Rock and Roll - Essay Example

Download file to see previous pages... Rock and roll lyrics in the early 60’s were mostly inclined towards love; nevertheless, numerous other themes were addressed either independently from or alongside romance. A noteworthy element of rock and roll in the 60s was that it was markedly inclined towards the musicality and authenticity of ideology unlike other genres such as pop. During this period, several other music varieties emerged bearing a distinctive rock music sub-genre feel such as RnB Folk rock and Jazz fusion among others. The period also saw the development of more specific music types such as progressive rock, this particular genre majored on artistic elements while glam rock could be said to emphasize showmanship as well as the visual technique. Notably, the diverse and enduring major sub-genre that is heavy metal has retained most of its initial attributes also was also introduced around this time, unlike the others it focused on the volume power as well as speed. Fashion In 1999, the metropolitan museum of Art acknowledged the role played by rock music in fashion in an exhibition running from up to 2000 in which the significant stages in rock and roll fashion were on display (Vogue, n.d). Fashion is one of the most important art forms and so is music as such it was only natural that the two are merged and the impact of the unity of the two was seen in performance of rock and roll from the onset. In its advent, the influence of rock and roll in fashion was seen in the clothes popularized by the early rock stars; Elvis Presley had his blue suede shoes, the Beatles in the British invasion brought with them their hairstyle, which influenced the American hair fashion sense for decades (Gritten, 1994). In addition, Motley Crue’s Nikki Sixx and many others then also inspired tattoos that came in vogue around. In the 60’s, musical groups would wear stage uniforms made in expensive materials for stage performances and they would be identified with their particular looks which their fans often copied. In the mid 60’s, the rolling stones showed up and they introduced the tough leather wearing street image and are credited with being the first to cast aside the group fashion mentality. Each of them adopted his own style and they did not have to conform to a specific dress code or uniform, this spawned a myriad of fashion trends and actually brought about a split in the cultural scene where there were two groups, the mods and rocker. The former preferred expensive high end clothing and rockers went for jeans and t-shirts, the rockers clearly won in and even today, the fashion trend which they set in the 60’s is still dominant today among both artists and in the fashion industry. In addition, the late sixties, rockers embraced the hippie fashion, wore jeans, tie, and dye t-shirts, which became totem of the 1960s fashion. In the 70’s, when disco hits became popular the urban styles that were the epitome of fashion took a firm hold on today’s world and have continued to evolve over the years. Grudge was popularized by bands such as nirvana, which were characterized by a gothic look that is a major part of today’s performance of rock music both on stage and on the digital media. Surprisingly, todays rock stars such as Bon Jovi have not moved too far away from the 70s and 80s fashion and in his videos such “We weren’t born to follow” there is a distinct similarity between the rock stars in their faded jeans and t-shirts to their forerunners decades ago. In addition, the individuality that sparked off by the rolling stones ...Download file to see next pagesRead More