THE SOCIOLOGY OF AMERICAN POPULAR MUSIC (SOAP) UNIT 3 NOTES Rock and Roll 1
ROCK 'N' ROLL IN A HISTORICAL AND SOCIAL CONTEXT Changes in the 1940s-1950s: Beginnings of Desegregation and Expanded American World View - in the years following WWII, returning veterans represented a wide range of races and ethnicities - President Harry Truman desegregated the U.S. Armed Forces in 1948, the beginning of the government's total desegregation at all levels of society - many returning soldiers brought brides home with them from overseas - many GIs began to share their broader world view, discoveries, and experiences with their friends and families - these factors contributed to a subtle but growing interest in other cultures - Americans were now becoming "more worldly," more accepting of people from backgrounds other than their own The Booming Postwar Economy - economy was strong in the U.S. after the war, and there was a growing belief that education was the key to future success - federal govt. responded in two important ways: 1) "GI Bill" was passed, providing funds to support veterans financially as they pursued their education; 2) federal and state funds set aside to build colleges/universities - there was a philosophical shift to providing higher education opportunities for all people, regardless of socioeconomic class - combination of a thriving economy and memories of the dreary, demoralizing Great Depression of the 1930s reinforced a collective hope in 1950s' adults to create a better world and future for their children --> many young people now had greater freedom to make decisions for themselves - they had more time for socializing, formed close bonds of friendship with their peers The Emerging Youth Culture and Economic Power - 1950s were a time of relative peace and prosperity - for many Americans, this new prosperity trickled down to teenagers whose earnings were no longer an essential component of the family's financial support 2
- parents wanted their children to enjoy economic and material comforts - many teens were now given an allowance or allowed to keep money earned from afterschool jobs - teens now had discretionary income, giving them economic clout - the first teen movies catered to this youth market ("The Wild One," "Rebel Without a Cause," "Blackboard Jungle") - the first generation of American "teenagers" was created, and with it, a teenage identity separate from adults - teens had their own clothes, hairstyles, slang, and music (rock 'n' roll) - this "generation gap" that began in the 1950s grew to become a cultural revolution in the 1960s - rock music was everything teens wanted - it was loud, raucous, and sexual - the subject matter of rock lyrics was not profound (dancing, dating, love, cars, school), but it spoke directly to teens - rock 'n' roll was the antithesis of their parents' bland and nonthreatening songs Growth in the Music Industry - by the postwar era, the broadcast range of radio had been greatly expanded, and stations that had previously played exclusively to regional audiences were now accessible to many distant and diverse listeners, particularly at night when the airwaves were less crowded - the advent of television was soon to give the new rock 'n' roll stars a visual presence in the hearts and minds of teens - it's within this complex context of social, economic, and technological influences that rock 'n' roll was born The Birth of Rock 'n' Roll - by the late 1940s, black rhythm 'n' blues (R&B) was attracting a wider audience, many of whom where white teenagers - this phenomenon is called a crossover (a record intended for one market succeeds in another) 3
- in 1951, Alan Freed, a white disk jockey who had been influential in attracting white teenagers to the music, called the music "rock 'n' roll" - name was coined from a popular African-American slang phrase for sex that had appeared in many R&B lyrics - by the early 1950s, black R&B records were crossing over, making their way to the bottom of the white pop charts - influential record producers began to search for successful hits to "cover" by white musicians - a cover is a recording made subsequent to the original version that may or may not follow the the style or lyrics of the original - most early rock recordings were covers by white artists of black artists' previous R&B recordings - examples: "Shake, Rattle and Roll" by Joe Turner (covered by Bill Haley and the Comets), "You Ain't Nothin' But a Houndog" by Big Mama Thornton (covered by Elvis Presley) - these covers and crossovers were central factors in the erosion of racially based music boundaries and brought new stylistic influences PRIMARY MUSICAL INFLUENCES ON EARLY ROCK 'N' ROLL: 1. Rhythm 'n' Blues (R&B) - transformation in the late 1940s/early 1950s of blues forms into music that was used primarily for dancing - popular in big urban centers with large African-American populations such as Detroit and Chicago - popular with audiences who were finding the complex, intense bebop jazz styles too difficult to dance to and too hard to understand and appreciate - a few record companies had controlled recordings of blues music and they segregated the marketing of this "black" music under the category of "race records" - after WWII, when this racially based segregation was seen as increasingly offensive, the term "rhythm 'n' blues" replaced the older term 4
