Rock music has had an enormous effect on our everyday lives. Its combination of rhythm and blues with country led to its creation – initially denounced by parents due to its association with sexuality and drugs – but later accepted as part of mainstream society.
Rock music‘s groundbreaking perspectives have long been at the forefront of positive social change, inspiring artists both past and present alike. Today, this form of expression continues to do just that.
The 1950s
The 1950’s witnessed the introduction of rock music as an American style and its initial impact on society. Up until this point, young people typically listened to traditional pop and country tunes such as those played by Bill Haley and His Comets until 1953 when Bill Haley and His Comets combined rock with R&B into one hit and helped break down segregation within radio stations that broadcast music; eventually black music started climbing the Rhythm and Blues charts while white artists like Pat Boone and The Crewcuts began covering these hits and making them popular throughout Pop Music Charts too!
During this era, transistor radios became widespread, offering teens an affordable means of accessing personal music players while listening to R&B, Jazz and other popular styles from home or while traveling on small radios. Artists such as Dizzy Gillespie, Lester Young and Miles Davis gained further popularity.
Elvis Presley became one of the greatest influences in rock music thanks to his energetic interpretations and uninhibited performance style, blending elements of rock with elements of soul music and his rebellious behavior on stage and sexual images that caused an uproar on stage and caused scandalous controversy within rock.
Women clamored for more freedom as the ideal of a traditional housewife caring for children and cleaning house began to fade from young minds. Young men began having crushes on girls, leading them to develop romantic attachments that later lead them on romantic relationships between the genders. Fashion and art also changed, as musicians like Storm Thorgerson and Andy Warhol created visuals which provoked thought while being visually appealing.
The 1960s
The 1960s was one of the defining periods in rock history, representing an era of rebellion against established authority and protest against oppression. Civil Rights Movement gained steam while hippie culture flourished – two well-known concerts – Woodstock and Altamont – were held; John Lennon and Yoko Ono used their fame to foster an underground subculture which advocated universal equality, women’s rights and environmental awareness.
Rock music continued its evolution during this decade. Genre-defining sounds like Phil Spector’s wall of sound, girl groups and surf music all gained prominence. Over time, this genre began losing some of its initial controversy as it became more commercialized.
At around this time, Baby Boomers became entranced with a new counterculture: Hippism. While previous counterculture was focused on folk-oriented critics of modern consumer culture, Hippies offered something completely different: non-individualistic lifestyle and love of nature as goals to aim towards.
Rock music began to transition towards more psychedelic sounds in the latter parts of the decade. Songs began discussing drugs and sexuality more openly; Jefferson Airplane’s song, “Tune In, Turn On, Drop Out”, which refers to taking LSD, became an early cultural marker while Elvis Presley began his decline while still having hits such as “Hound Dog.” Otis Redding died tragically in a plane crash December 10, 1967 while Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band became a cultural touchstone; Motown records took influence from blues and soul sounds, producing numerous number one hit artists including Supremes, Marvin Gaye, Martha and the Vandellas among many others.
The 1970s
In the 1970s, psychedelic rock gave way to various subgenres such as glam rock, hard rock and punk music. These genres allowed musicians to express themselves more uniquely and independently – often through protest songs designed to raise awareness for causes ranging from global warming (“Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)”) and anti-Apartheid Movement (“Biko”) from Peter Gabriel through to violence in Northern Ireland (“Kill the Poor”) created an unprecedented musical landscape that has continued today.
In the 1970s, music distribution underwent dramatic change. Compact discs enabled people to purchase singles and albums directly without visiting record stores; although this benefited some artists, this transformation caused numerous legal disputes regarding copyright ownership and royalty rates.
As the 1970s progressed, drugs quickly became an important influence among rock musicians. This resulted in many iconic rock stars such as Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix dying due to drug-related causes; for many bands however, drugs provided a means for experimentation as well as experiencing new feelings – but ultimately altered their lives irreparably.
This period also brought new ideas and ideologies into music, giving rise to genres like art rock and progressive rock. Artists began focusing more on lyrics than melody when creating songs; this shift led to changes in depicting love scenes as well as political commentary and activism through songs – David Bowie used Ziggy Stardust as an outlet to showcase this. Joni Mitchell and Patti Smith addressed social issues through their lyrics.
The 1990s
From grunge and Britpop to punk and alternative, the 1990s was an incredibly diverse decade of rock music. New subgenres created a richer sound palette while setting new standards within this genre.
As MTV emerged, visual components of rock music became equally as significant. Music videos enabled bands to reach a larger audience than would have been possible through radio airplay or even live concerts alone. Music also evolved to incorporate socially conscious lyrics and themes; many songs became protest songs against war, civil rights or other injustices – for instance Bob Dylan’s landmark protest song “Blowin’ in the Wind”, written as an antiwar protest anthem was one such song while more direct antiestablishment diatribes by Crosby Stills Nash & Young became antiwar anthems during war opposition as anthems against them both war opposition movements as well as civil rights movements that followed their predecessors.
In the 1990s, rock music witnessed another revival of drug use accompanied by more mature awareness. Following the deaths of several influential musicians who had fallen prey to drug abuse, greater responsibility and awareness came back into the scene; yet jam sessions like those hosted by Phish, Blues Traveler, Widespread Panic and Grateful Dead were still extremely popular.
Gender issues were a driving force of the 1990s, as women gained ground in previously all-male scenes. Riot grrls donned with ripped jeans, backward baseball caps and scrawled “bitch” or “whore” slogans challenged rock music’s conventional masculinity while bands such as Nirvana, Stone Temple Pilots and Silverchair used a more feminine style of punk music to reflect these changes.
The 2000s
Rock music saw an enormous surge in popularity during the 2000s with bands like Linkin Park and My Chemical Romance becoming international sensations. Their innovative blend of musical influences was an expression of rebellion against traditional musical conventions; their songs addressed cultural/political events while challenging songwriting conventions.
These bands were able to reach young people across social and economic lines, making them one of the most influential groups of recent history. They inspired people to question social inequality and advocate for change – their rebellious spirit helped fuel civil rights movements, AIDS awareness campaigns, and ecological initiatives.
Rock music had a powerful impact on other artistic disciplines as well, spanning fashion, film and television all featuring rock styles and themes. Rock musicians often set trends with their clothing choices and hairstyles being widely imitated by fans worldwide; Elvis Presley made his pompadour and sideburns iconic styles in the 1950s for instance.
Rock music’s rising popularity throughout the 2000s had an immense effect on society and other musical genres, leading to subgenres such as alternative rock, post-hardcore, and emo to emerge as rebellious counterpoints to mainstream music and express feelings of disaffection or anger.
Rock music’s history is long and complex. While widely influential, its true impact remains difficult to ascertain. Many attributes the genre with profoundly changing culture and society, yet pinpointing exactly how is often difficult. There is often debate as to whether certain forms of rock music are “authentic”, such as punk and heavy metal where bands strive not to appear “sellouts” while simultaneously seeking commercial success.