how rock and roll music spearheaded the change in society in the 1950s
The author writes on how rock and roll music spearheaded the change in society in the 1950s. The author explores the significance of rock n roll kind of music had in society and its effects. The book shows the development of the community socially and portrays the different ways in which there was cultural construction. Rock n roll kind of music brought about changes to the youth, sex and race and was much more than a mere genre of music. The birth of rock n roll music started a firestorm of controversy where the grown-ups wondered why the youths were so much into the new type of music. The author argues the relevance of the music in the role performed towards promoting integration.
In the 1950s united states had a struggle for the control of popular culture, and this tells us the values of the united states during that time. Rock and roll music opened up wide crevices in American society in issues regarding family, sexuality, and race, where the music was vibrant in communicating. The author tells a story of exploitation, liberation, and fear of attempts taken to try to achieve a form of cultural expression in the western youth culture. Rock n roll music proved to be more potent than the combination of its opponents. Rock n roll music got catalyzed by African Americans who later influenced the Americans. In these times where there was increased prosperity across the country, there were developing issues and topics arising regarding social class, race, and gender. Other forms of music took a role in discussing these issues, but rock n roll music presented it more. From the book, it is ‘highly visible and contested arena for the struggles over racial identity, and cultural and economic empowerment in the United States’ (35)’. The music became a platform for everyone in the nation to air his views or opinions as members of every social category participated in it. Rock n roll music was regarded as taboo as it included sexual content in its lyrics. The media initially dint take part in its promotion, but in the 1950s, televisions, and radios changed in its negative perception of the music and started playing it. The author gets his information from newspapers written and spread by the mass media in the mid-1950s. The papers covered the dangers of rock n roll. New York Times and Time magazine had their negative views about the genre of music. Bestsellers also came to be, i.e., the U.S.A Confidential, which declared the music of teenagers a tool in the conspiracy to ruin the morals of a generation of Americans.
This music brought about a sexual revolution in the United States, where teenagers started getting the pressure to have sex even though parents still insisted on abstinence. Eventually, parents came to accept it to be a form of releasing sexual energy rather than being a route to participating in illicit behavior. The author argues that rock n roll music was born of culture and that Elvis would not have been taken in by record companies had it not been for the desire to have a new sound of both the blacks and the whites. The American youth would not have accepted the rising music had it not been for their current culture, which was relatable to their society.
Conclusively the author is keen to show the different effects of rock n roll music had in shaping the culture of the united states. In the arguments given, music molds culture. Music initially criticized and later accepted due to its impact not only on the youth but also to the general public. Gender and racial equality achievement as a genre initially introduced by the blacks in the society (where the blacks are a minority) is accepted and is given its credits in shaping the culture for more social prosperity.