Rock Music Essay, Research Paper

ROCK Rock does mean any relatively hard mass of mineral or petrified matter, or stone, but it is also a type of music. Rock is a type of music in which teens have always been associated with. Rock music has been around since the early to mid nineteen fifties and has emerged and changed throughout the years. Rock music has had many types of different sounds and motions. Early rock, like The Twist and Rock Around the Clock are sounds which were introduced in 1954. Rock music is integrated, containing that of the black and white musician. As stated above, rock evolved from the combination of black and white musicians. Rock was once referred to as one of the most significant art forms to rise out of recent American culture. This is a significant statement since there were also many complaints about rock music. Many adults did not understand what was going on with their youth. It took much time before early America accepted rock. The Twist , was a song by Chubby Checker, which first became public when he was on American Bandstand. Twisting, as the dance was called, became an epidemic amongst teens across the country. It was not looked upon by the public as proper etiquette, it was actually a dance in which you may have been arrested for in earlier years. This did not stop Chubby Checker and his followers from twisting their way to becoming a classic rock song. Still today, when the song The Twist comes on at a party, people are still going crazy. The sound of the twist is almost like a bell to start shaking around on the dance floor. That is why I think the twist is a classic rock song, as opposed to being a hit song.

Hit songs are often referred to as classics when they first come out, little do the critics know that a particular song could go to the top of the charts in the first few weeks, only to be forgotten by future generations. Groups like the Beatles had their share of hits, as well as their share of classics. A classic is a song that will live forever, whereas a hit is a song that for the moment it is a big money maker, but will soon be forgotten by the world. Rock music is not the same as it used to be because it has been developed over the years to the teenagers of particular periods. To be more specific, take Woodstock as an example. It was a time of peaceful protests and peaceful folk songs. Rock was a means of bringing the generation together. Today it still is. There are many concerts held today to benefit different foundations, such as AIDS and Cancer, all which are important to today s youth. I myself have always been exposed to rock music. Since my youth I have been singing songs all day long. Music to me is so fun. It is a means of getting together with my friends now, since dance clubs are getting bigger and bigger amongst teens. To me this is significant because I feel that since the generations before us had the opportunity to get together at Woodstock, we have the same opportunities today, in clubs. It is a way for teens to express themselves, they can write their own music and can also dance in different ways and express themselves.