Influence Of Rock Music In The 1960s

“Music has always been both a barometer measuring and responding to society's problems and possibilities, and the twentieth century was a period that witnessed the emergence of a diverse range of musical styles and genres, each seemingly in reaction to the dominant sociopolitical concerns of the day” (Morgan). Presley, Dylan, and Joplin had the greatest influence on American culture in the 1960’s.

Two of the biggest groups to separate themselves from the other bands of the 1960s were the Beach Boys and the Beatles. Each had their own style of rock ’n’ roll and their own way of creating new music. The Beatles had a very British pop style at the start, which morphed into their unique style of music as they blended and mixed it with different kinds of “world music.” The band worked together to write and develop their style, which was different from the Beach Boys “whose creative center was unquestionably one member of the group” (Starr & Waterman, 305) Brian Wilson. Through Wilson, the Beach Boys developed a surfin’ style of rock ’n’ roll and like the Beatles, Wilson liked to experiment with different instruments and effects to change their sound. Having the ability to play with their music like this meant that they needed an encouraging producer, like the Beatles producer George Martin, or they needed to be the producer, so Wilson took on the job.

Jimi Hendrix formerly stated, “Music doesn’t lie. If there is something to be changed in this world, then it can only happen through music.” A generation which was earnestly devoted to peace, protest, and revolution, the counterculture amongst the 1960’s yearned for change. Rock and roll was far beyond just a genre of music; it influenced lifestyles, protests, and attitudes, thus, kindling an awakening in the youth of American culture. The distinction between parental and youth culture was a persistent root of concern, considering that teens throughout the world found a sense of belonging in this style of music. Differing racial and social groups brewed, worrying the older generations of social

All Shook Up: How Rock N’ Roll Changed America, by Glenn C. Altschuler, does a great job in discussing all of the conflicts of the time and how rock n’ roll helped or discouraged the conflicts throughout the 40’s, 50’s, and 60’s. Altschuler used essential sources such as newspapers and magazines, as well as other books on the issue to argue main points about the conflicts and affects that rock n’ roll had during this time period. By using and analyzing the primary sources through a social history and in a narrative format, he makes a solid reason and argument for how rock n’ roll really affected and changed America. Throughout history, music has played a huge role in changing the lives of people. However, as the time has passed music, itself,

The counterculture during the 60s influenced a lot of music.  The music first started in the UK then eventually made it’s way to the US.  Some of the major cities for this counterculture were London, New York City, and San Francisco.  Because of the many different movements going on in the 60s, many songs had lyrics in them that talked about the movements.  Also during the 60s there were many different types of music formed.  One of the most popular ones was Rock.  Rock had many different types.  People would create these different types of rock by using different instruments, and different types of music.  Country music was also very popular, and still is popular today.  Country music started in the 50s, but it was most popular in the 60s.

The 1950’s were, in fact, a great time for peace, progress, and prosperity. For the peace aspect, President Eisenhower prepared a truce between America, North Korea, and China, ultimately stopping a bloody and long drawn out battle. Eisenhower, also wanted to lower the sense of crises in the 1950’s along with rhetoric. In late 1953, there was an economic boom due to the previous war, there was a great rise in both buying and selling for Americans. This was a wonderful change for consumers and sellers in the 1950’s after the depression of the 1920’s. People were able to breathe again and were able to put money in the bank without worry of it disappearing. There was great progress in the 1950’s as well, such as, television, the News, viewing advertisements on television, etc. Owning a television back then was a wonderful accomplishment and ultimate luxury, people who had a television flaunted them and people who

Conformity is behavior in accordance with socially accepted conventions or standards. Also according to Webster's dictionary social repression is is the act of controlling, subduing or suppressing people, groups and larger social aggregations by interpersonal means. I agree to the greater extent that during the 1950’s were a time of conformity and social repression. In American life housing, genders and culture get an impact on conformity and social repression.

