Rock music is defined by its challenging lyrics that often revolve around love, lust, rebellion or antiauthoritarian sentiments. Additionally, this genre blends various musical styles and genres.
The Beatles are widely recognized as pioneers of rock music after their iconic appearance on Ed Sullivan show in 1964. Albums like Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band introduced progressive elements and helped define rock.
The Beatles
Few artists have done more to shape our world through music than The Beatles. Within just 10 years of existence, this English band ignited numerous cultural movements and altered the direction of contemporary music. They introduced young people to rock music for the first time while setting an unprecedented standard of success for future musical acts.
The Beatles began as a relatively conventional pop band but gradually transitioned towards more unconventional sounds that combined elements of jazz and classical music with guitars and drums, giving birth to what we now refer to as rock music – creating an entirely new genre with both an accessible yet revolutionary edge.
Their music inspired a generation of young people to engage in conversations surrounding political and social issues prevalent during the 60s – such as war in Vietnam, feminism, and world hunger – such as those raised during World War II or even today such as global hunger. Additionally, The Beatles pioneered use of electric guitar and drums which would forever change rock music writing and recording processes for decades to come.
The Beatles played a pivotal role in developing the album as an art form; Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band is widely considered one of the greatest albums ever created; an experiment in sound, songwriting and studio technology which would influence many other bands including Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon.
Chuck Berry had established his craft well before The Beatles arrived on the scene, yet something about Lennon-McCartney writing duo gave The Beatles an air of authenticity and charm that seemed entirely natural. Their performances on shows like Ed Sullivan Show were electrifying; giving the group legitimacy they could rarely match from other bands of their day. Additionally, The Beatle’s mop top hair and casual attire was an unexpected change from American music of that era.
Woodstock 1969
In the mid to late 80s, rock musicians used their music to promote social change through events like Live Aid, Farm Aid and “We Are the World.” Such events exposed rock ‘n’ roll as an ideologically coherent subculture; while its themes and artistic styles have since been shaped by various trends it all stemmed from one specific moment in history.
At Woodstock Music Festival in 1969, over half a million people from across America converged upon a dairy farm near Bethel, New York to watch 32 acts – both established and emerging artists – perform, including Janis Joplin, Jefferson Airplane and Jimi Hendrix. Aside from musical entertainment there was much peace and love.
Woodstock captured the changing attitudes of Americans of that era. At the end of the 1960s, society had begun loosening restrictive sexual mores and accepting antiauthoritarianism more freely; Woodstock attendees epitomized these ideals using music as a bridge across our divided nation.
Woodstock stood out among other concerts of its time because of its incredible sense of community. The audience represented various aspects of American culture at that time; while some security and drug issues were present, most concert-goers behaved peacefully throughout. Woodstock was a groundbreaking event: an unprecedented mass gathering of young people united under one cause.
Although this event itself didn’t change the world, it certainly left an indelible mark on America’s youth. Additionally, it gave birth to the hippie movement which continues today; many attendees would go on to become activists and leaders for causes related to environmentalism and human rights.
Live Aid 1985
Bob Geldof and Midge Ure were struck with horror when Michael Buerk reported on the Ethiopian famine in 1984, realising something needed to be done. They decided to create Band Aid, recruiting such artists as Paul McCartney and Midge Ure of Ultravox to record ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas’ which became an immense hit across Britain and was also broadcast live during a 16 hour live concert called by organizers as “the day music changed the world”.
Live Aid saw an outstanding line-up at Wembley Stadium and Philadelphia’s JFK stadium – lasting 16 hours and raising over PS100 million – this event drew an estimated 1.5 billion viewers globally despite being such a success – but Ethiopian famine continued regardless.
Queen, Madonna, Dire Straits, Elton John and U2 performances stand as among the defining moments in rock history. These concerts solidified rock as more than just music; rather it became an irrepressible movement with social conscience.
As the 1980s rolled on, this idealism was furthered through charity events such as Farm Aid and We Are The World, which helped cement rock as an ideology-rich subculture with social responsibility. Despite any potential drawbacks of these charity concerts, their foundation helped cement the concept that rock represents.
Rock musicians embraced their role as socially conscious leaders of younger generations with pride, something which was reinforced in the ’90s with the rise of Green Day, MCR, and emo bands such as Emo Craze. These bands took punk’s roots of youthful rebellion back into their albums to express disillusionment with politics in general; thus creating an unprecedented sound which gave voice to that discontentment which helped give rise to new political activists – further cementing rock’s rich legacy and history.
John Lennon’s “More popular than Jesus”
Rock music has always been controversial, from its very inception. From The Beatles’ groundbreaking Ed Sullivan performance to Yoko Ono’s claim that Jesus is more popular than herself; rock’s legacy is marked by its unabashedly controversial nature.
John Lennon made headlines with his offhand comment that The Beatles were more “popular than Jesus”. Though Lennon didn’t intend for it to be taken this way, it caused outrage across America and spurred further political statements from him and the rest of his bandmates; albums like Sergeant Peppers and Revolver would push musical boundaries even further in years following.
Pink Floyd and their concept albums popularized progressive rock, while groups like Sex Pistols stripped it back to its basic elements with loud guitars and rude attitudes. Punk was the first true counterculture movement and helped push rock to new levels of popularity.
Woodstock 1969 was an anti-war music festival held over four days by hippies and anti-war musicians to commemorate themselves and live life their own way. People had grown tired of war, and the idea that happiness could exist without wealth or status was revolutionary. While performers such as Janis Joplin, Santana, Grateful Dead and Jimi Hendrix all participated, none would make as big an impression than Jimi Hendrix’s incredible performance at Woodstock 1969.
The 1980s would witness another pivotal transformation in rock as Seattle grunge band Nirvana introduced audiences worldwide to distorted guitars and screaming lyrics inspired by punk and metal music. This new genre, termed grunge rock, inspired bands such as Soundgarden and Pearl Jam and gave rise to an entirely new generation of music fans. Furthermore, Live Aid 1985 raised millions for people living in Ethiopia while marking an end of classic rock’s reign.