ADSactly Music: That Crazy Rock N Roll Through the Ages
I've always been a huge fan of rock n roll, finding my place in the words of Elvis, as much as those of AC/DC. It's been a culture that, for years, has fascinated me, pulling me in deeper and deeper. I've read countless autobiographies of great musicians as well as histories of rock in general.
I can by now probably recite the progression from the early 50s when Elvis did his first records up to the very present.
And you know what the greatest thing about rock n roll is? That it's very inclusive, it doesn't mean just one thing and it refers to a lot of very different artists, from Muddy Waters (who is technically R&B) to Bob Marley (reggae) and even Madonna (pop, of course), who although not strictly rock artists, have had an impact on the rock and roll culture that we know and love today.
So, in order to better understand the phenomenon that is rock music, we could take a look at one stand-out artist from each decade, from the 1950s up to the present.
- 1950s: Elvis
This one is an obvious choice, because you cannot speak of rock music without mentioning the King. Let's be honest, without him, there would be no rock music, it's as simple as that. Of course, before Elvis, there was Frank Sinatra who was also a phenomenon and considered quite rousing for his time, because of his exhibitionism and the many crazy stories he was involved in.
And while Sinatra had indeed a great influence on rock n roll, it was that crazy young kid from Memphis who really sent the music world spinning.
In July 1953, a shy, truck-driving teenage misfit from Memphis, Tennessee, breezed into the offices of Sun Records and mumbled, 'I don't sound like nobody'. Within two years, the young man from lonely street had become an international phenomenon, a figurehead for sonic intoxication and the embodiment of a no-compromise attitude that, six decades later, still defines the outer parameters of rock music. That was Elvis Presley, 'King of Rock n Roll', and bona fide twentieth century icon.
Imagine, in a world ruined by a grueling world war, where order and authority was the only thing people knew, this young, wild man, who was bold, daring, and highly sexualized. A man who was not afraid of standing up to the system (or at least, so he appeared) was quickly cast as the leader of a revolution.
The history of rock n roll was defined by rebellious young people, by that inner spirit of wanting to stand up to your parents and be your own man. And when Elvis showed up, everyone knew it was possible to do that. It was as if someone had given them the green light for the revolution that had been brewing for some years already.
If you read through the memoirs of other musical icons, such as Ozzy Osbourne, Lemmy and Keith Richards, who were all children at the time Elvis showed up, you will notice similar stories in all – how everything changed when they first heard Elvis, how music became wild and unruly and open to everyone.
I think that was perhaps the biggest achievement of the King, that he showed young people that anyone could sing. You didn't need professional training, you could be anyone. Elvis was a truck driver, with no musical background, so if he could do it, anyone could. And so, they did.
- 1960s: Bob Dylan
Just like in the previous decade, the rock n roll scene of the 1960s was very much defined by war, sadly, and protest. And while the music of the fifties was more about a cultural rebellion, standing up to your parents' values and all that, the 1960s scene veered toward politics. The dawn of the 1960s was a period where the civil rights movement was blooming, as was the anti-nuclear protest. And perhaps the most recognizable icon of both these efforts was none other than the folkie Bob Dylan.
Young, committed and gifted in the art of sharply pointed lyric, Bob Dylan energized the new-folk protest movement with songs such as 'Blowin in the Wind' (1962), 'Masters of War' (1963), and 'The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll' (1964).
He appeared at several anti-war marches along with Joan Baez and led the chorus of 'We Shall Overcome' at Martin Luther King Jr's 'March on Washington' in 1963. It was a crazy, terrified crowd of young people that Dylan knew how to wield effortlessly almost. He gave all of them a voice, in a world where most did not know how to speak up against the awful military conflicts going on around the world. Most were little more than children who craved peace and understanding in a world that gave them very little of either.
And then Dylan came up. Wild, intense and unafraid to speak his mind against the system and the war mongers, he stood up for them all, for all the injustice that was so blatantly obvious and against which so few managed to stand. Perhaps one of my favorite Dylan tracks is the utterly heartbreaking 'Hurricane', in which he tells the story of American boxer Rubin Carter who was wrongfully charged with murder (in an act of blatant racism) and spent almost 20 years of his life in prison.
