Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Taking back Rock 'n' Roll from the Man?
Since All Shook Up didn't really reference contemporary rock and roll music, it would be interesting to see how new rock and roll is being used, and what it means. As many people have already posted, rap seems to be the "new" rock and roll. But rock and roll as a genre has changed dramatically since Elvis' time. Now anything from Weird Al Yankovitch to Queen can be called rock and roll. it has given rise to subgenres like punk rock, hard rock, progressive rock and even contributed to heavy metal bands. Through the 60's and 70's, it continued to appeal to teenagers and allowed them to rebel against "the Man". So what does "rock and roll" do for us now?
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2 comments:
Personally, as a hard rock fan, I think rock 'n' roll today is composed, performed, and listened to for pretty much the exact same reasons it was back in the 50's/60's. Aside from some differences in rhythm and instrumentation, and perhaps a heavier focus on angst instead of lust/love (at least in hard rock), the main appeal of rock remains the same, namely its high energy, dance beats, and anti-establishment/empowering messages. I think the main outlier (or at least the form that has gotten furthest away from its roots) is Christian Rock, but perhaps not as much as one might expect. After all, rock is about letting out some powerful emotion, anything from anger to passion.
Kids today still relate deeply to rock and it's anthem of resistance of authority. A lot of money has emerged from the pop rock strain, such as Blink 182 and Sum 41, and many kids of our generation relate to their anti-establishment lyrics. But I think the rebelliousness of today's rock stars is much more of an image than a reality (anyone can sing about anarchy and hating their parents, especially when they return to the comfort of their mansions at the end of the day).
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