2. Gospel - a style of music that developed after the Civil War from the same roots as the blues - religious music that displayed characteristics of slave camp meetings and spirituals, using African traditions of call-and-response, improvisation, and the vocal stylings, rhythmic complexity and harmonic language that so frequently characterize African-American music - with the emotional involvement of the preacher and the congregation in the religious message, the music was characterized by exuberant handclapping, shouting, and dancing - many professional Gospel choirs toured and recorded in the 1930s/1940s 3. Country - developed out of the folk music traditions of immigrants from the British Isles who had settled into the mountain regions of what is now the southern and southwestern United States - with the invention of radio and the growing importance of recording technology in the late 1920s/early 1930s, this music was recorded and called "hillbilly" music and was made popular through various radio programs - in the following decades, country music developed into several styles - the ones that most influenced early rock 'n' roll were western swing (a fusion of country and jazz) and honky-tonk (amplified, danceable hard-edged style made popular in the bars and dance houses) 4. Tin-Pan Alley - name for a section in New York City lined with publishers specializing in popular songs - before radio recording, a song's popularity was determined by how many copies of sheet music it would sell - to make money, publishing firms hired lyricists and composers to create songs - one of their marketing techniques was to hire pianists and singers to "plug" a song (they would play and sing that publishing firm's songs on request by any customer who walked in the store) 5
- called "Tin-Pan Alley" because songwriter-journalist Monroe Rosenfield said the clanking and clinking of the of cheap pianos sounded to him like the rattling of tin pans (term coined between 1900 and 1903) - the term eventually was used for all the pop music from the late 19th century through the 1950s - rock 'n' roll's use of records replaced sheet music and signaled the end of "Tin-Pan Alley," but the legacy of light and easy to listen to pop music designed to be "popular" with a general audience endured Two Subgenres of Early Rock 'n' Roll: 1. Rockabilly - a fusion of "hillbilly" country music and R&B - Elvis Presley exemplified this style in his first recordings at Sun Records - "hillbilly" or country characteristics: steady metrical patterns, lead guitarist played sliding notes up the strings (like a steel guitar in country music), bass player slapped the strings across the fingerboard - "rock" characteristics: drummer emphasized the backbeats, songs were covered by white musicians of R&B recorded by African-Americans 2. Doo-Wop - African-American vocal groups that had begun singing secular versions of Gospel music used a lead singer who was accompanied by other singers who responded to the lead singer's lines - the responses included repeating a few words of the line, or singing "nonsense" syllables - "doo-wop" was the term for this kind of music, and it referred to the nonsense syllables that the backup singers used - the most successful doo-wop recordings were covers of African- American recordings by white groups, such as The Crew-Cuts' (a white group from Canada) version of The Chords' recording of "Sh-Boom" (1954) - the style was continued by the Platters, Drifters, and Coasters 6
Rock 'n' Roll's First Stars Bill Haley - his band, the Saddlemen, were country western, but sometimes performed R&B songs in a country style - changed name to Billy Hale and The Comets - created a hybrid style: country western mixed with R&B - example of this style was their biggest hit and the top-selling record of 1955, "Rock Around the Clock" (featured in the film Blackboard Jungle, a movie about 1950s teen rebellion) - the music's compelling dance rhythms, its lyrics, which spoke about teenage issues and concerns, and its rebelliousness and challenge to authority were very appealing to teens - because teens now had the money to buy records, a major new industry was born Elvis Presley - born in 1935 in Tupelo, Mississippi - began recording at Sam Phillips' Sun Records studio in Memphis in 1953 - Phillips was frustrated by the limited exposure