The Reciprocal Relationship Between Rock And Roll Music And Society In 1960s

The 1960s must have been an amazing and fabulous time for rock fans since it was the “Golden Age of American Rock” (Hale 2014). In this period, as the economy boomed, baby boomers became more and more self-aware and focused on issues like individual freedom and rebellion (Eyerman & Jamison 1998). Popular music became a great vehicle for all these ideas. Inspired by the experimental music of the Beatles, many of the biggest name of American Rock, such as Bob Dylan and Jimi Hendrix, released their albums in this period. Rock music became involved in major social issues such as the Vietnam War, civil rights, and environmental protection. The young rockers, represented by Bob Dylan, made the theme of rock and roll serious, closely followed the theme of the society, made strong anti-war voice and conveyed the “Love and Peace” concept. The hippie movement of the same period changed the American political and social scene and had an impact on the future direction of American society (Kortaba 2013). Young people, who were deeply affected by Rock music, played an important role in social movements to promote the end of the Vietnam war, equal rights, environmental protection, education health and other public welfare. In short, Rock musicians in this period not only sang about social revolution, they themselves were the outcome of revolution (Hale 2014). A question naturally raised: what is the relationship between rock music and society in this period? In other words, how did they affect each other? In this paper, the author will explore the reciprocal relationships between culture and society from the perspective of rock music through these two parts: studying the three contextual social factors that affect the rock music in 1960s: youth, mediability, and multiculturalism; studying the roles of rock music in social movements.

Contextual Factors

In this section, the author will explore the key contextual reasons affecting the relationship between rock music and society in 1960s. Rock music in 1960s was so prevalent and so pregnant with serious ideas and innovations. Why causes this phenomenon?

Youth

One evident factor is the population and the creative power of “The Beat Generation”. After World War II, the technological revolution led to a huge increase in economic productivity, economy prosperity, consuming power, and the size of middle class. Under the background of the Age of Machines, people at the bottom of the society felt a kind of “loss” and unable to realize self-value with the vigorous development of the market economy and the rise of consumption society (Hale 2014). The great contrast between the traditional Christian ethics and modern social structure has confused young people. Instead of complying with traditional social norms, young people were gaining and expanding their self-awareness. In the field of literature and art, young people began to seek physiological stimulation and individual spiritual freedom. Sociologists characterized these counterculture movements as “youth movements” and “a war between generations” (Eyerman & Jamison 1998). There is no doubt that “The Beat Generation” challenged the traditional moral ethics. During this period, the imbalance between the development of different levels of American society continued to deepen, and the youth and subculture forces continued to accumulate, which laid a hidden danger for the social unrest in the 1960s and gave birth to rock music in 1960s.

Mediability

Another significant factor is the tendency for young people to accept a “mass mediated reality”. Except for the economic conditions mentioned above, it is also important to notice that young people in 1960s were also exposed to an atmosphere of mass media, became used to purchase its product and took mass media for granted. Although in 1940s and 1950s, many American people regraded “mass culture” as a kind of decadence, there is no problem for the young generation to accept this mass media reality since they grew up in a period surrounded by comic book renditions of classical literature, situation comedies and Mad magazine, which made them accepted culture in a largely different way from their parents. Except for this different way of culture perception, the development of recording industry is also an essential condition for the popularity of rock and roll music. In 1960s, multi-track tape, which allows overdubbing and recording different parts of a song at different times and places, became widely used in recording industry. This allows cheaper and more convenient recordings both in use and store.

Multiculturalism

Multiculturalism is also a necessary condition for the development of rock and roll music in 1960s. As the advancement of technology and the popularity of television, many Americans had the chance to see the disastrous scene of Vietnam War. Opposition to America’s intervention in Vietnam and other Asia countries had become the most significant issue in 1960s, which defined the social movement sector which mostly concerned the problems of civil rights and racial equality. This atmosphere created a contextual background for the multiculturalism the mixture of races, which is a great theme of 1960s. Eyerman and Jamison thought, it was not only the physical propagation tool of music, say, radio, contribute to the breakup of cultural and social barriers, perhaps military institutions and even the war itself contributed more to it. For example, black soldiers who were returned from the Vietnam War become important sources that affect the young generation. In 1950s, the American record market was roughly three-legged: the black music market is represented by Rhythm & Blues, and the white music market is represented by Tin Pan Alley and Country Music. There was an invisible separation among these music styles. However, under this atmosphere of multiculturalism, rock and roll musicians absorbed bunches of different music styles and broke the invisible wall among different races of people. This liberating and intersecting nature of rock and roll music has created a huge attraction for both black and white youth. Rock music was a convenient way for both audiences, especially young people, to understand each other’s music and culture. They were also accepted and fascinated by rock and roll music while being influenced by the concept of rejecting racial discrimination.

Rock Music as A Tool to Enhance Coherence in Social Movements

Rock music and its performance played a very important role in uniting people in promoting many social movements in 1960s. Compared with jazz or classical music, rock music creates a strong sense of unity, with a strong rhythm pattern for people to follow, and the lyrics convey more individual emotions. Rock music’s particular kind of form made it become the most popular music of the era, and its role at that period cannot be replaced by any other music. Jazz emphasizes improvisation and the texture of music itself. Many of them have complex and unpredictable beats, making it difficult for people to sing right, so it becomes a pure form of music appreciation. For example, jazz musicians usually used advanced chords, complex syncopations, altered chords, asymmetrical rhythms, and complex melodies. Unlike classical music, which usually needs to be played in the concert hall where people dress properly, sit quietly and politely in the seat, rock music pays more attention to the meaning and lyrics of the song, reflecting modernism, experiment or unconventional elements. It also creates a simple but intense rhythm to better affect the public, and its own texture has a more explosive style and advancing rhythm that allows the listener to move forward mentally. People are more attracted to its explosive power, strong rhythm and close relationship between lyrics and daily life. Compared with other forms of music, rock music is in the process of seeking transcendence, death consciousness and time control. It is a form of popular and impetuous art with a huge fan base, so it is easy to establish a collective identity and unity consciousness that can further provide cohesion for social movements.

References

1. Eyerman, R., & Jamison, A. (1998). Music and social movements: Mobilizing traditions in the twentieth century. Cambridge University Press.
2. Hale J. (2014). Born to be Wild: The Golden Age of American Rock. United Kingdom: BBC
3. Kotarba, J. A. (2013). Understanding society through popular music. Routledge.
4. Wicke, P. (1990). Rock music: Culture, aesthetics and sociology. Cambridge University Press.