In this generation, folk and psychedelic rock music was extremely popular. The music opposed the social, cultural, and political norms of society. Artists such as Bob Dylan, The Beatles, The Grateful Dead, etc. that promoted the Hippie lifestyle and had psychedelic riffs were prominent. In addition, protest music also became prevalent during this generation. Songs about the Vietnam War and about defying the mainstream society began to emerge as a form of protest. The protest music of this culture differed from previous generations because along with protest, the music also promoted peace and harmony. The clothing of this generation is characterized by vibrant colours, ragged clothing, sandals, beads, jewelry, and peace signs. The fashion trends

The British Invasion in American music would not have been as prominent without The Beatles, who paved the way for other British groups to come to America and be successful. The 1950’s rock and roll artist like Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, and others, influenced many British groups during the early 1960’s, but in America in the early 1960’s folk music was the popular choice of music. The popularity of folk music was due in large part to what was going on in American society with the civil rights movement, JFK assassination and the Vietnam War and folk music spoke to what was going on in America. The British Invasion ended the popularity of folk music in 1964 with The Beatles and other British groups.

In the 1950’s, America was just starting to develop a common culture. Platforms like The Ed Sullivan Show, were uniting Americans while maintaining the conservative values of the time. Many Americans tried to hold onto the lifestyle and values they were so used to, but the times were changing. The number of women in the workforce doubled, African Americans were fighting segregation, and a new teenage culture was developing. Music, rock n’ roll at that time, became a way to make up the differences between Americans. Elvis Presley, a poor southern boy, made major waves by singing what most considered solely race music enticing teenagers and angering disapproving parents. This changed the common culture of the time by breaking down at least some of the barriers between whites and blacks through teenagers love of music.

The war in Vietnam to do this day has gone down as one of the influential and controversial wars in United States history. The war lasted from 1955 to 1975.The nation as a whole began to uproar over the war and the major consequences of the war. There were many reasons why so many Americans were against the war. Public opinion steadily turned against the war following 1967 and by 1970 only a third of Americans believed that the U.S. had not made a mistake by sending troops to fight in Vietnam (Wikipedia). Not to mention, many young people protested because they were the ones being drafted while others were against the war because the anti-war movement grew increasingly popular among the counterculture and drug culture in American society and

In the early 1950’s, the full influential force of Rock ‘n’ Roll music started to effect American politics by acting as

In a time of economic prosperity, a rise in the standard of living and rock and roll, also known as the “happy days”, the 1950s were a time looked back on with nostalgia. On the other hand, the 1950s were also met with many problems involving civil rights, the Cold War and McCarthyism. After the end of World War II, Americans came home to jobs available and a period of consensus. Consensus meaning there wasn’t much debate in politics. However tensions quickly rose throughout the nation when Joseph McCarthy made serious accusations about the State Department. He said that at least 205 members of the State Department were members of the communist party. This was after it was released to the public that a couple named Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were secretly communist spies who were staying in the U.S., stealing nuclear weapon secrets. With McCarthy’s remarks such as “They [a communist spy] could even be your neighbor!’ scarring the American public’s mind, many were on edge.

The Sixties were an exciting period with the beginning of a social, economic and Cultural Revolution, influenced by the music industry that was deeply involved into causes. This propensity took place in a turbulent period where some folks called it the "decade of discontent" because of the race riots and the demonstrations against the Vietnam War. However, other individuals called it the decade of "peace, love, and harmony", because of the peace movements and the emergence of Hippies, called “flower children.” This decade was about assassinations, unforgettable fashion, new styles of music, civil rights, gay and women 's liberation, Vietnam, peace marches, sexual freedom, drug usage, Summer of Love and Woodstock Festival. All of these factors caused a revolutionary transformation in the world of well-liked music, establishing melodies as a form of raise voices and express feelings.

The decade of 1960s has a great impact on people of all backgrounds because of the ‘affluent society’ (Hecl 6). The 1960s was the time when people started to settle with the war in the economic sense. This result of the post-war socio-economic shifts after the second world war has led to the increasing affluence and new technological inventions in mass production which help cheapen the price of goods thus lower the costs of living (Bennett 9). This has allowed the working-class and the young to participate in the ‘consumer culture’ as well (Hecl 6). At this period, the working-class were able to attain more free time as all vital things they needed become secured which