Citing reasons as to why it is frowned upon to be associated with rock n’ roll such as: it was a “distortion of local customs”, fear of subversion to the counterculture, and “rebellion without a cause”. The fear of subversion to the counterculture must be a constant fear of elites. It has been a theme in many texts I have read recently, elites do not want the youth to latch onto something they regard as bad or…
As rock and roll got bigger so did its fan base. Many teens started listening to is and the impact it would have over them would be enormous. Rock ‘n’…
Looking at the influential power of rock ‘n’ roll, Glenn C. Altschuler, in his book, concentrates on the abrupt social change and developments in America during the 1940s to 1960s through the lens of popular music. Altschuler argues rock ‘n’ roll was a pivotal moment, it changed the youth culture of America and encouraged everyone to be more accepting of people of all races, ages and sexualities. The power of music was certainly influential and aided as a catalyst to change, but he grants rock ‘n’ roll too much authority over social change in that era. Altschuler failed to look outside of his perspective and elaborate on other variables that contributed to change like the mass media and technological advances.…
It is an important genre of music because it has the power to not only influence but sustain itself through generations of people. Rock 'n' roll has had a huge impact on American society by consistently helping set the trend for pop music and influencing other genres of music like hip-hop and neo-soul. Rock 'n' Roll has been influenced by many different types of music as well and has paved the way for originality, self-expression and free thought.…
Originated in the early 1950’s, rock ‘n’ roll was known to be the world’s most popular and multicultural form of music. Therefore, Rock being a mixture of all the American music that came before it, then dominated the music industry but also extremely influenced everything from politics to social norms. This suggests music had moved away from its roots in Blues and country music and grew into something bigger known simply as rock. Rock ‘n’ roll lost much of the rebelliousness that had initially given it its power but then spread popularity internationally since it became increasingly accepted over time. For example, white musical traditions became integrated with black performers, ultimately encouraging the desegregation movement itself. The…
After the Great Depression and WWII, people turned to music for joy. A simplistic style of happy, feel-good music that was innocent and meant to be non-offending to it’s listeners. People were not expressing their true feelings and they had to fit a ‘role’ in American society. By the time the baby boomer generation was growing up, they had different experiences in their lives and had different ideals than their parents in the Great Generation. They expressed themselves through Rock and Roll. Elvis was a major icon for this type of music. He was loved by his adoring fans, mainly teenage girls. Although, he appeared vulgar and unappealing to the parents of said fans because of the way he moved his hips. Another group of people expressing themselves, were the Hippies.…
As the 40’s came to an end, and the US finished with World War II, Americans had the time and energy to put their focus in other areas, such as music, poetry, film, and fashion. The biggest influence on the expansion of these arts is the television. With more and more americans being able to afford televisions, it became much easier to spread ideals and movements. Rock and Roll came roaring into young American’s lives, with icons with attractive, familiar faces like Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, and Little Richard. Rock and Roll epitomized the feelings of rebellion and independency of the new generation. The older generation saw that Rock and Roll was a sinister release for the younger generations, and that the “idols” were a bad influence on…
Rock and roll has been an integral part of American culture since the 1950s. Throughout the decades, Rock and Roll has contributed to the vast array of sounds and musical styles in the pantheon of musical genres. Rock and roll has also influenced the creation of other musical subgenres, including alternative, metal, hardcore, punk, and grunge. Inspired by the emergence of blues and jazz, and the popularization of country, rock ‘n’ roll strived to imprint a deeper legacy into U.S. society and culture. Rock and Roll has also been very important in popularizing the genre of music. Key players in the Rock and Roll have transformed the genre into something that is now ingrained within our culture…
