Popular Music : The Origin Of Pop Music

Rock and Roll was the start of a new revolution in America. It introduced the world to many of the famous artists that continue to be a part of our lives today. "Artists who became popular in the 1950s such as Elvis, began to pave the way for others such as Jerry Lee Lewis and Buddy Holly" (The History of Rock 'n' Roll until 1960). With the introduction of rock 'n' roll, there came many new changes to the lives of many Americans. Rock and Roll was a major contributor for the change in teens' behavior in the 1950s because it encouraged new freedoms for teenagers, encouraged new fads among teenagers, and caused a generation gap.

Music has continued to change throughout each decade, but the 1960s was the most influential decade in the history of music. Starting in the early 1950s, rock music was first introduced. Major record labels were releasing new “cover songs” which were originally made by black artist, but now by white artist (Rock and Roll). These cover songs changed a few lyrics from the original songs to avoid copyright issues and to also make the song more appropriate for the white listeners. The biggest star of the 1950s was Elvis Presley, who was known as the “King of rock n’ roll”.

Music in 1950s comprised of sweet lyrics, light melodies, feel-good tunes, virtuous and innocuous songs and sensible singers. While parents were listening to the melodies and country music children were attracted to the new beat songs. Rock-n-Roll became popular which was developed newly in 1950s among the high school teenagers. This generation had plenty of time and surplus money compared to the previous generations and could spend money on records and gramophones. The musical style Rock-n-Roll was owned by youth with live performances, lead and follow concerts which influenced the attitudes, lifestyles, fashions and language. Movies during this period were appealing to the families since they reflected the society and the way that families deal with their

Rock ‘N’ Roll’s birth came after the Great Depression and World War II. It was in the 50’s called the baby boomers that started it all. It expanded the teenage population with 3.4 million babies born. The 1950’s scrap the ideology of a conservative family, where the father is the bread winner and the mother was a stay home mother. The young adults found an escape and enjoyment in Rock ‘N’ Roll.

Throughout late 1940’s through the early 1970’s, the growth of various types of popular music and trends are historically observed. Starting from postwar

Popular music is often one of the best lenses we have through which to view our own cultural orientation. Many of the artistic and experimental shifts in popular music have mirrored changes in our own society. For instance, the emergence of Elvis Presley as a public figure would signal the start of a sexual revolution and the growth in visibility of a rebellious youth culture. Similarly, the folk and psychedelic music of the 1960s was closely entangled with the Civil Rights, anti-war and social protest movements. In this regard, we can view popular music as an artifact through which to better understand the time and place in which it is produced. In light of this, the state of popular music today may suggest troubling things about our society.

Music is an art that has united people all over the world for centuries and centuries. Evolving throughout the years, music is split up into many different genres. These genres have derived from diverse time periods and cultures throughout the years. Jazz and Country music both originated in the early 1900s, but have had lasting impacts on completely different cultures. The detailed elements of each piece are dissimilar, but are equally effective in providing entertainment for each audience.

Rock and roll was born in the 1950's and has influenced our pop culture and music for the last six decades ever since its creation from blues, rhythm and blues, country, and gospel music. It has since then created a large variety of genres of rock such as folk rock, country rock, southern rock, corporate rock, art rock, heavy metal, glam rock and many more (Larson). Many of the genres created by Rock and Roll are still listened to this day and has also influenced other types of music and artists. The large amount of variety of music that is present today is due to the fragmentation of rock and roll and what the audience wanted to hear. This lead to the creation of a large variety of genres of rock to please every rock listener in the world.

From bell bottoms to Barbies, every generation has its own distinct trends. While various fads have cropped up in each era, music has always been a key element of culture. Starting in the 1950’s, music became integrated within the American culture as the favored form of expression. The popular types of music found on the Top 100 lists today however, have changed dramatically since then. What has promoted this obvious change in music choice? While rock ‘n’ roll still holds its own in the music billboards of 2010, the general public now prefers the mechanical sounds of hip hop and

It was called the economic boom of the 1950’s. Many parents were able to give their teenage children much higher weekly allowances, signaling a hit in the buying power and purchasing habits of American teens. Eventually, teens started to buy the newly available portable transistor radios and listened to rock on them. This propelled the industry from 100,000 units sold in 1955 to 5,000,000 sold by the end of 1958. Teens were asserting more independence and Presley became a national symbol of their parents’ consternation.

Parents feared this so much that they tried to ban R&B from many radio stations at the time but were not successful (“Weebly”). One artist the parents didn’t like was Elvis Presley because they felt as if he epitomized the Rock ‘n’ Roll style and teen rebellion(“The People History”). With his controversial hip movements on stage they felt as if he had a big impact on teens and caused them to rebel(“The People History”) and teens weren’t the only ones affected by this monstros wave of new music as one can see. It caused parents stress and created tensions between kids and their parents because they feared the worst and felt as if this kind of music was a bad influence on their kids (“Weebly”). Teens did everything in their power to separate themselves from their parents. Everything was changing in the 1950s especially the rebellion of teens. Rock n' Roll was so upbeat that it called for teens to take action and change dance. Teens were rebelling and wanted nothing to do with being like their elders so they made up different styles of dance that copied the strong backbeat of rock (“Young Culture”). Parents weren’t use to the changes that were going on in Pop Culture and especially in

American rock and roll has dominated many areas around the world, but primarily with the British music scene.

The history of American music begins with a fundamental process of exchange through all different social lines, where diverse cultures meet, and mix. Music has and always will be defined as sounds that are arranged in a particular pattern that are played to be meaningful and pleasurable. The chronology of music began in the Medieval period, when chanting was introduced into the Church. Music has then moved its way through many stages: renaissance, baroque, classical, romantic and leading up to 20th century American music. American 20th century music is made up of a diverse number of styles that are reflected by cultural traditions and the era’s of the past. Immigrants from Spain, France, England, Germany and Ireland all contributed and brought their own unique styles to the forefront, hence creating American music. African Americans created influential musical traditions that include rhythm and improvisation that were later combined with European traditions and other indigenous music.

Popular artists in today’s culture have been greatly influenced by many great artists from the past’s popular culture such as Elvis Presley. Elvis Presley was one of the most popular artists in the 1950’s. He was a revolution in music, being given the title “king of rock and roll” and introducing a new style of music to make its place in popular culture. Throughout his career, he sold more than one billion records and without realizing it, became an influence to many recent artists and bands in popular culture today such as Justin Bieber and Reece Mastin. Jessica Reaves from Time.com states that “Presley’s name fairly droops under the weight of its acquired cultural significance. Briefly tagged a teen idol, the king of rock and roll swiftly transitioned into category defying superstar. Today, professors devote whole careers examining Elvis’s influence on cultural mores”. Elvis’s style and new ideas inspired many new artists and made rock and roll popular. The Beatles are a

Pop art is an art development that emerged in the mid-1950s in Britain and in the late 1960s in the United States, which was inspired by consumerism and communal culture. (Raimes, Renow,2007)