The popularity and worldwide scope of rock music resulted in a powerful impact on society in the 20th century, particularly among thebaby boomer generation. Rock and roll influenced daily life, fashion, social attitudes, and language in a way few othersocial developments have equated to. As the original generation of rock and roll fans matured, the music became an accepted and deeply interwoven thread in popular culture. Beginning in the early 1950s, rock songs began to be used in a few television commercials; within a decade, this practice became widespread, and rock music also featured in film and television program soundtracks. By the 1980s, rock music culture had become the dominant form ofpopular music culture in the United States and other Western countries, before seeing a decline in subsequent years.
In the crossover of African American "race music" to a growingwhite youth audience, the popularization ofrock and roll involved bothblack performers reaching a white audience and white performers appropriatingAfrican-American music.[1]Rock and roll appeared at a time when racial tensions in the United States were entering a new phase, with the beginnings of thecivil rights movement fordesegregation, leading to theSupreme Court ruling that abolished the policy of "separate but equal" in 1954, but leaving a policy which would be extremely difficult to enforce in parts of the United States.[2]
The coming together of white youth audiences andblack music in rock and roll provoked strong white racist reactions within the US, with many whites condemning its breaking down of barriers based on color.[3] Many observers saw rock and roll as heralding the way for desegregation, in creating a new form of music that encouraged racial cooperation and shared experience.[4] Many authors have argued that early rock and roll was instrumental in the way both white and black teenagers identified themselves.[5]
The rock and roll lifestyle was popularly associated with sex and drugs. Many of rock and roll's early stars (as well as theirjazz andblues counterparts) were known as hard-drinking, hard-living characters. During the 1960s the lifestyles of many stars became more publicly known, aided by the growth of the underground rock press. Musicians had always attracted attention of "groupies" (girls who followed musicians) who spent time with and often performed sexual favors for band members.
As the stars' lifestyles became more public, the popularity and promotion ofrecreational drug use by musicians may have influenced use of drugs and the perception of acceptability of drug use among the youth of the period. For example, when in the late 1960s the Beatles, who had previously been marketed as clean-cut youths, started publicly acknowledging usingLSD, many fans followed. JournalistAl Aronowitz wrote "...whatever the Beatles did was acceptable, especially for young people."
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, much of the rock and roll cachet associated with drug use dissipated as rock music suffered a series of drug-related deaths, including the27 Club-member deaths ofJimi Hendrix,Janis Joplin andJim Morrison. Although some amount of drug use remained common among rock musicians, a greater respect for the dangers of drug consumption was observed, and many anti-drug songs became part of the rock lexicon, notably "The Needle and the Damage Done" byNeil Young (1972).
Many rock musicians, includingJohn Lennon,Paul McCartney,Mick Jagger,Bob Dylan,Jerry Garcia,Stevie Nicks,Jimmy Page,Keith Richards,Bon Scott,Eric Clapton,Pete Townshend,Brian Wilson,Carl Wilson,Dennis Wilson,Steven Tyler,Scott Weiland,Sly Stone,Ozzy Osbourne,Mötley Crüe,Layne Staley,Kurt Cobain,Lemmy,Bobby Brown,Buffy Sainte Marie,Dave Matthews,David Crosby,Anthony Kiedis,Dave Mustaine,David Bowie,Richard Wright,Phil Rudd,Phil Anselmo,James Hetfield,Kirk Hammett,Joe Walsh,Julian Casablancas and others, have acknowledged battling addictions to many substances includingalcohol,cocaine and heroin; many of these have successfully undergonedrug rehabilitation programs, but others have died.
Rock music and fashion have been inextricably linked. In the mid-1960s of the UK, rivalry arose between "mods" (who favoured 'modern' Italian-led fashion) and "rockers" (who wore motorcycle leathers), each style had their own favored musical acts. (The controversy would form the backdrop forthe Who's rock operaQuadrophenia). In the 1960s,the Beatles broughtmop-top haircuts, collarlessblazers, andBeatle boots into fashion.
Rock musicians were also early adopters ofhippie fashion and popularised such styles as long hair and theNehru jacket. As rock music genres became more segmented, what an artist wore became more important in defining the artist. In the early 1970s,glam rock became widely influential featuring glittery fashions, high heels and camp. In the late 1970s,disco acts helped bring flashy urban styles to the mainstream, whilepunk groups began wearing mock-conservative attire (including suit jackets and skinny ties) in an attempt to be as unlike mainstream rock musicians, who still favoredblue jeans and hippie-influenced clothes.
Heavy metal bands in the 1980s often favoured a strong visual image. For some bands, this consisted of leather or denim jackets and pants, spike/studs and long hair. Visual image was a strong component of theglam metal movement.
In 1981,MTV was formed, marking a large shift in the music world. The television company had an effect on fashion. WithMadonna's iconic underwear-as-outerwear look and MTV featuringheavy metal,new wave and other genres, each artist's brand of fashion was given visibility.[6]
In the early 1990s, the popularity ofgrunge brought in a fashion that included torn jeans, old shoes, flannel shirts, backwardbaseball hats and long hair against the clean-cut image that was popular at the time in heavily commercialized pop music culture.
Musicians continue to be fashion icons; pop-culture magazines such asRolling Stone often include fashion layouts featuring musicians as models.
Some rock musicians and fans have struggled with the concept of "selling out"—to be considered "authentic", rock music must keep a certain distance from the commercial world and its constructs;[clarification needed] however it is widely believed that certain compromises must be made to become successful and to make music available to the public. This dilemma has created friction between musicians and certain fans, with some bands going to great lengths to avoid the appearance of "selling out" (while still finding ways to make a lucrative living). In some styles of rock, such as punk and heavy metal, a performer who is believed to have "sold out" to commercial interests may be labelled with the pejorative term "poseur".
