Rock 'N' Roll: The Birth of a Musical Revolution - Essay Sample

Introduction

Rock'n'roll was a popular type of music that originated from the United States in the 1950s. This style of music then revolutionized in the 1960s after which it developed into the famously renowned rock music although the latter was still regarded as rock'n'roll. Some artists say that the merging of country music and blues produced rock'n'roll, but this cannot be true since the former genre is not easy to compose. If the claim explained above is valid, the style would have emerged many decades before 1950 (Friedlander 50). Roll and roll became famous in America since it combined the black culture and white spending power. Some of the renowned disc jockeys during that era like Allan Freed and Dewey Phillips played the music widely and introduced it to the white suburban teenagers. The rock'n'roll culture was more exotic and thrilling like nothing that was ever heard of. From 1955, rock 'n' roll was the most important way that mainstream Americans understood what was "cool." In a book by Stephen and Anette, five elements of "rebel cool" which include extreme experiences, reclaimed masculinity, sexual liberation, emotional detachment, and opposition to conformity are discussed. The elements above were included in the rock 'n' roll music and presented to the mainstream through various methods.

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The early recordings of the rock'n'roll music were done by producers like Sam Phillips and the genre incorporated a lot of feeling (Friedlander 56). Before 1950, blacks in the united states had sued the term rock'n'roll and a euphemism for sex, leading to instant controversy. Presley's music was composed of sexuality, and it incorporated different styles such as rave-ups and blue wails. The music was regarded as low culture, and it was viewed as a bad influence to the masses since the lyrics were sexually explicit and violent.

Through his music, Presley played a significant role in merging the black and white cultures into something substantial and complex. During that era, black singers like Little Richard, Chuck Berry, and Bo Diddley flavored and enhanced tunes of their white counterpart performers like Jerry Lee Lewis. According to the white American singers, the rock'n'roll music signified rebellion however minute. One of the movie stars in the U.S. produced The Wild One in 1953 which depicted the current trends of the youth at that time like defiance and sullenness among the teenagers which were echoed by the music (Friedlander 78). The rock'n'roll culture was condemned by religious institutions, government officials, and parent groups who described the music as demonic.

The music industry responded by clean-cut artists such as Pat Boone. The sector produced songs for a new generation of singers. After Presley's induction to the army and Holly's death, the rock'n'roll music transitioned, and a more sophisticated approach was developed, and the golden era came to an end. Greater music freedom was witnessed in the 1960s, and the rock'n'roll genre revolutionized into numerous styles and became known as rock.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the rock'n'roll music depicted elements such as extreme experiences, reclaimed masculinity, sexual liberation, emotional detachment, and opposition to conformity. Most religious, political, and parent groups opposed this genre of music as it was a bad influence on the youth at that time. For instance, the lyrics of the songs produced were sexually explicit and violent. The genre was also regarded as a low culture since it led to emotional detachment and opposition to conformity.

Works Cited

Friedlander, Paul. Rock and roll: A social history. Routledge, 2018.