Rock And Roll's Impact On American Society

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The period of the 1950s was a decade that witnessed revolution and transformation in the American society. It was the beginning of youth rebellion, the civil right’s struggle, and many other social issues. The end of World War II in the late 40s brought the country to its feet economically. Technological breakthroughs began to transform the United States. Not only was the country bursting with exhilarating progress in technology, science, and business, but also in music. Certainly the emergence of rock and roll partly reflected in many of these changes. It was a powerful medium in society that was not only a cultural mirror, but reflected the society of the time and the changes within it. Not only was this period a witness to the changes in…show more content…
The late 1940’s had a powerful influence on the development of rock music and the vast changes in the American society. One major change in society was the beginning of the Civil Rights Movement. This movement not only impacted American society but as well the reason for the division of musical taste. The impact the 40s had on rock music included instrumental, vocal, and dance styles that were popular during that time era. There were various roots in styles of music that had not been recognized by the American society. These musical roots were derived from African American neighbourhoods. They were sold and played there, not heard nor understood by the American public. These musical roots, which served as the basis for rock music, included delta blues and rhythm blues. Along with blues, country music styles had an influence over rock as well. As stated in Rock Music Styles written by Katherine Charlton, “Racial barriers slowly eroded when white teenagers began to listen and dance to the rhythm and blues of such jump bands as Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five in the late 40s” (Charlton 5). This marked the era for not only the beginning of racial integration, but youth rebellion as…show more content…
His eroticized image was viewed very differently but all of America’s society. Teenagers admired his sexual magnetism; parents disagreed with the values he was presenting to society. Nothing less, he recorded dozens of hit singles. One being “Heartbreak Hotel.” This recording became his first million-seller, and was the best-selling single of 1956. “Heartbreak Hotel” had a great affect on the 1950s. Tommy Durden wrote this song. A man who killed himself and left behind a note saying only “I walk a lonely street” inspired his lyrics. Elvis’ manager Tom Parker arranged for Elvis to receive a songwriting credit in exchange for singing it. Royalties were split between the writers of the song and Elvis. The reason this song interested me was because of the widespread panic among RCA executives when they heard it. No one believed in this song, because it was so different than anything else Presley wrote in the past. This song ended up winning Presley his first gold record, giving him sales of over one million dollars. Presley was an ambitious rocker and his music reflected that

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