If a performer first comes to public attention with one style, any further stylistic development may be seen as selling out to some long-time fans. On the other hand, managers and producers may progressively take more control of the artist, as happened, for instance, in Elvis Presley's swift transition in species from "The Hillbilly Cat" to "your teddy bear". It can be difficult to define the difference between seeking a wider audience and selling out.Ray Charles left behind his classic formulation ofrhythm and blues to singcountry music, pop songs and soft-drink commercials. In the process, he went from a niche audience to worldwide fame.Bob Dylan faced consternation from fans for embracing the electric guitar.
Love and peace were very common themes in rock music during the 1960s and 1970s. Rock musicians have often attempted to address social issues directly as commentary or as calls to action. During theVietnam War the first rockprotest songs were heard, inspired by the songs of folk musicians such asWoody Guthrie andBob Dylan, which ranged from abstract evocations of peace (Peter, Paul and Mary's "If I Had a Hammer") to blunt anti-establishment diatribes (Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young's "Ohio"). Other musicians, notablyJohn Lennon andYoko Ono, were vocal in their anti-war sentiment both in their music and in public statements with songs such as "Imagine" and "Give Peace a Chance".
Famous rock musicians have adopted causes ranging from the environment (Marvin Gaye's "Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)") and theAnti-Apartheid Movement (Peter Gabriel's "Biko"), to violence inNorthern Ireland (U2's "Sunday Bloody Sunday") and worldwide economic policy (theDead Kennedys' "Kill the Poor"). Another notable protest song isPatti Smith's recording "People Have the Power". On occasion this involvement would go beyond simple songwriting and take the form of sometimes-spectacular concerts or televised events, often raising money for charity and awareness of global issues.
Rock and roll as social activism reached a milestone in theLive Aid concerts, held July 13, 1985, which were an outgrowth of the 1984 charity single "Do They Know It's Christmas?" and became the largest musical concert in history with performers on two main stages, one inLondon, England, and the other inPhiladelphia, USA (plus some other acts performing in other countries). The concert was televised worldwide and lasted 16 hours. The charity event raised millions of dollars for famine relief in Africa. Live Aid became a model for many other fund-raising and consciousness-raising efforts, including theFarm Aid concerts for family farmers in North America, and televised performances benefiting victims of theSeptember 11 attacks. Live Aid itself was reprised in 2005 with theLive 8 concert to raise awareness of global economic policy. Environmental issues have also been a common theme, one example beingLive Earth.
The common usage of the term "rock god" acknowledges the quasi-religious quality of the adulation some rock stars receive. Songwriters likePete Townshend have exploredspirituality within their work.John Lennon became infamous, particularly in the United States, after he remarked in 1966 that The Beatles were "more popular than Jesus", with Beatles records being burned in public in some places in theSouth.[7] However, he later said that this statement was misunderstood and not meant to beanti-Christian.[8]
Iron Maiden,Metallica,Ozzy Osbourne,King Diamond,Alice Cooper,Led Zeppelin,Marilyn Manson,Slayer and numerous others have also been accused of being satanists,immoral or otherwise having an "evil" influence on their listeners. Anti-religious sentiments also appear in punk and hardcore.Criticism of Christianity and all religions is an important theme inanarcho-punk andcrust punk.[citation needed]
Christian rock,alternative rock,metal,punk, andhardcore are specific, identifiable genres of rock music with strong Christian overtones and influence.[citation needed] Many groups and individuals who are not considered to be Christian rock artists have religious beliefs themselves. For example;The Edge andBono ofU2 are aMethodist and anAnglican,[9] respectively;Bruce Springsteen is aRoman Catholic;[10] andBrandon Flowers ofThe Killers is aLatter Day Saint.[11][12]Carlos Santana,Ted Nugent, andJohn Mellencamp are all other examples of rock stars who profess some form of Christian faith.
However, someconservative Christians single out themusic genres ofhip hop and rock as well asblues andjazz as containingjungle beats, orjungle music, and claim that it is a beat or musical style that is inherently evil, immoral, or sensual. Thus, according to them, any song in the rap, hip hop and rock genres is inherently evil because of the song's musical beat, regardless of the song's lyrics or message. A few even extend this analysis even toChristian rock songs.[13]
Christian conservative authorDavid Noebel is one of the most notable opponents of the existence of jungle beats. In his writings and speeches, Noebel held that the use of such beats in music was acommunist plot to subvert the morality of the youth of the United States.[14]Pope Benedict XVI was quoted as saying, according to theBritish Broadcasting Corporation, that "Rock... is the expression of the elemental passions, and at rock festivals it assumes a sometimes cultic character, a form of worship, in fact, in opposition to Christian worship."[15]
Some metal bands use demonic imagery for artistic and/or entertainment purposes, though many do not worship or believe inSatan.Ozzy Osbourne was reported to have beenAnglican[16][17] andAlice Cooper is a knownborn-again Christian.[18] In some cases, though, metal performers have expressed satanic views. Numerous others in theearly Norwegian black metal scene wereSatanists. The most known example of this isEuronymous, who claimed that he worshiped Satan as a god.Varg Vikernes (back then called "the Count" or Grishnackh) has also been called a Satanist,[19] even though he has rejected that label. Even within this localized musical subgenre, however, the arson attacks against Christian churches and other centers of worship were condemned by some prominent figures within the Norwegian black metal scene, such asKjetil Manheim.[20]
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