Rock and Roll Love Affair

“Singing I love rock and roll
So put another dime in the jukebox, baby
I love rock and roll
So come and take the time
And dance with me”

“I love rock and roll” – so the hit song by Joan Jett goes. That “love” for the music permeates nearly every facet of American society. Since the 1950s, the music has influenced family lives, teenage behavior, and social movements such as civil rights and anti-war protests. Rock music continues to influence the culture and reflect its changes.

Yet, from the beginning, rock had strong opposition. Because rock and roll originated among the lower classes and a segregated ethnic group, many middle-class whites thought it was tasteless. Rock and roll records were banned from many radio stations and hundreds of schools.

Associate professor of economic and author, David George Surdam, relates ...

“Commentators ranted indignantly about the new music. Frank Sinatra complained that rock’n’roll featured: 'cretinous goons' who used 'almost imbecilic reiteration and sly, lewd, . . . dirty, lyrics' to become the 'martial music of every side-burned delinquent on the face of the earth.' The New York Times quoted psychiatrist Francis Braceland, who called rock’n’roll, 'a cannibalistic and tribalistic form of music.'

“Rock’n’roll’s destructive and subversive force knew no bounds. A Florida minister claimed that 'more than 98% of surveyed unwed mothers got into their predicament while under the influence of rock’n’roll.' New Jersey Senator, Robert Henrickson claimed, 'Not even the Communist conspiracy could devise a more effective way to demoralize, confuse, and destroy the United States.'”

Despite the resistance, the subversive, brutish beat captured the hearts of young America. Rock was not only “cool,” but also exciting. And, it stimulated much more than the minds of the youth. The term “rock and roll,” once a sexual code word in blues songs, became a recognizable euphemism for all the physical rhythms set in motion by the beat.

Most could not verbalize their passion for the music, but instead instinctively “moved with the groove.” What rock dinosaur can forget Dick Clark's American Bandstand with its "Rate-a-Record" segment justifying potential hit songs with the phrase "It's got a good beat and you can dance to it"?

Indeed, teens loved the rebellious music in part because its recognizable beat drove the soundtracks of their lives while celebrating the joys of being young and occasionally expressing the frustrations of youth. They totally identified with the lyrics as the music gave them a base of shared ideals distinguishing them from their parents' generation. Rock and roll reflected society like no other musical form.

“Until I realized that rock music was my connection to the rest of the human race,

I felt like I was dying, for some reason, and I didn't know why.”

– Bruce Springsteen

Rock and roll began to be commonly accepted as popular American music. As it did, it helped create a new generation. Simply put, it changed things … almost everything followed the beat. America, in its traditionalist state after World War II, was ripe for a diverse transition. The music influenced daily life, fashion, attitudes, and language in a way few other social developments have equaled.

Over the years, rock and roll exploded in a technicolor transition of its many forms. Rockabilly, blues rock, psychedelic rock, British rock, country rock, southern rock, progressive rock, metal rock – all of these structures flourished and added their own individual styles to the music. Now rock, in general, colonizes other musical genres while blurring musical boundaries.

The music traveled everywhere with the people. Rock became ubiquitous – a constant companion in public places and with every sort of activity. Sound devices like transistor radios, car radios and tape players, jam boxes, Walkmans, and eventually smart phones delivered the music to the masses. Listening to music no longer referred to an activity in to a special place or on an important occasion but, rather, these machines caused rock and roll to a staple of recreation, and even a background at work. It remains instantly access able for public consumption.

“There's always something magic
There's always something new
And when you really really need it the most
That's when rock and roll dreams come through
The beat is yours forever
The beat is always true
And when you really need it the most
That's when rock and roll dreams come through....for you”

From “Rock and Roll Dreams Come Through,” Meatloaf (Jim Steinman)

But, any true lover of rock will profess to the music's greatest appeal. More than any other form of art, rock and roll creates dreams. It is the Mystery Train, the conveyance of the imagination. 

As the music casts its spell on the listener, the drums, the guitars, the vocals, and the keyboards push the imagination and fuel personal desire. Elvis, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, the Beatles – all of the greats employed their own magic to uplift the masses to greater levels of euphoric emotion. People took from the music what they needed to fuel their own fantasies and aspirations.

“Hey hey, my my
Rock and roll can never die
There's more to the picture
Than meets the eye.
Hey hey, my my.”

“Hey Hey, My My,” Neil Young

Now, rock and roll has matured, and during its many years of existence, it has suffered its share of scars and bruises. Drug abuse, payola scandals, racial prejudice, commercialism, government censorship – all hurt the music. In retrospect, one can make a case that MTV, the Internet, and corporate radio effectively suppressed the form. Yet, rock and roll is not dead. The music still inspires young artists and listeners.

You see, the “more to the picture than meets the eye” is just one more mysterious rock allusion that comprises the dreamscape of rock and roll music. No amount of analytical examination of lyrics, of melodies, of context, or of history can demarcate the ethereal presence of the music. It is there waiting on the next generation. As it continues to drift through the airwaves, rock and roll creeps into every crevice of America. Long live the music … and, of course, the beat.

“Just, let me hear some of that rock 'n' roll music
Any old way you choose it
It's got a back beat, you can't lose it
Any old time you use it
It's gotta be rock 'n' roll music
If you wanna dance with me”

“Rock and Roll Music,” Chuck Berry