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 Zimmerman in 1941, Dylan originally modeled his music on that of Woody Gutherie. After the debut of his second album, he emerged as the voice of his generation, and an emotional critic of racism, injustice and war (Foner; Garraty, 1991). Dylan?s song ?Blowin? in the Wind? was practically the unofficial anthem of the sixties? civil rights struggle. He expressed the terror of a generation that grew up in the shadow of nuclear destruction in ?A Hard Rain?s A-Gonna Fall? written just after the Cuban missile crisis. His lyrics incorporated wild, poetic images-one piled upon another-using Dylan?s unique phrasing which has recently gained him notice as a serious poet. Recently more then 400 fans of Bob Dylan gathered at Stanford University to hear ten noted experts comparing the legendary rock composer?s cultural achievements to those of Keats, Becket, Tennyson, Shakespeare and Milton (Goodman PG). Dylan began his career as a earnest folk singer in the early 60s, but ?went electric? in 1965. During his career, he has written and performed songs whose ?serious subject matter? has taken popular music into previously uncharted territory (Goodman PG). Christopher Ricks, a professor at Boston University and a T.S. Eliot expert, in analyzing Dylan?s ?Not Dark Yet? found it ?saturated? with references from Keats? ?Ode to a Nightingale? (Goodman PG). Ricks concluded his analysis of Dylan?s work by saying that the 56-year-old composer was comfortable with notions of his own mortality (PG). Intimate friends of Dylan feel that the academics ?think too much? concerning the meaning and literary references of Dylan?s text (Goodman) and that the music should be taken at face value. Rock becomes part of the establishment One of the last acts of the Reagan administration was to ?embrace the aging, tattooed body of rock ?n? roll? (Star 39). All through the 1980s, conservative elements in America?s cultural landscape were assimilating the rock culture and making it their own. This took many forms such as the rise of Christian rock, the pilfering of ?Born in the USA by Bruce Springsteen, and a very well-publicized Republican enthusiasm for Neil Young (Star 39). In the 80s, rock completed the transition from rebellion to being sanctioned by authority. The establishment?s embrace of rock gave rise to some interesting scenarios. For example, Willie Nelson got stoned admiring the view from the White House roof during his visit during the Carter administration. Nancy Reagan and Michael Jackson admired each other?s gloves during his visit to the White House (39). Starr suggests that the conservative embrace of rock has to do with the fact that they know a profitable export when they see one (39). William Bennett, who is reported to have once dated Janis Joplin, and other conservatives have expressed the opinion that rock music is the sound track of American freedom. As if to signal that the transition was complete, a 21-year-old, punkish MTV v-jay appeared at a right-wing political action conference in Washington where she reportedly urged the crowd to ?start beating up the liberals? (Star 39) It is ironic that rock music which began as an expression of a generation?s alienation and rejection of the society?s established institutions has evolved into a capitalistic institution itself which has, in turn, been embraced by the establishment. One would suspect that the universe is sending a message to a generation of aging Hippies not to take themselves, or their politics, too seriously. Decurtis, Anthony. ?Is Rock ?n? Roll a white man?s game?? Time (1996): April, p. 78. Foner, Eric; Garraty, John A. (1991) The Reader?s Companion to American History. New York: Houghton Mifflin Co. Goodman, Dean. ?Dylan fans get tangled up in academic views,? Reuters (1998): February, p. PG. Harris, James F. ?Listen to the music: the meaning of classic rock,? The World & I, Vol. 11, 12 Ed. (1996): December, pp. 306. Ryan, John. ?The Seventh Stream: The emergency of rock n roll in American popular music,? (Book reviews) Social Forces (1994): March, p. 927. Star, Alexander. ?Hole in Our Soul: The Loss of Beauty and Meaning in American Popular Music? (book reviews) The New Republic, Vol. 210. (1994): May, pp. 39-42. Wattenberg, Daniel. ?Elvis as force for social change has sadly been forgotten,? Rocky Mountain News. (1997): August, pp. 6B.