Roll of Thunder

Popular Music Essay If society were to single out one thing that is most common in everyday lives it would be music. From simple instruments made out of tools, fast forwarded to today, the production of music has reached a milestone. Along the way during the changes in music, the human voice was utilized in singing words with the music defining it as a lyric. A music industry was also established to record and sell to the public. Varying types of songs were produced using different…

All Right, Mama’, recorded and released in 1954. Prime examples of the early rock era are songs like ‘Rock Around the Clock’ by Bill Haley And the Comets, ‘Johnny B. Goode’ by Chuck Berry, and ‘Jailhouse Rock’ by Elvis Presley. Back then, rock and roll was so simple, that all you needed was an electric guitar, drums, a bass, and most importantly, a good voice. It wasn’t until the early 1960s through the late 1970’s that rock music changed. This era was simply called “Classic Rock”, as this…

There are many different types of popular American music. Rock and roll, which is now known as rock, was one of the biggest contemporary styles in the mid-1950s. Many people thought this music would be a fad and would not be important to the musical culture of America. Rock not only continued, but it became one of the biggest commercial products that was eventually the powerhouse of many recording industries. Rock music has a wide appeal throughout the world ranging from the youngest of…

Today, people are crazy about music. They want to listen their favourite music whenever they have leisure time. Music is created to give you pleasure. The fascinating world of music lets you enjoy music in one form or other. There are various types of music these days: pop music, folk music, jazz music and rock music. All these type of music are enjoyable to hear. The songs take you through different emotions. Jazz Jazz music is a very popular form of music, this form of music has been a…

1950s introduced America to a new style of music called hokum blues that featured black artists who used double entendres in their lyrics (Covach, Flory 70). Examples include Big Mama Thornton’s “Hound Dog” and Big Joe Turner’s “Shake, Rattle, and Roll”. Filled with innuendos and metaphors, hokum blues introduced sexuality into popular music in the black community. The more mainstream, white version of this sexual image in the 50s was, of course, Elvis Presley. After his appearance on Ed…

need to “clean up” the music and this resulted in clean, shaven, and well-dressed white artists performing covers of blues songs. These covers genuinely lacked the soul and emotion of the original performers. This stripped-down version of rock ‘n’ roll left many in want and it took a few more years for the desire to be filled when Elvis Presley had entered the building, causing one of the biggest musical impacts of modern music.…

The Beatles The Beatles are one of the best artists of all time. Nobody in history of music was as popular as the Beatles. Everyone knows the Beatles. You don 't have to love them, but you do have to respect them. Michael Stipe from REM once said “The Beatles are elevator music.” To which Ringo Starr responded “If it weren 't for the Beatles, REM would still be taking the stairs.” The Beatles are one of the most iconic cultural legacies of the 20th Century and their influence shows itself in…

The genre that was once a threat to the established social order did not scare anybody anymore. Furthermore, rock and roll did not necessarily have a center. Icons like The Beatles were separating; other icons like Bob Dylan produced records that did not have the effect the artists’ previous albums had. Rock and roll was no longer a lifestyle; it was simply a form of entertainment. As a result, rock music lost its unified effect and diffused into copious subgenres…

Societal Change in Dylan’s The Times They Are A-Changin’ In response to the rising tensions in the many political movements and events of the 1960’s, such as the civil rights movement, cold war and space race, and the infamous Vietnam War, Bob Dylan wrote one of the most influential and popular songs of all time, “The Times They Are A-Changin’”. Using only his vocals, the guitar, and the harmonica, Bob Dylan shook the world with poetic and eye-opening lyrics during an uneasy time of stress and…

Presley a man of great dedication, was later on to be known as “The King of Rock and Roll”. He had such an effect on society that he is still very well known today, 41 years after his death. Elvis Presley’s significant effects on Rock and Roll helped to ease racial segregation and created a new youth generation. Elvis Presley first started off his career with pop music, until he moved on to expand Rock and Roll. He was very inspired by African American music and decided to combine it with his…