Rock and Roll and Society - Essay Example

Running head: ROCK ‘N’ ROLL AND SOCIETY Rock and Roll and Society Location Introduction ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll’ is a popular genre of music that had its origin in the United States and had gradually evolved over time, due to the impact of both social and political happenings that occurred during the 1969 – 1995 period of time. Characterized by a distinct rhythm from electric guitars, with a deliberate accent on the off-beat and lyrics that are youth – oriented, this popular form of music, is an amalgamation of various musical styles such as R&B, Gospel and Country music that prevailed during this era. The Rock ‘n’ Roll style of music served to spawn other sub- genres of music and also influenced people’s attitudes, lifestyles, fashion – sense and even the language to a certain extent. According to Bogdanov the music evolved and appeared on the scene, during a time of great technological advancement in the electric guitars, microphones, amplifiers and the 45 rpm record. The culmination of different cultures and the incorporation of various styles of music is what gave birth to a new style termed ROCK ‘N’ ROLL AND SOCIETY 2 Rock ‘n’ Roll. Besides the impact of other cultures on the music scene, there were a number of significant social and political causes that impacted upon the Rock ‘n’ Roll scene and this impact is clearly evident in the style of music and lyrics of these songs. In this essay, an attempt is being made to investigate the various social and political issues that impacted upon the music of Rock ‘n’ Roll, between the years 1969 to 1995. One of the major social evils of society during the 60’s, 70’s and the 80’s was drug abuse. Though drug use was common, yet it was only gradually that it became associated with addiction. Many singers expressed themselves about their addiction through the songs they wrote. The writing of strong lyrics on the theme of drugs was first initiated by Bert Jansch (Needle of Death, 1965 and The Velvet Underground (Heroin, 1967) However, real public awareness on the issue of drug addiction, was ushered in during the 1970’s and the chief reason behind this was that many popular rock artists’ such as Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Brian Jones and Janis Joplin had become victims of drug abuse and had passed away. (Shapiro, 2003, pp. 191 -192) In lieu of their deaths, surviving the onslaught of drug abuse became the central theme in Rock during the period of the 70’s. (Marcus, 1993, pp. 57- 60) Drug addiction was quite prevalent among many of the Rock artists’ and many of them gave expression about their addiction to drugs through their biographies, and through the lyrics in their songs. Some of these artists include Led Zeppelin, Elvis, The Doors and ROCK ‘N’ ROLL AND SOCIETY 3 Johnny Cash, (1974) In fact, Johnny Cash is believed to be the first rock/country musician to pen lyrics that described his addiction to amphetamines and barbiturates that made him get into severe problems with the law as well as on the personal front. He made use of confessional drug literature for describing the quantity of drugs taken and the difficulties he faced in trying hard to overcome his addiction. While some artists expressed themselves through their autobiographies and biographies, there were others who expressed themselves through lyrics in their songs, books and journals they wrote about their lives. In this way, the Rock ‘n’ Roll music scene was influenced and greatly impacted by the social issue of drug addiction. Szatmary, David, P (1999) gives us his take from his book titled “Rockin’ in time’. His outstanding work gives us an in-depth glimpse into America’s social history and the gradual emergence of Rock ‘n’ Roll and the changes that influenced it over time. Szatmary, sheds light on the America’s music history and how it influenced the lifestyles and behavior of people during the Rock ‘n’ Roll era. According to him Rock ‘n’ Roll reflected a different image of the people associated with it, because it was responsible for changing a lot of the culture of both the Americans and the British. He also describes the period of Presleymania and the Post-war Baby - boom that took people by storm and this tended to change the society to a great extent by way of language, lifestyles, dressing and behavior. America’s social fabric gradually changed its texture that was initiated by ROCK ‘N’ ROLL AND SOCIETY 4 elements