While others might claim The Beatles or The Rolling Stones were the icons of the 60s music scene, in my opinion, none was more iconic than Dylan. He was singing relevant, real lyrics when Lennon still crooned the same old love ballad. He was the wildest of a very wild bunch.
- 1970s: Lemmy
For me this seems like the hardest choice to make, although the 1950s and 1960s are also filled wih remarkable, iconic singers, it seems that it's impossible to choose a single one from the 1970s.
Mainly because after this point, so many different styles emerged and they were all influenced by different figures from the 70s. How do you name just one? How do you say David Bowie without saying Ozzy Osbourne, without saying Freddie Mercury, without saying Bruce Springsteen?
Surely, you could write at least a chapter on each and every one of them, because they had such a huge impact on the world that came afterwards, one the music scene itself. Mercury and Bowie defined the concept of showmanship and took it to a whole new level from where Elvis had left it. But I guess I have to make a personal choice. I love all of the above so very much, but the one who means the most to me and a great influence of the rock scene was none other than Motorhead frontman, Lemmy Kilmister.
With guts like none other and an uncompromising attitude, he carried on the rebellious torch of Elvis marvelously. He was a man who lived for pleasure and was very much the embodiment of rock n roll for some four decades – loud, wild, he lived a life brimming with sex, drugs and rock n roll and inspired generations of other musicians (from the Sex Pistols to Guns n Roses and Metallica) to live their lives as they alone saw fit and to enjoy every moment, while not being afraid to stand up to authority and that, to me, is the very spirit of rock n roll music.
- 1980s: Axl Rose (Guns n Roses)
Perhaps a perfect example of the rock n roll life, GnR were wild, badass dudes who effectively went out and lived the dream. All those images of dirty, scruffy, long-haired leather-clad dudes that come to mind when you think of rock n roll...well, GnR practically invented them.
They were them, for the beginning of their career. Axl, Slash, Duff, Izzy and Steven, they all came out to Hollywood determined to go big or go home and in the early days, they barely had enough to eat and stay alive, often sacrificing food to buy gear.
They were characterized by an unswerving desire and determination to make it, that echoed that of the Stones some 20 years before them. And the reason I chose them for this list is that they also followed the spirit of sticking it to the man, that wild rebellion that was born around the time Elvis showed up and never quite left the rock n roll stage. They're a lifestyle, just like Elvis and the Beatles were before them, loud and frantic and fueled by the same bad-boy charm that first appealed to American teenagers in the 1950s.
It's a style that never got old, one that helped rock n roll thrive for over 60 years now.
- 1990s: Kurt Cobain (Nirvana)
This was such an obvious choice, at least to me, because although there were a great many musical movements going in the 1990s, I can't think of a single one that is more memorable than grunge. My parents grew up on Nirvana and I know so, so many people who did. I'm one of them, ironically, although I was born 5 years after Cobain died. And I think I'm not the only one.
Actually, I chose him as the figure for the 90s particularly because he is so different from the others present in this list. While Cobain's lyrics and overall image were based off the same rebellious anger that fueled all the others, he was also a great mirror for everything that was broken within the human soul, which I think is what appealed to so many listeners.
'Smells like Teen Spirit' was more iconic still. Joy, rage, a perfectly weighted riff-hook, ominous verses followed by an oblivion-chasing chorus – it was as if rock's essence had been distilled into one song.
This is so well put. While Nirvana vented all the rage present in the young soul, they also carried an extra weight – the sadness of being utterly lost, of struggling to find your place in a world you don't understand, which I think is something that appealed to young people a lot, because they craved to be understood, for someone to commiserate and Kurt Cobain did just that. He understood, he let everyone know it was okay to be hurt and to be tortured. Well, in a way. In the end, I suppose he didn't, but he was a helping voice to so many struggling to find themselves.
I would've very much liked to write entries for the 2000s and the 2010s, but I feel those are far too recent to be able to see which artists will have a long term impact on the rock n roll scene. Again, the choices made in this post are mine alone, and they are based on what I consider to be the spirit of rock n roll.
Who is your favorite rock n roll singer/band?
Quotes: The History of Rock
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