available to black artists - he was looking for a white performer who could convincingly deliver black R&B - one of his first singles was a cover of the blues song "That's All Right Mama" on one side, and a rockabilly version of the country song "Blue Moon of Kentucky" on the other side - his overt sexuality and his mixing of black and white music elements outraged conservative adults, thereby assuring his success with teens - he became a phenomenal success, and known as "the King," it was he who truly introduced the concept of rock 'n' roll star as a cultural hero - without him, rock 'n' roll might have just been a fad its detractors had predicted - his versatility offered something for everybody - he could shout R&B or croon a sentimental ballad - girls liked his sex appeal and good looks, while boys liked his sullen demeanor and hoodlum dress - parents, despite their antipathy to rock 'n' roll, had to admit that he was polite, patriotic, and believed in God - he was a tremendous commercial success, and would sell over 500 million albums by the time of his death 7
Little Richard - the self-proclaimed founder of rock 'n' roll - his frenetic performance style, in which he sweated, danced, and generally worked the audience into a frenzy, was not unlike that of a Pentecostal preacher - 1957, he retired from performing to marry and pursue his religious calling - neither lasted very long, but during a comeback tour of England, he deeply influenced two newly formed rock groups, The Beatles and The Rolling Stones - his wild performance style, homosexual hype, self-promotion, and controversial persona influenced subsequent artists from James Brown to David Bowie and Prince Jerry Lee Lewis - often called a white counterpart to Little Richard (the two had remarkably similar upbringings and styles) - his stardom, however, was much briefer, and his career ended for many years because of a scandal over his marriage to a thirteen-year-old cousin - despite his brevity of stardom, his blend of Gospel, country, and R&B combined with his flamboyant performance style influenced a number of subsequent musicians Chuck Berry - his roots were in blues and R&B, with a singing style influence by country and western - his own music, however, was clearly rock 'n' roll - he even helped define rock's style in both his playing and his lyrics in the 1957 hit "Rock and Roll Music" - he solidified the guitar as the most important instrument in rock 'n' roll - most of his numerous hits were in 12-bar blues form, with lyrics tailored to such teen issues as dating, cars, and school - his real legacy is his guitar solos, distinctive - particularly the intros - and much imitated 8
Conflicting Reactions to Rock 'n' Roll - rock 'n' roll's merging of the music traditions of African Americans and whites was a manifestation of the eroding racial barriers that had begun in other areas of American society (e.g., Brown v. Board of Education) - the battle against rock 'n' roll was not exclusively on racial grounds - parents worried about the music's emphasis on sexuality, freedom, and resistance to authority - some whites (particularly in the South) saw rock 'n' roll as the "Devil's music" and as being part of a communist plot to underline the morals of America's younger generation - many "teen idols" of the late 1950s/early 1960s (Annette Funicello, Frankie Avalon, Bobby Darin, Ricky Nelson, Paul Anka, Lesley Gore) produced safe, pop-based music - just as critics were giving rock its final rites, several new and distinctly different but white-based styles emerged in the early 1960s: folk rock, the "British Invasion," and surf music Folk Rock - just as Americans in the 1920s/1930s looked to folk music as an alternative to mainstream commercial songs, so did young adults turn to folk music in the 1960s - responding to this rekindled interest, folk songs were enhanced by sophisticated arrangements that appealed to college-age students - the folk movement was given further impetus by two societal crises that dominated the 1960s: the Civil Rights movement and the Vietnam War - the commercial folk music of the Kingston Trio gave way to more political folksingers such as Joan Baez and Bob Dylan, who aligned themselves with these and other political causes - rather than music to dance to, this became music to listen to and to motive one in the pursuit of social justice, world peace, and racial equality - inspired by urban folk singers/activists Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger, Bob Dylan was the most influential in carrying the political message 9
