Rock music has evolved over the ages and can be traced back to the years of the 1940s. Rock music emerged after fusion of different music genres like country music, jazz, blues western swing, rhythm and blues amongst other (Covach 3). The early rock musicians are like Little Richard, Bill Haley, and Chuck Berry. They are credited with the popularization of rock music in the world as they presented unique fashion styles, dance moves and even integrated pop culture in their music. Though this genre of music was in existence in early 1940, it came to acquire its name in the late 1950s (Covach 3). Rock music is characterized by electric guitar, drums, and bass. However with different music genres influencing the development of rock music, different instruments for playing rock music have either changed, replaced or more adopted (Covach 5).
The evolution of rock music has seen this genre of music retain certain characteristics up to date, for example, the electric guitar is a common instrument. With the advancement of the pop-culture, rock music grew in the mainstream media, and this has enhanced its evolution and spread. Rock and roll is simply a term that was used to refer to rock music after 1964 (Brake 5), this change in name was attributed to various things including the dynamic nature of the music genre. Rock and roll was initially used to connote sexual intercourse with the meaning being displayed in the lines of a 1920 song by Trixi Smith, “My baby me with one steady roll.” However, rock and roll has also recently been used to describe the rock culture that underlies this music genre (Covach 3). In 1955, a disk jocker from Ohio, Alan Freed came up with this phrase “rock and roll,” and citing it in a musical scenario, the term rock and roll began to be used in references to music and that market the existence of the phrase rock and roll (Covach 3).
Evolution of rock music.
Rock music metamorphosed from rock and roll. In comparison to the safe pop music that was played in mainstream media, rock music proved to be more aggressive in its expression and message. With the sexuality issues associated with it, rock music, the genre has remained unpopular amongst conservatists (Brake 6). Several subgenres of rock music started emerging in the 1960s. These include blue rock, country rock, jazz rock, raga rock and glam rock. “Rock around the Clock” was the first record of rock and roll to achieve public popularity to the national level. Done by Bill Haley, he created in the record music that invokes the youth to dance; this attracted listeners to this unique style of Haley (Brake 7). Rock and roll majorly concentrated on teenage problems and rebellion. Common themes such as young love, school, parents, and vacations.
Elvis Presley, a truck driver, became a great rock and roll artiste. The ability for rock and roll to appeal to the younger generation attracted youths but really upset the elderly. The financial success and prospects that were emerging out of the rock music segment of the music industry attracted companies which had shunned the genre away. Such companies then started to look for new singers who they could sign to their various labels. In America, Detroit generally harbored the dominance of African American singers. Labels such as Motown records came up (Brake 12).
In 1962, rock music experienced a surge in its popularity. This was enhanced by Beatles, from the United Kingdom. At this period, rock music stared to gain ground and was slowly being inculcated in our system. With rock artistes able to mention the unmentionable and touching on topics that resonate with the young people, the 1980 rock artistes started experiencing certain urge to continue pursuing their course and express themselves. The popularity of rock music hence grew day by day and also attracted many artistes (Covach 25).
Rock Music today
Today, rock music has been characterized by makeups and funny attire. Though this has remained a culture in the pop industry, rock musicians have exhibited a common way of dressing that makes the distinctively unique. However, it has remained true that rock culture still does not attract much of the younger generation than the elderly. Though just like any other music genres, rock has a strong message to his/her judgment. However, the lifestyle of the revelers and rock artists show some kind of worshipping that Knowles talks about in his book. For example, the attire and the emotional connections that rock and roll creates with its audience is similar to the old mysterious religions (Knowles 16). As the old religions had to appease the ancestor. This is similar to what revelers of rock and roll do; they use drags to be high so that they meet the underworld spirits.
Rock and roll also have a way of convincing people so that your judgment is impaired. By capturing ones’ emotions, they are able to drain one into the worship of gods. Knowles looks at Rock and roll from a Christian perspective. He hold the values of Christianity and believes in Jesus Christ. However looking at the activities of the artistes of rock music and their fans, their life styles, the way they portray themselves, their ideology and beliefs, Knowles associates them to underworld spirits. In the book, he writes that that there is nothing new under the sun. He cites the Bible to prove the point in the book of Ecclesiastes. Knowles, therefore, believes that there is no new faith that Rock and roll members have, if anything, they worship powerful ancient archetypes (Knowles 19). He notes that the evolution of rock music from a single genre to the various genres e.g. jazz rock, Christian rock, etc. is a symbolism of the various cults, these he relates to the sub-cults that also created gods to be worshiped in the ancient eras.
