Rock

‘n’ Roll & 20th Century Culture Essay, Research Paper

Rock .n. roll and 20th Century Culture

According to Philip Ennis, rock .n. roll emerged from

the convergence of social transformations which resulted

from World War II (Ryan 927). Despite its pop culture

origins, rock music is arguably one of the strongest

cultural factors to develop in this century. Artists such as

Lennon, McCartney and Dylan defined the emotions of a

generation and, in the last decade, it as even been

acknowledged by members of the establishment which it hoped

to change as a major influence in the country. In order to

understand how rock went from a sign of rebellion to a

cultural icon, it is necessary to understand where it came

from.

According to Albert Murray, the African-American

musical tradition is .fundamentally stoical yet affirmative

in spirit. (Star 3). Through the medium of the blues,

African-Americans expressed a resilience of spirit which

refused to be crippled by either poverty or racism. It is

through music that the energies and dexterities of black

American life are sounded and expressed (39). For the black

culture in this country, the music of Basie or Ellington

expressed a .wideawake, forward-tending. rhythm that one

can not only dance to but live by (Star 39).

Although he later denied that he ever said it, Sam

Phillips-the man who discovered Elvis Presley-is reputed to

have said, .if I could find a white man who had the Negro

sound the Negro feel, I could make a billion dollars.

(Decurtis 78). Certain radio stations would not play the

work of black artists in the segregated America of the

1950s. But, nevertheless, rock .n. roll was an art form

created by African-Americans. Little Richard, whose songs

.Tutti Fruitti. and .Long Tall Sally. became hits only after

white-bread versions were made by Pat Boone, said, .It

started out as rhythm and blues. (Decurtis 78).

Through Elvis Presley, rock .n. roll changed the face

of American music, and influenced a whole generation.s

political philosophy. Composer Leonard Berstein once said,

.He introduced the beat to everything and changed

everything-music, language, clothes; it.s a whole new social

revolution-the 60s come from it. (Wattenberg 6B). To his

credit, Elvis embraced rhythm and blues not as a from to be

imitated, but as a form to honored and interpreted

(Wattenberg 6B) and, as such, helped to break down the

barriers between white and black music. Time and again

Presley acknowledged his debt to black artists in public

statements despite the fact that this was a practice which

carried professional risks in the 50s (Wattenberg).

Rock .n. roll music came of age in the sixties which

was a period in the nation.s history when a young generation

expressed their anguish and sense of alienation to the

country.s social establishments by searching for new answers

to the age-old questions concerning the meaning of life, the

value of the individual, and the nature of truth and

spirituality (Harris 306). The classic rock music which was

created during this period gave form and substance to this

search. Songs such as .My Generation. by the Who recorded

the keen sense of alienation that young people felt from the

past and the .Establishment. and it also showed the keen

sense of community they felt among themselves.

Classic albums such as the Beatles. .White Album,. the

Who.s .Who.s Next,. Dylan.s .Highway 61 Revisited, and Pink

Floyd.s .Dark Side of the Moon. capture what was essential

about the time because they were both a result of that time

and because they helped to produce it by reinforcing the

younger generation.s feelings of alienation and separation.

Although the distinction is somewhat fuzzy, rock music

is not exactly the same as rock and roll. Rock .n. roll

brings up memories of two-minute, Top 40 .singles. of the

fifties era. Drawn directly from black rhythm and blues,

these simple songs featured three-chord harmony and a heavy,

pulsating back beat which was produced by accenting the off

beat. It was musically revolutionary and socially

threatening, but the lyrics to these songs were generally

insignificant and usually downright silly (Harris).

In the early sixties, folks musicians began to appear

who were drawing upon a different tradition, namely, protest

singers such as Woody Gutherie and Pete Singer. Artists like

Joan Baez and Bob Dylan created songs with serious lyrics

but without the rhythm, tempo and drive of rock .n. roll.

Rock music was created when the serious lyrics of folk music

were incorporated into the rhythm, beat, and tempo of rock

and roll and then used as a vehicle for social commentary.

Bob Dylan

Born Robert Zimmer

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