Spencer Nee
Dr. Irom
English 101
31 October 2012
Rock
and Roll
A
Noise That Changed Society
Two simple words have changed this world greatly: rock and roll. These two words alone are almost
meaningless. A rock is just an earthly item
most often observed by a geologist and not just an average human. To roll is the action of turning over and over
again, which most people learn when they are very young. However, together these words are have
created a wonderful type of music. It is
undefined exactly when rock and roll music began, but most people believe that
it started in the 1930s. (RockMusic.mu 2007)
Jazz music slowly started to add a type of music that soon became
classified as rock. Rock Music (the greatly influential genre)
(APPOSITIVE WITH PARENTHESES) has changed cultures around the world
since its beginning. The history of rock
and roll affected the evolution of rock and roll, and modern rock music has
changed society throughout the numerous years since it originated.
Rock and roll music is assumed to have originated in the
1930s when jazz music began to use a new style of rhythm and sound. Soon this led to the rock and roll artists of
the 1950s that everyone has come to know and love such as Elvis Presley, Fats
Domino, Ray Charles, and The Drifters.
These artists have forever impacted society. Elvis Presley is considered “The King of
Rock,” however many people do not know that he never wrote a song. All of the songs that he recorded were covers
of other songs. On February 3rd,
1959 a plane accident occurred. Buddy
Holly, Richie Valens, and Big Bopper were all killed. Elvis was away at war and not much was left
of the rock and roll music that had become so popular. This was considered “The Day the Music Died,”
and the phrase was dubbed by Ron McLean in his song “American Pie.”
Many people attribute the start of rock n’ roll to Bill
Haley and The Comets. In 1952 this band
recorded the song “Rock Around the Clock” which by many is considered the first
rock song ever. This was a song for
teens to rebel to. It encouraged people
to party, no matter what time of night, no matter what the weather, and no
matter what anyone thought. They were
encouraging rebellion which has now become one of the main contributors to rock
n’ roll as a genre. This song started a
change in society that would never be undone.
Shortly after this tragic event, the British Invasion
arose. Bands from the U.K., a colorful group of
rebellious young adult, (APPOSITIVE WITH COMMAS) were emerging such as
The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Animals, and Them. These bands-the leaders of the British Invasion-(APPOSITIVE WITH
DASHES) are what saved rock n’ roll as a genre. British teens heard the rock n’ roll music of
the 1950’s and were intrigued to try and replicate it. There were many failed attempts, but when The
Beatles arrived in New York in 1964, America’s ears were attracted to the new
sound. Americans loved the music that
British teens were producing.
The Beatles quickly became the most popular band in the
United States. The band was made up of
four men; Paul McCartney, John Lennon, Ringo Starr, and George Harrison. Their first songs in the U.K. were mostly
covers of songs from artists like Buddy Holly and Chuck Barry. Soon after preforming their covers to packed
venues in Liverpool they began to write their own songs. In 1962 they released two original songs,
“Love Me Do” and “P.S. I Love You.” In
1963 they released their first album “Please, Please Me.” The Beatles were youth in the 1960s. They were the definition of revolt, and of rock
n’ roll. Their group career ended in
1970, with the album “Let It Be.” They
were very influential in the creation of rock n’ roll as well as what it has
become today.
Another huge event that boosted the creation of rock n’
roll took place in New York in the summer of 1969. This event was Woodstock, a four day concert
that took place near White Lake in Bethel, New York. This concert was never expected to grow as
large as it did. Originally there were
very tall fences surrounding the venue and guests were charged to attend. Eventually, guests started to climb over the
fence and enter for free so the group gave up on charging them. The festival had thirty-three performers
ranging from small no-name bands to bands like Santana, Joe Cocker, The Who, Janice
Joplin, and the very last to play Jimi Hendrix.
Teenagers ran away from home, hitchhiked, rode the train, and did
whatever possible to go to this festival.
There was a huge rain storm that hit and many expected the festival to
end, but instead it became more fun and the high that most people were feeling
became even stronger. Many people who
attended Woodstock were high on many different drugs from marijuana to acid and
even magic mushrooms. The term “sex,
drugs, and rock n’ roll” basically describes the Woodstock festival and the era
of rock in the 1960s.