- The Byrds recorded a version of Dylan's "Mr. Tambourine Man" (became a national hit) that fused both folk and rock characteristics - the singing by the group was in close, folk-styled harmonies, but the backup band included electric guitars and drums as well as Roger McGuinn's distinctive 12-string acoustic guitar - the band also recorded a version of Dylan's "All I Really Want To Do" and Pete Seeger's "Turn, Turn, Turn" - other groups, such as The Turtles, Simon & Garfunkel, Buffalo Springfield, and Crosby, Stills, and Nash continued in the folk rock tradition The British Invasion - The Beatles were a British group from Liverpool, England - they had begun by imitating American music styles in the early 1960s - by 1963-1964, they had achieved extraordinary commercial success and almost complete domination of the record market - the success of the Beatles ushered in a whole series of other English groups, with the most important and long-lasting being the Rolling Stones - they also began their musical careers imitating American music - but unlike the Beatles, who played "skiffle," the Rolling Stones played R&B - the success of the Beatles and the Stones ushered in many other British groups, giving the entire phenomenon the term "the British Invasion" - the Beatles were interested in innovations and continued experimenting from 1965-1969 with instrumentation, textures, forms, rhythms, melodic designs, and lyrics - with their contributions, rock 'n' roll evolved into music of greater complexity and breadth that was now known as "rock" Surf Music - developed in California - surf music was about girls, cars, and having fun - centered in southern California, it emerged out of the sport of surfing and its surrounding subculture - early stars were Dick Dale and the Deltones and Jan and Dean 10
- Dick Dale and his band members had worked closely with Leo Fender, the inventor of the first solid-body electric guitars - they created an intense, amplified style characterized by driving ostinatos (constantly repeated musical phrases) and reverberation - The Beach Boys were the real stars of surf music (with hits like "Surfin' Safari" and "Surfer Girl") - Brian Wilson was the band's leading force - he wrote and recorded "Good Vibrations", which became a million-seller - the song was a result of 90 hours of studio time, and was musically and technically one of their most sophisticated rock songs - Wilson continued into a more experimental realm, writing the band's album Pet Sounds, recognized today as one of the most influential records in the history of popular music and one of the best albums of the 1960s - on the album, Wilson wove elaborate layers of vocal harmonies, coupled with sound effects and unconventional instruments such as bicylce bells, buzzing organs, harpsichords, flutes, dog whistles, trains and Hawaiian-sounding string instruments ("God Only Knows" and "Wouldn't It Be Nice" are popular songs from the album) - only The Beatles were experimenting along such lines at this time and, ironically, the Beach Boys were paralleling them in many ways LATER DEVELOPMENTS OF ROCK Country Rock - music that represents the fusion of rock and country music elements (Bob Dylan, The Eagles, The Allman Brothers Band) Christian Rock - rock music with Christian-inspired lyrics (Petra, Jars of Clay) Glam Rock - emphasized tongue-in-cheek glamour and sexually ambiguous costumes, makeup, props, and attitude (David Bowie's Ziggie Stardust, The New York Dolls) 11
Goth Rock - embraced morbid imagery (Marilyn Manson, Dead Can Dance) Jam Rock - bands that emphasize improvisation (Dave Matthews Band, Phish, Ben Harper) Acid or Psychedelic Rock - evolved out of the LSD-inspired bands that flourished particularly in the San Francisco area during the 1960s (Janis Joplin and the Holding Company, Jefferson Airplane, The Grateful Dead) - groups from other places also made important contributions to this genre: The Jimi Hendrix Experience, The Doors, Led Zeppelin, and Cream - in its earliest forms, acid rock blended amplified, bluesy-based rock with drugs, using various techniques to manipulate the music (such as rapid note repetitions or distortions) that enhanced psychedelic perceptions Heavy Metal - evolved out of Acid Rock - its name is said to have been devised by a British journalist who described early Led Zeppelin as sounding like heavy metal crashing to earth - characterized by power, volume, and aggressiveness, often combined with technical speed and virtuosic musicianship - early influential bands were Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, and Deep Purple - later metal groups, such as Alice Cooper and Kiss, made their performances even harder and heavier by incorporating animal rituals, pyrotechnics, and genderbending androgyny through the use of elaborate costumes and makeup - 1980s - Jon Bon Jovi brought in elements of romance, which softened metal and extended its appeal to female audiences - Speed/Thrash Metal emerged on the West Coast in the early 1980s with Metallica, Slayer, Antrhax, and Megadeth (the "Big Four of Thrash") - these groups "cranked" up the music's speed as well as the hostility and menacing quality of the lyrics, sometimes incorporating themes of justice and environmental concern 12
