| Heartland rock | |
|---|---|
| Stylistic origins | |
| Cultural origins | Late 1970s,Midwestern andSouthern United States |
| Regional scenes | |
| Midwestern United States and theRust Belt | |
| Local scenes | |
| Jersey Shore sound | |
| Other topics | |
Heartland rock is a genre ofrock music characterized by a straightforward, oftenroots musical style, often with a focus onblue-collar workers, and a conviction that rock music has a social or communal purpose beyond just entertainment.
The genre is exemplified by singer-songwritersTom Petty,Bob Seger,Bruce Springsteen,Jackson Browne,Michael Stanley, andJohn Mellencamp andcountry music artists, includingSteve Earle andJoe Ely.[1] The genre developed in the 1970s and reached its commercial peak in the 1980s when it became one of the best-selling genres in the United States. In the 1990s, many established acts faded and the genre began to fragment, but the major figures have continued to record with commercial success.
The termheartland rock was not coined to describe a clear genre until the 1980s.[2] In terms of style, it often uses straightforwardrock music, sometimes with elements ofAmericana with a basicrhythm and blues line-up of drums, keyboards and occasional horn section instruments like a saxophone. However, this common definition may represent an oversimplification given thatBruce Springsteen'sBorn in the U.S.A. made heavy use of synthesizers,[3] most notably on the hit singles "Dancing in the Dark", "Glory Days" andthe title track. Lyrics are often presented in a style that is raspy and unpolished, adding a sense of authenticity.[4] The genre was most strongly influenced by American country,folk, 1960sgarage rock,the Rolling Stones,Bob Dylan, andfolk rock acts such asHank Williams,Woody Guthrie,[5]Creedence Clearwater Revival, andthe Byrds.[6]
Verses in heartland rock songs often tell stories. In some songs, those stories are about people undergoing hard times; choruses are often anthemic in tone.[7] The genre is associated with working-class regions of theMidwest and theRust Belt.[8] It has been characterized as a predominantly romantic genre, celebrating "urban backstreets and rooftops",[9] and its major themes include alienation, despair, "unemployment, small-town decline, disillusionment, limited opportunity and bitter nostalgia".[7][10]
Many major heartland rock artists began their careers in the 1960s, as withBob Seger, or the 1970s, as with Springsteen andTom Petty and the Heartbreakers; the former after two critically highly regarded but modestly selling albums with theE Street Band, he achieved his breakthrough in 1975 withBorn to Run,[11] which presented stories of loss, betrayal, defeat and escape in the context of his native New Jersey shoreline, with songs influenced by 50srock and roll, Dylan andPhil Spector'sWall of Sound.[12] While Springsteen struggled for three years with legal disputes, other artists in a similar vein came to the fore. These artists includedBob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, and fellow Jersey Shore residentsSouthside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes.[11]
In 1978, Springsteen returned withDarkness on the Edge of Town, which reached the top ten in the US and then the number one albumThe River (1980), which continued the themes of economic and personal dissolution, produced a series of hit singles,[11] and has been seen as "getting the heartland rock bandwagon rolling", together with the stripped-down sound and darker themes of his next albumNebraska (1982).[7]
The genre reached its commercial peak with Springsteen'sBorn in the U.S.A. in 1984.[13] The 1980s saw the arrival of new artists such asJohn Mellencamp,Bruce Hornsby & the Range,Iron City Houserockers,John Hiatt,Lucinda Williams,[14] andBoDeans.[15] A number of roots music and country music artists likeSteve Earle,[16]The Tractors,The Hot Club of Cowtown, andJoe Ely also became associated with the genre.[17]
The first significant female artist in the genre wasMelissa Etheridge, whoseself-titled debut album issued in 1988 drew critical comparisons with Springsteen and Mellencamp.[4][18]
In the 1990s, many artists who would have been heartland rockers in the 1980s chose to pursue the recently emerged genre of Americana,[19] and heartland rock dwindled to a few stalwart artists.[20]
Heartland rock can be heard as an influence on artists as diverse asBilly Joel[7] andKid Rock, who recorded a duet with Seger for the latter'sFace the Promise album.[21] Kid Rock's 2008 hit "All Summer Long" was inspired by Seger's classic "Night Moves" as well as "Sweet Home Alabama" byLynyrd Skynyrd and "Werewolves of London" byWarren Zevon. Music criticAnthony DeCurtis wrote that onRock n Roll Jesus, Kid Rock "extends the Seger-Mellencamp tradition of heartland rock".[22] Americanindie rock bandsthe Killers andthe War on Drugs have been associated with the genre.[23][24]
British bandDire Straits and English singer-songwriterSam Fender are known to have established their "British version" of the heartland rock genre.[25]
The influence heartland rock had on a number ofpunk rock bands led to the development of a sound whichKerrang! writer James MacKinnon termed heartland punk. MacKinnon cited bands in this style as includingSocial Distortion,the Replacements,the Bouncing Souls,Hot Water Music,Dave Hause,Lucero,Against Me!,the Lawrence Arms,the Menzingers,Japandroids,the Gaslight Anthem andGang of Youths.[26]
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