In the 1970s rock n’ roll broke into a few different
categories: punk rock,
metal, and classical rock (APPOSITIVE WITH A COLON). Punk gave an escape to kids who hated mainstream. They appealed to kids who did not want to
conform to what society thought they needed.
Metal used the electric guitar in place of the acoustic. The metal genre was much louder and more
intense than the classic rock genre.
Some of the original metal bands were Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, and
Deep Purple. This style of rock n’ roll
was much faster paced and the lyrics and sounds were not as psychedelic as the
classical rock of the times. The
classical rock style of the 1970s continued to incorporate the psychedelic
sounds and lyrics that were used in the 1960s.
The bands kept the term “sex, drugs, and rock n’ roll” alive. Some of the great classical bands were Pink
Floyd, Jethro Tull and The Moody Blues.
Heavy metal is characterized by highly amplified
distortion, extended guitar solos, emphatic beats, and overall loudness
(History Of Heavy Metal). Throughout
time there were different bands who each introduced a new style to heavy
metal. For example Motörhead introduced
a punk rock emphasis with an overall increase in speed. Over time, different bands incorporated their
own styles to create their own sounds and music. Fans of metal were identified as metalheads,
or headbangers because of the motion that many made with their head while
listening to the music. Underground
scenes arose overtime with increased aggression from listeners with bands such
as Metallica that soon became a genre known as thrash metal.
Heavy metal attracted many angry youth, or youth with
built up energy. With the loud,
aggressive music came a mosh pit, which is a place for fans of the music to
smash into each other and release their anger.
People go into a mosh pit because it is a good way to release energy and
a way to relieve pent up anger. Hot, dangerous and filled with
emotions, mosh pits (ADJECTIVES OUT OF ORDER) arose the same time that
metal did and have stuck around just as the music has.
The 1990s brought many different styles of rock. One example is punk rock which is
characterized mainly through lyrics. The
lyrics in punk rock are very confrontational and very anti-conformist. Punk rock is a perfect example of the
original youth rebellion that came with rock and roll. It is ordinary for punk rock youth to go
against anything popular, be it dress, a way to act, or what to do with
life. Another branch of rock and roll that
has appeared since the evolution of rock is titled alternative rock. Alternative rock is not as loud and typically
is not quite as angry. Some well-known
alternative rock bands are 30 Seconds to Mars, All Time Low, and The Fray. Since rock and roll has evolved and branched
out it has been able to encompass all types of people, from adrenaline junkies
looking for a mosh pit, to punk kids who don’t want to listen to their parents.
The greatest rock band of the 1990s was Nirvana. Nirvana was a band out of Aberdeen Washington
and was made up of three men; Kurt Cobain, Krist Novoselic, and David
Grohl. These men started something
new. They were known to record songs
that would be considered punk rock but with more emotion and power added to the
lyrics. The lead singer, Kurt Cobain, a man who raged
with emotion (PAST PARTICIPLE), was also known to really scream his
lyrics. The Red Hot Chili Peppers were
also quite popular in the 1990s. They
brought a new sound and new style to the table and it captured fans. They had many issues with recording due to
drug addictions and reliability but were able come out successful. In 2012 they were inducted into the Rock N’
Roll Hall of Fame.
Rock music has transformed in many ways, not just in
terms of styles but also in terms of acceptance. When rock n’ roll began there were not so
many different styles and it was accepting of everyone. Anyone who wanted to be at a concert was
welcome to because they mostly had the same ideas, rebel from parents and the
“system.” One group who was not viewed
the same during the origin of rock were women.
It was not unusual for women to have sex with the bands while partying
after the concerts. As rock continued to
evolve so did women as a sex symbol.
“Groupies” were usually beautiful women who were rebelling from their parents
by following bands on tour and having sex with them, doing drugs with them, and
attending their shows. Women were very
rarely taken seriously when trying to emerge in the world of rock n’ roll.
There were very few women who were successful in the rock
n’ roll industry. One of the most
influential women was Janice Joplin. She
had an extremely tough time making it in the genre of her choice. For her it was a gender battle. She was forced to rock, forced to party, and
forced to stand up for herself constantly.