Punk - emerged as a defiant reaction against the heavily produced Disco and Glam Rock music in the late 1970s - outraged by bloated egos, artistic excess, and expensive production requirements that seemed to characterize these styles, punk emerged nearly simultaneously in New York with The Ramones and London with The Sex Pistols - in an attempt to regain the energy and accessibility that characterized rock 'n' roll's earlier years, punk musicians reduced rock to its essentials: simple chords, distorted guitars, short songs, loud and fast beats, and angry lyrics - Green Day and Smashing Pumpkins are examples of punk-influenced groups Grunge - in the late 1980s, some bands combined punk attitude with emphasis on drug use to create a kind of fuzzed out, buzzy, stop/start aesthetic - most of these bands came from the Seattle area - most influential/successful of the early grunge bands were Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Pearl Jam Progressive/Art Rock - starting in the late 1960s, some rock artists attempted to "elevate" the quality of rock music by incorporating various aspects of classical or jazz music - British groups such as Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Jethro Tull, Yes, Genesis, and King Crimson incorporated synthesizers, "quotations" of classical compositions, and "classical art music elements" such as orchestral instruments - the music was characterized by the break-up of the classic 3-minute song, replaced by long suites sometimes as long as a whole LP side, extended musical themes, fantasylike ambience and lyrics, and very rich (sometimes defined by critics as "overblown") sounds and productions Jazz Rock - some groups in the late 1960s/early 1970s (such as Chicago, Blood, Sweat, and Tears, and Steely Dan) continued with Miles Davis' experimentations of fusing rock with jazz elements, especially in the way the groups dealt with instrumentation, harmony, form, and improvisation 13
Alternative Rock - broad and vague term originally used to describe any nonmainstream rock groups - lines between alternative and mainstream pop became blurred in the early 1990s when formerly alternative bands such as Nirvana, Sonic Youth, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers became commercially successful - currently, anything not immediately recognized as "pop" is typically labeled "alternative" - "Adult Alternative" - emerged in the mid-1990s as a reaction to the growing mainstream acceptance of earlier Alternative bands (Counting Crows, Matchbox Twenty, Third Eye Blind) Indie Rock - used to describe bands who continued to resist the increasing commercialism of punk-inspired music and co-opting of alternative music - rather than a specific sound, it is used to describe a guitar-based, "Do-It-Yourself" aesthetic of musicians who record on independent labels - Deathcab for Cutie, The Strokes, and Arcade Fire are examples of currently prominent "Indie" rock bands 14
No one was more innovative both culturally and musically than the Beatles. That is hard to remember 40 odd years after their impact was felt. Below is a list of many of The Beatles' firsts. Elvis Presley and Les Paul were probably as innovative singly but The Beatles were the most innovative band. The Beatles were the first band to take their concerts from theaters to stadiums. Their first venture into this area was at New York's Shea Stadium with more than 50,000 fans attending. The Beatles had stopped touring in 1966. To meet demands for concerts, they opted to send out videos, inventing the first music videos. Their first videos were of "Paperback Writer" and "Rain" back in 1965. They also created the first album video with Magical Mystery Tour in 1967. The first time a satellite was ever used to broadcast anything worldwide was for The Beatles' live performance of "All You Need Is Love," in 1968. "All You Need is Love" was first introduced live to a worldwide audience estimated at 400 million and quickly became the anthem of a generation. The Who and Jimi Hendrix were using feedback in concerts, but The Beatles were the first band to use feedback in a recording. John Lennon once set his acoustic electric guitar down against his amplifier and the 'A' string started feeding back through the amp causing an ear catching distortion. That 'A' string distortion was used purposely at the beginning of "I Feel Fine," marking the first time distortion was used in a recording. Speaking of recording techniques, The Beatles were the first to record with headphones as monitors and not just open sound everywhere. They were also the first band to use electric keyboards and synthesizers in their music, including a mellotron as featured in "Strawberry Fields Forever." The