such as war, drugs, sex, and poverty, in addition to race and technology. (Szatmary, David, P 1999) Waylen A, Wolke D, (2004) the authors of ‘Sex, Drugs n’ Rock and Roll’ sheds light on puberty in the adolescent years and how social factors contribute to the behavior of youth and their out look in life. According to them, biology and social factors impact upon the lives of young people during the transition period, sometimes having a negative impact on them and this served to change their disposition from a productive to a non- productive one. According to (Waylen A and Wolke D, 2004) during the crucial transitional period, the adolescent struggles for independence and if not correctly guided, could manifest major problems in their lives in the future. Child – parent conflict becomes intense and this is reflected by divergent behavior. One such social contributor that challenged young people during that time was the Rock n’ Roll rage and with it came drugs, sex and violence that became rampant during the 60’s and the 70’s. The Rock ‘n’ Roll era served to change society in more ways than one. It created a portent ground for the thriving of drugs, sex and violence One such band that had established themselves during that period was “Queensryche”, the legendary Seattle rockers who entered the music scene with a bang in 1982 playing hard rock and heavy metal in Bellevue, Washington. This band has received worldwide acclaim and was ROCK ‘N’ ROLL AND SOCIETY 5 nominated thrice for the Grammy Awards. Their success journey began with their album release titled ‘Operation Mindcrime in 1988 (Stephen Thomas Erlewine) which sold millions across the globe. This album had a narrative concept which became a huge commercial success and came in for a lot of criticism. The central theme of the story was about a junkie who was conned into carrying out assasinations after he had been brain-washed. The junkie is however torn between his misplaced loyalty to the movement and his deep love for a hooker who is reformed and who is now a nun. Their 1990 album release titled “Empire” met with a resounding success selling millions across the world. One of the main reasons for “Queensryche’s success was the very strong socially conscious lyrics that they used in their albums. Their songs catered to the conditions that prevailed in society. Through their songs they gave expression to the feelings and emotions of the people. The themes they used to kindle the consciousness of the people ranged from gun- control, unrest in the environment, violence and war themes from World War II and the Iraq War and the courage to rise up. Conclusion During the period of the 60’s and 70’s, Rock ‘n’ Roll music reached the pinnacle of its success with scores of singers and bands riding a huge popularity wave. Though the style revolutionized other genres of music and served to give rise to new forms of musical styles, yet there is no doubt that it had impacted American society in a negative way, ROCK ‘N’ ROLL AND SOCIETY 6 because it had ushered in a period of sex, drugs and violence. The post-war period was another great influence on the Rock ‘n’ Roll scene thereby giving rise to singers who expressed their feelings and emotions of the prevailing conditions of society by writing and singing their own songs with varied themes of war, hardship, the pain and heartache of being addicted to drugs and the loss of loved ones because of their addiction. In fact, the period of the 60’s and the 70’s was the decade when many great singers and musicians lost their lives to drug addiction. Though the Rock ‘n Roll era had gained immense popularity especially among the youth, it was also equally responsible for spawning a carefree and mindless generation who had to face the repercussions of what it had to offer. Bibliography Szatmary, David, P (2003) Eockin’ in Time: . A Social History of Rock and Roll. Prentice Hall. 5th edn. Pgs. 400. Szatmary, David, P (2003) highlights facts that explain the backdrop of Rock ‘n’ Roll during the period of the 60’s and 70’s in his insightful article titled ‘Rockin’ in Time.’ His seminal work is highly regarded by historians and researchers alike as it gives deep insight into the Rock ‘n’ Roll scene and how it impacted the teeming millions of America, especially the youth section of society. The author describes Rock ‘n’ Roll ROCK ‘N’ ROLL AND SOCIETY 7 music as both outlandish and aggressive due to the loud and rhythmic electric guitars and forthright lyrics of the songs. The article describes the gradual change in society that took place especially where the youth were concerned. The information and data collected on the issue showed the youth to be the worst affected. He explains that during the Rock ‘n’ Roll era, American society shifted away from the traditional and adapted a more carefree attitude with youth taking to drugs, sex and violence in the society and the consequences they suffered through destruction and even death. This text is indispensable for understanding the extent of change that took place in American society due to the emergence of the Rock ‘n’ Roll era. Waylen, A., & Wolke, D. (2004). Sex n drugs n rock n roll: the meaning and social Consequences of Pubertal Timing. U.S National Library of Medicine. National Institutes of Health. Eur. J. Endocrinology. 151 Suppl 3:U151-9. This article by Waylen, A., & Wolke, D. (2004) titled ‘Sex n Drugs n Rock ‘n’ Roll,’ sheds light on the changing culture of youth during the period of the 60’s, 70’s and the 80’s. The authors provide evidence of how social and environmental changes have a great impact especially on the youth in a society, because they are so vulnerable during the period of puberty and are capable of picking up the wrong signals and diverging on a wrong path. They give us detailed information of how the era of Rock ‘n’ Roll impacted ROCK ‘N’ ROLL AND SOCIETY 8 upon the youth in a major way that most of them took to drugs, sex and violence. This social factor was also responsible in them making different lifestyle choices and resorting to inappropriate behavior patters. This text is exceptionally useful for us to understand how the Rock ‘n’ Roll genre of music impacted the youth population and brought about significant changes in the society. Atte Oksanen. (2012) To Hell and Back. Excessive Drug Use, Addiction and the process of Recovery in Rock Autobiographies. Substance Use and Misuse, 447:2, 143 – 154 This work by Atte Oksanen gives us deep insight into the lives and times of a wide spectrum of artists who rose to popularity by their success during the Rock ‘n’ Roll era.. The author focuses on their addiction with drugs, violence and the struggle they faced during the period of recovery. The author specially focuses on the autobiographies, biographies, books and journals written by the artists themselves narrating all about their addiction and their passage to recovery. While Shapiro (2003) highlights the fact about the many artists’ deaths that occurred due to drug addiction during the Rock ‘n’ Roll era, Marcus (1993) explains how many of the artists used the themes of drug abuse, violence and recovery in the lyrics of their songs. This work is very useful for understanding how Rock ‘n’ Roll music impacted on the lives of different artists and the attempts they made to recover from their addiction. ROCK ‘N’ ROLL AND SOCIETY 9 Stephen Thomas Erlwine. Artist Biography. Web. Retrieved on 10th April 2014 http://www.allmusic.com/artist/queensr%25C3%25BFche-mn0000315339 ‘Queensryche’s biography by author Stephen Thomas Erlwine gives us an understanding of this famous rock band from its inception and right through its success. He explains how the band evolved over time and came to be the huge success that it had become after releasing its most successful number ‘Silent Lucidity’. The band went on to be nominated many times for the Grammy and this encouraged them to move up on the ladder of success with many hit albums that sold in millions across the globe. References Atte Oksanen. (2012) To Hell and Back. Excessive Drug Use, Addiction and the process of Recovery in Rock Autobiographies. Substance Use and Misuse, 447:2, 143 – 154 http://www.academia.edu/1198802/To_Hell_and_Back_Excessive_Drug_Use_Addiction_and_the_Process_of. Marcus, G (1993) In the Fascist Bathroom: Punk in Pop Music. 1977 – 1992. Cambridge, Massachusetts and London Harvard University Press. Shapiro, H (2003) Waiting for the Man, London: Helter Skelter. Stephen Thomas Erlwine. Queensryche. Artist Biography.Web. Retrieved on 10th April 2014 http://www.allmusic.com/artist/queensr%25C3%25BFche-mn0000315339 Szatmary, David, P (2003) Eockin’ in Time. A Social History of Rock and Roll. Prentice Hall. 5th edn. Pgs. 400. Waylen A, Wolke D. (2004) Sex ‘n’ drugs’ n’ Rock ‘n’ Roll” The Meaning and Social Consequences of Pubertal Timing. U.S National Library of Medicine. National Institutes of Health. Eur. J. Endocrinology. 151 Suppl 3:U151-9. Read More