“Who’s got the biggest balls?” Joplin asked as her band discussed who
would drive their car from the studio.
“I do” she stated while answering her own question. Instead of being able to be a feminine,
fragile woman she was forced to be hardened and to act like a man. There were some other women who made it in
the rock industry but there were very few.
Rock music can be considered problematic. It causes teens to rebel, encourages
partying, and sometimes even encourages drug usage. However, rebellion is what rock music was
originally about. Partying is something
that developed with the rock genre.
People associated with this style of music were known to party often,
and for long periods of time. Drugs have
always been an issue when it comes to rock n’ roll. Bishop Alexander Milean states that “apart
from sex and rape rock music encourages drug abuse.” He also argues that rock music and artists
encourage illicit drug use (http://www.orthodoxphotos.com/readings/rock/).
The arguments that rock music support drug use are
normally true. Many rock icons, such as
Jimi Hendrix, Janice Joplin, Joe Cocker and countless others were heavy drug
users. The drugs used by the original rock
bands were mostly psychedelic drugs such as acid, LSD and psychedelic mushrooms
as well as marijuana. As rock progressed
so did drug usage. Bands of the 1990s
were using very different drugs than those of the 1960s. Popular in the 1990s were cocaine and heroin
for many rock stars while crack and other illicit drugs were popular in the rap
music scene. While people may argue that
rock music encourages drug use it is not certain that fans will use drugs. Many people enjoy rock music for the eclectic
sounds and for the strange interesting style.
Rock music is not the only music that has problems with drug usage and
should not be attacked as though it is.
Unfortunately, the drug usage that so often comes with
stardom to people in the rock industry leads to death. There have been countless deaths at young
ages for many individuals who are involved in rock. So many in fact that there has been a club
deemed for them known as “The 27 Club.”
This club is for the unfortunate people in the music industry that die
at age twenty-seven. Some of the most
saddening amongst the club are Jimi Hendrix, Janice Joplin, Kurt Cobain, Brian
Johnson and Jim Morrison. Jimi Hendrix
died by choking on his own vomit while on his way to the hospital for a mix of
drugs and alcohol. Janice Joplin’s life
was taken by a heroin overdose although many believe it could have been the
amounts of alcohol she drank. Kurt
Cobain killed himself with a gunshot to the head after battling an addiction
with heroin. It is rumored that Brian
Johnson drowned in a pool but some believe that he was left to die in a
pool. Jim Morrison’s life was taken by
heart failure due to drug usage (Rob O’Conner, 2011). These deaths are a tragedy, but it is the
price that each person pays for their continued drug use.
Rock n’ roll has caused a huge impact. When it began in the late 1930s by mixing
blues and country it is rational to think that no one expected it to become a
change in society. Each era of rock
music has had its own impact on society throughout the world. The British Invasion in the 1960s was popular
in both the United States and the U.K.
The metal era that was popular in the U.S. also became popular in the
U.K. and bands like Iron Maiden emerged.
Rock seems to be most popular in the English speaking countries.
If it wasn’t for rock n’ roll the odds of such a powerful
youth rebellion would have been slim to none.
Some may see the youth revolt of the 1900s as a bad thing in society
while in fact it was helpful. With the
revolts in the 1900s doors were opened for the future youth. Also, the youth of the time was having a
great time with their music, their freedom, and the carefree attitudes to the
world. Thanks to the youth of the
previous generations, the youth of today is able to have the same sort of
freedom. The country is less accepting
of the ideas such as “sex drugs and rock n’ roll” but teens are more entitled
to have their own opinions.
Rock music is quite possibly one of the greatest
movements of the 1900s. The emerging of rock
n’ roll opened a whole new world of opportunity. Today, teens are still listening to rock for
the various reasons that were originally instilled in the music. They are continuing to rebel and to be
against conformity. If it were not for
rock n’ roll many people would not be living the lives that they are
today. It is not only a noise, it is a
change. Rock changed society forever,
and as long as there is rebellion and emotion there will be rock n’ roll.