As Knowles writes, god Apollo was amongst the most known and powerful god of archetypes. This god was of certain genre of rock music. It represented the god of healing, prophecy, arts and music. Knowles writes, “Apollo was himself the ultimate rock god.”
Rock and roll has emerged from a history of criticisms from conservatists Christian groups. This was because of the ideals that rock and roll and rock stars had. Rock concerts are seen as wild and the crowd too. The lyrics of rock and roll music contain explicit words with some openly showing rebellion (Knowles 18). The values of other religious groups do not support such rebellion and this means that certainly, rock and roll and the other religious groups observe two different gods. Knowles, however, associates rock and roll with the evil under world but notes that the worship of the old mysteries manifests itself to other facets. Fr example he cites the free masonry.
Rock and roll as portrayed by Knowles is more of a cult than a mere music genre. The lives of rock artistes seem to be determined and controlled by some supreme spirits that prevail over them. This supreme power, however, seems to be evil and is responsible for rock artists’ indulgence in drug abuse, alcoholism and sex (Knowles 20). In the book, the groups associated with the rock and roll culture as well, such as free masonry, all exhibit some characteristics that are scorned at by the society. Knowles discusses the re-emergence of certain ancient cults into the rock and roll of today. A good example that would illustrate the existence of such ancient cult is Yoshiki in the X Japan band. Yoshiki claimed that he uses one hundred percent of his energy when performing. This shows the level of obsessions that some of th followers of such ancient cults in modern times go through.
The emergence and re-emergence of rock music has preserved its key elements. Even though the change from rock and roll to rock has been viewed by many as natural, the hidden activities behind rock and the reasons behind them have remained the same throughout out rock and roll.
Considering the sole purpose of music being to mirror the society and encourage good practices and criticize some, rock and roll seems to have been inclined to the side of the bad than on the good. The use of drugs and alcohol in concerts to make these concerts wild point to a music genre that does not hold moral fabrics of the society. The addiction to drugs which come as a result of one being so close to rock and roll, the message they pass through their lyrics and generally the wildness of the genre (Knowles 24), point towards losing one’s self to another power. Such powers are the ones Knowles has linked to the mysteries and that such powers have changed with the modern world just as there have been changes in the various rock and roll genres since the music started in the 1930s.
With the primary aim of rock music being to capture the audiences’ emotions and mind to enable them to get possessed with the music, rock and roll seem to have a different agenda for its listeners. Every other genre only aims to entertain and inform the listener, apart from those with religious inclinations. It’s then only likely for one to conclude that rock and roll has some spiritual attachment to it. There are those genres that don’t easily influence an individual spiritually. Such genres are purely meant to serve the purpose of entertaining the audience. However, as Knowles highlights, the lyrical content of rock and roll and the performance that rock and roll artists put forth in stage point a lot towards their belief and faith (Knowles 25).
Mysterious deaths of two X Japan band members Hide and Taiji also makes one question a lot about the culture in rock and roll (McLeod 311). However, as Knowles argues in his book, cults are associated with making of sacrifices including personal sacrifices. So as authorities suspected that the death of Taiji of the X Japan band member could have resulted from suicide, this cannot be wished away and may only be the only possible thing to use to explain his death (McLeod 314). From several quarters, some claim that rock music has a high degree of obsession and that sometimes artists and fans are so deep into the rock and roll culture that they find themselves willing to sacrifice their own lives. This discussion from various quarters seems to have gained momentum in the recent past after cases of various rock artists were victims of mysterious deaths. The most common cases of deaths amongst rock musicians have been linked to the attachment they’ve had to such a genre (Whiteley 6). Their lives have been negatively transformed so much that the only way to escape such lives is through death. On the other side, others argue that rock musicians and rock fans have delved into some spiritual realms that surround the rock and roll music genre. Such are the arguments of Knowles as have been highlighted above.
The spiritual realms more often than not make one believe that they’ve got a certain life after death. In fact, some even encourage the transitioning from one life to the spiritual realm. Rock and roll musicians haven’t stated clearly that they belong to certain cults. Pundits in the music industry sometimes argue that just like other musicians who would want to earn fame by making queer claims, rock and roll artists have also done the same by being extremists. To this extent, they have been extreme to the content of their lyrics, the themes they sing about, their mode of dressing, lifestyles, and their beliefs (Whiteley 8).
