/bcr-2013-009840.PMC3669841.PMID23704461.
  27. ^Jackson, M.A. (1983).""Headbanging" and carotid dissection ".British Medical Journal (Clinical Research Ed.).287(6401): 1262.doi:10.1136/bmj.287.6401.1262.PMC1549725.PMID6416361.
  28. ^Egnor, M.R. (1991/1992). (1991). "Vertebral Artery Aneurysm – A Unique Hazard of Head Banging by Heavy Metal Rockers".Pediatric Neurosurgery.17(3): 135–138.doi:10.1159/000120583.PMID1819327.{{cite journal}}:CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  29. ^Neyaz, Z. (2006)."'Head banging' during rock show causing subdural hematoma ".Neurology India.54(3): 319–20.doi:10.4103/0028-3886.27172.PMID16936407.Retrieved28 Aug2014.
  30. ^Islamian, Ariyan Pirayesh (5 Jul 2014)."Chronic subdural haematoma secondary to headbanging".The Lancet.384(9937): 102.doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(14)60923-5.PMID24998813.S2CID11086214.Retrieved28 Aug2014.
  31. ^Mackenzie, J.M. (7 Dec 1991). ""Headbanging" and fatal subdural haemorrhage ".The Lancet.338(8780): 1457–1458.doi:10.1016/0140-6736(91)92757-S.PMID1683440.S2CID29284379.
  32. ^Matsuzaki, Saeko (Dec 2012)."Mediastinal Emphysema After Head-Banging in a Rock Artist: Pseudo Shaken-Baby Syndrome in Adulthood".The Annals of Thoracic Surgery.94(6): 2113–2114.doi:10.1016/j.athoracsur.2012.05.054.PMID23176926.Retrieved28 Aug2014.
  33. ^Kassirer, Marilyn (Jun 1993). "Head Banger's Whiplash".The Clinical Journal of Pain.9(2): 138–41.doi:10.1097/00002508-199306000-00010.PMID8358138.S2CID6326556.
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