By the late 1960s, early 1970s, western rock and pop was becoming increasingly popular in Thailand. Thai artists were influenced by the input and eventually evolved their own offshoot genre. It was a blend of rock and country that eventually took the name 'peua cheewit' -- 'for life' or 'songs for life'.
The music had a strong rock influence with guitar riffs and strong drum beats but the lyrics were still about life and the injustices of Thai society.
There was a strong element of protest in the lyrics and the early Peua Cheewit bands were at the forefront of the movement for democracy. In 1976 the ruling regime cracked down hard and Peua Cheewit music was driven underground. This only served to give the music a rebellious edge and even more credibility among the general population.
As Thailand entered the eighties, it was developing into a more democratic and open society and Peua Cheewit also re-emerged into the mainstream scene. The lyrics changed to wider political issues and more general subjects of life.
Carabao became a hugely popular band with lyrics that were strongly nationalistic and protectionist. Carabao are still going strong today and draw big crowds. Other Peua Cheewit artists such as Pongsit Kamphee continued to find success but as Thailand entered the late nineties, peua cheewit was losing popularity to the more modern, western influenced rock and pop bands.