"Right around the end of the fifties, college students and young people in general, began to realize that this music was almost like a history of our country - this music contained the real history of the people of this country"

In this quote, Jackson Browne is reflecting on the significance of music as a reflection of American history. He keeps in mind that in the late 1950s, university student and youths started to acknowledge the value of music as a record of the experiences and stories of normal people in America. Browne suggests that music functions as an authentic reflection of the social and cultural landscape of a country, which through listening to and engaging with this music, people can acquire a much deeper understanding of their own history and the lives of those who came before them. Overall, this quote highlights the power of music to connect individuals to their previous and to influence social and cultural change.