Beatles were basically the first to use any sort of sampling in their songs. For example, they were the first recording artists to use the grunt of a pig on one of their songs ("Piggies" from the White Album.) They were also first to use the sounds of several different barnyard animals, as evidenced in "Good Morning, Good Morning." They also used jet engine sounds ("Back In The U.S.S.R.") and the sounds of the singer inhaling ("Girl" from the Rubber Soul album). They were the first artists to use backwards recordings on a record. John Lennon had taken the tape home from that day's recording session and when he put it on his machine at home he was a bit stoned and put the tape in the machine backwards. When he played it, he liked what he heard and came back to the studio to announce that he had found an ending for that song--"rain." 15
March 10, 2013 Example of the fusion between blues, R & B, jazz, and rock Ray Charles (Blues, R & B) "I Don't Need No Doctor" (1st recorded by Ray Charles in 1966) John Mayer (Rock) From John Scofield's Ray Charles tribute album "That's What I Say" (2005) John Scofield (Jazz) 16
I don't need no doctor 'Cause I know what's ailing me I don't need no doctor 'Cause I know what's ailing me I've been too long away from my baby, yeah I'm coming down with a misery I don't need no doctor For my prescription to be filled (I don't need no doctor) (I don't need no doctor) No, no, no, I don't need no doctor For my prescription to be filled, yeah Only my baby's arms could ever Could ever take away this chill Now the doctor say I need rest For I need is her tenderness He put me on the critical list When all I need is her sweet kiss He gave me a medicated lotion But it didn't soothe my emotion, yeah I don't need no doctor For my hope to live is gone (I don't need no doctor) (I don't need no doctor) No, no, I don't need no doctor For my hope to live is gone All I need is my baby, please! Won't you please just come on home? Come on home "I Don't Need No Doctor" Lyrics by Nick Ashford, Valerie Simpson, and Jo Armstead 17
SOCIOLOGY OF AMERICAN POPULAR MUSIC (SOAP) UNIT 3: ROCK AND ROLL VIDEO QUESTIONS: The History of Rock n Roll: Episode 2 1. Who told Carl Perkins, We might be doing as much with our music as our leaders are in Washington to break down the barriers? 2. Who said that rock n roll is nothing but rhythm and blues up tempo? 3. Why did Milton Berle receive hate mail after Elvis Presley appeared on his show? 4. According to Bono, Elvis Presley represents the colliding of the of black music and the of white music. 5. According to Brian May, whose music sounded shocking and raw, adventurous, and spontaneous? 6. What were some types of clothing that were considered inappropriate for teens to wear in high school during the 1950s? 7. What happened to Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and The Big Bopper? 8. What was the Brill Building (1650 Broadway in New York City) known for? 9. Which successful music producer was behind The Ronette s hit Be My Baby? 10. What was Ben E. King s big hit? 11. According to Dick Clark, what was the most significant rock n roll record of all time? Why?
SOCIOLOGY OF AMERICAN POPULAR MUSIC (SOAP) UNIT 3: ROCK AND ROLL VIDEO QUESTIONS: The History of Rock And Roll: Episode 3 1. In which rock band was John Lennon performing when he first met Paul McCartney? 2. In which Liverpool nightclub did The Beatles develop a loyal following? 3. According to Pete Townshend, the were hugely important in demonstrating what could be done in the studio. 4. Which U.S. city became known as Motown in the 1960s? 5. Besides The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, which other bands were part of the British Invasion? (name at least three) 6. Where did The Rolling Stones get their name? From which rock pioneer did they get their style? 7. In the 1960s, what European city was a center for music, fashion, and politics? 8. Name at least one British songwriter or band that occasionally wrote songs for other artists. 9. Who was billed as America s answer to The Beatles? 10. What was the controversial remark made by John Lennon in 1966? How did some Americans react?
SOCIOLOGY OF AMERICAN POPULAR MUSIC (SOAP) UNIT 3: ROCK AND ROLL VIDEO QUESTIONS: The History of Rock And Roll: Episode 4 1. According to Tom Petty, influenced everything that came after him in pop, rock and folk music. 2. From which Beatle did Roger McGuinn of The Byrds get the idea for playing a 12-string Rickenbacker electric guitar? 3. Who were the greatest practitioners of surf music? 4. What Beach Boys album proved that pop music could be as sophisticated as a symphony? 5. According to disc jockey Casey Kasem, what opened the door to underground music? 6. Which 1967 music festival, featuring Janis Joplin, The Who, and Jimi Hendrix, legitimized rock and roll as a concert art form?