Essay about Popular Music of the 20th and 21st Century

The main innovation in rock was the electric guitar. It brought a loud and free-spirited feeling that came with rocking out. It loosened up the music which brought many different styles and genres within rock. It broadened the horizons to rock and roll letting people express themselves through their music. This rock craze spilled overseas into Britain where many great artists were born. The British Invasion happened in the mid 1960’s when bands moved from the United Kingdom to perform in America. The two main bands coming out of this time period were the Rolling Stones and the Beatles. Both left lasting impressions on American music. Led Zeppelin, The Who, and The Animals were also a part of this important time period in rock and roll history. In this era most of America’s top music charts all topped out with rock and roll songs coming from Britain. Some notable songs are “House of the Rising Sun,” by The Animals, “Want to Hold Your Hand” by The Beatles, and many others. Even though the British Invasion took the United States by storm, it was just the beginning.

The British invasion change musical landscaped of the 50’s and 60’s began with the British took over AM radio in the 1950”s Then in the 1960’s by introducing musical legends such as the Quarrymen and the Silver Beatles. The members of the Beatles such as John Lennon and Paul McCarthy went on to produce first rate music in the American culture of rock and roll. The mop top hairstyle of the Beatles also caught the attention of the young American pop culture to have a reason to rebel against authority. The Beatles hit the Billboard top 100 in 1964 which made a great impression on the American music scene.

By mid-60s, the rock ‘n’ roll stars including Elvis Presley, Johnny Horton, Lloyd Price and other acts that were popular earlier in the decade and the previous decade and even the newer surf music began to be overtaken by the British bands that emerged and dominated the charts. The "British Invasion” acts include Beatles, The Animals, The Who, Herman 's Hermits, Tom Jones, and Donovan.

     From the sounds of Elvis many other important bands of the sixties were inspired, even people a thousand miles away from America. One of these important bands was the Beatles. The Beatles took the rock sound and added more lyrical and musical complexity to the sound. The Beatles were the starters of the “British Invasion” in 1963 when they released “I want to Hold Your Hand” (Kallen, 2012, 31). After their first single they had immense success with other hits such as “She Loves You” and “Woooo!” The Beatles continued to reinvent their music on the various other albums throughout the sixties delving into complex, heavy existential concepts and psychedelic elements, becoming the most relevant influence for modern rock.

American Music is a melting pot of different cultures, emotions, experiences, and therefore genres. It is incredible to see how as music evolves and changes with the time, so does The United States. We are a mixed bag as a country, accepting all different cultures and backgrounds. This has led to many breakthroughs and innovations in music throughout history. We are all influenced by our experiences in life and this is no different in the evolution of music in American History. The Blues was created from African American Slave songs, with lyrics that narrate the hardships of the human experience at the time. These rhythms and forms carried over and eventually created what is now Rock and Roll. Over the next five weeks, we will explore and discover five key genres and artists who are known to specialize in that genre as a way to reconnect with our history and explore the possibilities for innovation in music in the future.

Introduction The 1950s rock ‘n’ roll movement was rooted from a style of music created by black people and their descendants (Scaruffi, 2005). The lives of Americans were changed, as the older generation looked down upon this genre and life style, while the young generation fell in love with it (“America,” 2008). Artist of the 1950s played a huge roll in the ideas that influenced every aspect of it such as legends Buddy Holly and Little Richard. From moral changes to political changes rock ‘n’ roll arrived to America ready to make an everlasting impact (Stewart, 2008).

The Beatles were more than their music. They influenced the lives of millions of people unlike any musicians before them. They were the first and most popular band in one of the most important music movements in American history, the British Invasion. The year 1964 was the year both the British Invasion and “Beatlemania” came to America and forever changed the landscape of music in the United States by introducing the genre of pop, as it is today. The Beatles changed the rules of music. Many things that are considered normal now were pioneered by the Beatles such as: creating compilation albums, expressing their views on world happenings through the media, musicians in movies, and even mass media advertising. The beatles

The beginning of popular American music dated around the 1850s. The most influential person around this time was Stephen Foster, who was the first important popular songwriter. At this time, most music reflected racism in which people like George Christie (who first introduced Foster’s music) performed music in minstrel shows. These

In the 1960’s British artists took their modified edition of rock and roll, crossed the Atlantic Ocean and shared it with America. This concept would end up being acknowledged as the British Invasion. The British Invasion is the movement where bands from the United Kingdom became popular in the United States. It involved the virtual control of AM radio and the record industry in the United States by British artists, particularly the groups who had confirmed to be experts at recycling the American rhythm and blues and rockabilly songs of the 1950’s (Burns 2004). This movement is described as one of the most fascinating aspects of rock revolution that stimulated young American audiences by a second-hand version of American music traditions and filtered through British sensibilities (Winkler 1988). Due to The Beatles’ heavy influence on American music culture, it is still debated whether or not they were the greatest band of all time. There are many theories as to why America supported and embraced The Beatles’ success. The focal point shifted from the aftershock of John F. Kennedy’s death towards The Beatles and their rising popularity. This phenomenon changed the idea of rock and roll, as well as other

Perhaps the most celebrated and most known musical group ever known "The Beatles" changed the way the world viewed rock music for generations to come. Comprised of four members; John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr, "The Beatles" rose to stardom in England. With hits such as "Love me do" The Beatles quickly grew a fan base in the United Kingdom. By the mid-1960s the Beatles were taking the world by storm and leading the British invasion of the United States ' music industry. Till this day the Beatles ' music is still being played around the world today.

There is no disputing that society is influenced by its choices of entertainment. Some ways in which people are influenced are positive, but others are harmful. In the society we live in, the harmful ways always outnumber the positive. If we gravitated toward the positive forms of entertainment a little more often than the negative, then our society would have fewer problems. Popular music has a negative effect on society and endorses a lack of creativity.

Rock has had different effects on different countries. Europe was the most influenced by rock because of its many rising bands from Liverpool and London. This was because they had many musically talented people coming from the area. There are many unique types of rock including heavy metal to classic rock, punk, alternative, and grunge. Each of the genres have enabled different artists from each genre to rise and record companies to accompany them and boost their popularity among fans. Many of the artists that were apart of each genre are currently respected for their creative, energetic music. Many people today still believe

Music has played a vital role in human culture and evidence based on archaeological sites can date it back to prehistoric times. It can be traced through almost all civilizations in one form or another. As time has progressed so has the music and the influences it has on people. Music is an important part of popular culture throughout the world, but it is especially popular in the United States. The music industry here is, and has been, a multi-million dollar business that continues to play an important role in American popular culture. This is also a art form and business that is forever changing as the times and more importantly, technology changes. Technology has changed the way music is made as well as how it is produced,

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.

The popular culture of music has changed dramatically over the course of sixty five years. Since this time, new genres of music have been introduced, existing genres have changed, and fixed stereotypes have been associated with certain genres of music. Music has become a major part of popular culture, and is portrayed almost everywhere in first world societies, including on television, radio, at shopping centers, sporting events and in every area of popular culture. Music has become a major part of popular culture, and continues to strive and develop into more and diverse areas of culture.