THE BEAST

Rock music has quite a rich history and it evolved and developed tremendously across the years. Even if it originated in the 1940s and 1950s, it changed a lot up to this day. Many rock subgenres are still popular among rock fans, while others have fewer fans than usual. But rock music is here to stay and history proves it.

Listening to music is an enlightening experience. We listen to music when we are sad, and science says that that is the moment when we pay greater attention to the lyrics. When we are happy, we mostly keep our ears on the melody or the instrumental part of the song. But a song has both melody and lyrics and these two elements together make a beautiful combination. So, how has rock music become a huge cultural force when it entered the musical scene in the 1950s? Let’s find out together.

The Emergence of Rock Music

If you take a look at the history of music, you can easily see that all music genres originate from the same two big genres present at that moment. Blues music was a popular genre and it originates from the African-American communities present in the United States. The roots of rock music are also in blues, blues-jazz, and country music. But firstly, there was rock and roll music.

After World War II, the United States has become one of the biggest powers of the world when it comes to the industry. The government has invested a lot of money into the industry, roads, and education. Americans in the 1950s were allowed to take home loans and buy a house, so they had a discretionary income to pursue their goals and implement their plans. As music experts from college paper writing service reviews say, the 1950s were among the best years for the development of the United States.

And that was the moment when baby boomers, as we know them today, reached adolescence. Major brands in America and not only looked for ways to catch their attention. It is important to note that this generation of people born between 1946 and 1964 changed the facets of music. As they have a different personality and perspective on the world than the previous generations, automatically their needs and desires were completely different. The baby boom after World War II in the United States was incredible. The sheer numbers of baby boomers urged marketers and brands to identify them as their target audience.

Baby boomers were pretty different and they always looked for ways to change their identities and define them according to their principles, not to what the societies urge us to do. Rock and roll music, the precursor of rock music, was born during those times when baby boomers wanted to rebel against the society and rules imposed by it. This came in a moment where all media and television wanted to instill some values in the general population, such as patriotism and faith. But baby boomers wanted something else.

Rock Music Shaped Social and Political Views and Movements

Even though the war had just passed, the teens had this inner force that told them to rebel against adult authority. When the American society just tells you that you need to have faith, that you need to be patriotic, that you need to conform to the norms of the society, not agreeing with these calls for a way to express your feelings. And this is how rock and roll music changed the scene of the United States, but also of the United Kingdom and other countries. Stars like Elvis Presley or Alan Fred brought sexuality, desires, and rebellion to the center of American society. And baby boomers helped them tremendously.

But as rock and roll became more popular, rock music began to emerge. They shed light on the politics of the current time and encouraged social movements to happen. Rock music was different from other music genres. From the point of view of the instruments, rock bands and groups had an electric guitar, electric bass, electric drums, and one or more lead singers. The Beatles were maybe among the first bands to play rock music and they opened new doors to many artists as well.

The rock genre has quite a variety of subgenres. Classic rock was, of course, among the first ones. But by the end of the 1960s, a lot of other rock subgenres had emerged. Folk rock, country rock, or blues rock were among the popular ones. This was the moment when the psychedelic rock scene began to gain more momentum. And during the 1970s, the scene was set for punk rock, a rock music subgenre that caught the attention of the public and increased its follower base.

Rock music, along with the other subgenres that developed across the years is a huge cultural force. Highlighting problems that exist in the society as well as addressing some critiques to the entire political and social scene was and is something very characteristic of the rock genre. And this is valid today too.

Conclusion

Even though the popularity of rock music has dwindled across the years, there still are quite a few fans that remain devoted to this music genre. Because there are so many rock music subgenres to choose from and listen to, you can easily find bands and artists that you like. Many of them pinpoint the problems that exist in our societies nowadays. They also have that rebel-against-the-authority-ingredient that is so characteristic of this music genre. 

Rock music has roots in the blues and rock and roll genres, but also country and folk characteristics. It will surely develop even more in the next few years, but it is a music genre that reminds us of the culture and norms of the 1950s.

Bio lines: Emily Harrinson is one of the most influential editors of a big company in London, at https://www.dissertation-service.org/ . She has been working in this company since 2006, where you can buy research papers on music topics written by her. Emily’s hobby is reading books. But besides that, Emily is fond of sports and music. She is a very positive person.