However, music has sometimes been termed a spirit and others have argued that through music, the society, especially the youth, can be transformed so much. Although rock music appeals to only a certain group of youth, which are not very many, rock music has been able to create some obsession from its fan. The obsession created does not, however, exhibit extremism from other music genres but has been the case with rock music, it either that it attracts wrong fans who are already into drugs and substance abuse, or that drug and substance abuse come handy with being a fan of rock music (Whiteley 16). Although there have been attempts to explain the complex issue of the attachment that rock and roll fans and artist have with this genre of music, such attempts do not give any concrete results with a few like that by Knowles only associating the genre with ancients spirits and gods.
However, this assertion by Knowles doesn’t seem to be objective since he looks at the issue of rock music through the Christianity prism. To look at rock and roll in this manner, one would only argue that Knowles has been biased. However, it is evident that this genre of music is wild, involves drug abuse and really attracts ardent fans. It’s only because of such characteristics that many still believe that rock music has some spiritual attachments that gets one so engrossed into it (Whiteley 12). The consequences of these spiritual attachments have also proved to be skewed towards the negative side. As Knowles argued, rock music hasn’t just been in the secular world only, churches today have contemporary gospel songs that are rock in nature. Though the style of the music is the same, gospel rock music does not alter the youth negatively. One would, therefore, question the intent behind gospel rock music in the church today, could it be true, as Knowles argued, that the ancient gods have lived to date but have just transformed into other “genres” through gospel rock and therefore found themselves in the church? If that is the case, then it would be right to link rock and roll to the ancient world and to the underworld, the problem is, such allegations cannot be proved empirically. To move to the spiritual realm would require one that would be able to transcend from life to the spiritual realm and back to normal human life.
In questioning the drugs, substance abuse, explicit lyrics and outright rebellion exhibited by artists and fan of rock and roll, the study of rock and roll culture has shown that such characteristics have been conspicuous within the genre since sometime back (Brake 18). This means that it’s not just part of the new rock culture which resulted from a metamorphosis of the rock and roll of the past. It would, therefore, be easy for one to think of it that rock and roll only appeal to extremists, those who have had some challenges in life or their emotional senses tempered with in one way or the other. Such people may feel the need to waste themselves away so that they at least cease to think about their tribulations for some time. However, an argument along these lines would be refuted on several grounds, first that not all rock and roll fans are emotionally depressed or that they have something that they would really like to be away from. Some rock and roll fans are normally very sober and only get carried away by the music. It’s upon getting carried away that they exhibit such extreme behaviors like abusing hard drags (McLeod 317) etc.
The mystery surrounding rock music, the scorned after aspects of rock music like explicit lyrics and themes, drags and alcoholism and wildness at concert seem to be the main issues of concerns to societies within which such genres exist. However, these issues of concerns to the societies seem to be the features that have defined the genre and made it unique from any other genre. Rock music having cut its edge are established itself as a genre, there is just a possibility that it will be metamorphosed and be made better than it has been in terms of content and sub-genres (Whiteley 20). However, the elements of rock music that actually identify it from the rest of the genres will always remain in the industry.
Although rock concerts are characterized by drugs, it’s only the “don’t care” attitude that one develops when drank in rock concerts that make them be scorned at. However, every other music concert will always have someone with a bear or more other alcoholic drinks. It’s, however, true that the rate of substance and drug abuse is high amongst those who love rock music than those who are inclined to these other genres. These can hence be attributed to the wildness of the rock and roll music which has been there since time immemorial and forms a fundamental characteristic used to distinguish rock music from other genres (Brake 24). It is, therefore, easy to predict that the youth who like wild parties and would sometimes go to the extremes by wasting themselves away, would actually prefer rock music. Just as the name goes, rock music will always rock their heads so high.
Reference
Knowles, Christopher. The Secret History of Rock'n'Roll. Cleis Press, 2010.
Brake, Michael. The Sociology of Youth Culture and Youth Subcultures (Routledge Revivals): Sex and Drugs and Rock'n'Roll?. Routledge, 2013.
McLeod, Ken. "Visual Kei: Hybridity and Gender in Japanese Popular Culture." Young 21.4 (2013): 309-325.
Covach, John Rudolph. What's that sound?: an introduction to rock and its history. WW Norton & Co Inc, 2006.
Whiteley, Sheila. Sexing the groove: Popular music and gender. Routledge, 2013.
