The purpose of this paper is to discuss the "Summer of Love" of 1967, in addition to the events that transpired before and after. Key topics that will be discussed include the musical aspects of society in the 1960’s, the presence and role of drugs, as well has the hippie counterculture movement. The latter of these topics will include a number of events which catapulted the movement to its fame as well as the issues that caused its foundation to crumble. Finally, the Summer of Love is one of the key events that was necessary for society to evolve into modern society. Music The music of the 1960’s was noticeably different than that of previous generations in both substance and style. The Rock genre had expanded exponentially during this era, and encompassed a wide range of new subgenres such as: surf rock, psychedelic rock, and blues rock. Artists of the time included major stars such as Jimi Hendrix, Jefferson Airplane, The Grateful Dead, The Beatles, The Beach Boys, and the Mama’s & the Papas. Some key elements of rock stem from the beat generation. A strong focus on the backbeat is an important facet of each song. In 1964, the Beach Boys took America by storm, giving rise to the surf-rock subgenre. The hit song ”I get around” would reach the number one spot on the billboard top 100, which was quite a feat at the time. With much credit given to the Baby boom that occurred, surf-rock was immensely popular amongst teenagers. During the later stages of the 1960’s, psychedelic rock became more and more prominent. That subgenre consisted of electric guitars and percussion (namely drums / cymbals) played at a high volume. In addition to that, drone instruments were sometimes associated with psychedelic music. Drone instruments have a peculiar ping that is easily distinguishable from other instruments. This music was oftentimes a form of entertainment which accompanied a drug-induced “high”. However, music was not simply a means of entertainment, but a medium in which messages were disseminated to the public, especially political ones. An excellent example of this would be Sam Cooke’s “A Change is Gonna Come”1 – which served as an unofficial anthem to the civil rights movement. When looking at the Summer of Love, it is not only a social reformation, but an intertwining of political discourse with a slew of narcotics amongst the boomers. The Role of Drugs In contrast to the modern world, the hallucinogens (such as LSD) during 1966 were readily available and legal for citizens to use. Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD), for the first time, was mass manufactured and distributed by Owsley Stanley2 – at various parties and events leading up to the Summer of Love. Some examples of these parties would be acid tests hosted by Ken Kesey, a volunteer to drug tests given by the army. Acid tests consisted of music, usually The Grateful Dead, with various forms of lighting and Stanley’s LSD. Interestingly, the acid tests possessed some substance to it unlike the stereotypical party, in the sense that it was actually a test of sort