The 1950’s were a time where children were basically mini versions of their parents. These teens were the picture perfect children, non-rebellious, safe, and rule obeying. Suddenly, a new music genre called Rock and Roll started to become popularized. Rock and Roll was an new, exciting and dangerous music genre to these vulnerable teens. They listened to this music in private, seeing how almost every adult hated it and couldn't understand how their children could be listening to such “repulsive” music. Rock and Roll hit America like a hurricane. Teenagers strayed away from the music of their parents generation, and started to listen to the music hated by the older generation. In fact, the church hated rock and roll music…
For many adults this led the teenage delinquency and immorality. Some cities prohibited rock n' roll, concerts were banned and citizens even tried to keep records out of store to stop the rock n' roll music.…
Music has been a way for artists and listeners to spread their message, values, and beliefs through song. Progressive Rock had more influence on its listeners in American society in the late 1960’s than music prior to this time. Rock and Roll in the 1950’s and early 1960’s was more about the sound of the music and having fun. The emergence of progressive rock changed all of that. Progressive rock was more serious with a message and meaning in its songs and lyrics. The late 1960’s was a difficult and progressive time in American society and progressive rock had a major influence on the values and beliefs of the younger generation.…
Landon Jones once said, "the cry of the baby was heard across the land" (Baby Boomer-History Channel). This quote refers to the post World War II era, the beginning of the baby boom, where millions of babies were born between 1946-1964. By 1964 this new generation made up almost 40% of the nation's population. Baby Boomers grew up in a suburban lifestyle and were constantly surrounded by material culture, but by their teenage years they began to resist consumerism and suburban ethos. The baby boomers "began to fight for social, economic and political equality for disadvantaged groups....and some dropped out of political life altogether" (Baby Boomers-History Channel). This resistance from the baby boomers began the counterculture of the 1960s.…
It was often associated with rebellion and a rebellious period, particularly among the youth population. Rock n Roll, first attempted by artists like Elvis Presley and Jimmie Hendrix in the early 1960’s, was unusual and was one of the first influences of the rebellious life style teenagers were seeking. The introduction of drugs and swearing in music, alike TV shows, In the modern era has changed the face of our music, and just about every song nowadays would be rejected in the 50’s and previous decades, including styles just like, rap. The music of that time explored the concerns and interests of the ongoing social changes and a number of social influences changed what popular music was and gave birth to the diversity that we experience with music today. Musicians experimented with what was considered “black music” which made more and more black musicians popular throughout the decade, reflecting the social issue of civil rights. That has had an effect in our era because, most popular artist are of an african-american culture. R&B, Rock n Roll were two popular genres in the mid 60’s, they promoted freedom which helped form the hippie movement, promoting freedom, sexual liberation and drug use as well as the rebel against previous norms. Although the style of music is different to the 60’s today, their are still a…
Life in the United States has not always been as tolerant as people know it as today. The 1960’s was a period of time which brought about radical changes for the country. Counterculture movements, such as the Civil Rights movement, the gay liberation movement and the feminist movement flooded the United States. These movements were intended to defy societal norms and create new perspectives on pre-established conventions. One of these movements, known as the Psychedelic Movement, was especially important in shaping the culture of the country, as well as that of the world. In 1965-1969, the exploration of psychedelics and hallucinogenic drugs positively affected the development of the United States by generating new perspectives on religion,…
Since the mid 1980’s, collective efforts to define deviant music have focused increasingly on two genres heavy metal and rap music. Most of these claims assert that heavy metal and rap music represent a type of audio pornography that endorses sexist, violent and anti religious behaviors. Musical genres such as jazz and blues and the rock and roll of 1940’s and 1950’s were believed to have contributed to teenager’s moral disintegration. In addition to rock music, performers of newer popular styles, particularly heavy metal and rap, have recently come under attack for their perceived potential to negatively influence young audiences. In a 1985 standing room only United State senate hearing, several prominent political families rallied testimony to the harmful effects of pornography and violence present in the lyrics of heavy metal music. Rap music was lambasted just five years later when a recording by a group called 2 live crew was declared obscene by a federal court in Florida and the members of the band were arrested.…