Account for the rise of a new kind of popular music aimed specifically at the young in America

in the 1950s.
Discuss at least 2 songs with reference to form, text, melody and harmony.

In the 1950s a new combination of African American, blues, pop, country

and gospel music emerged. It created controversy as it had a large influence
on social and economic aspects within society. Socially, people began to
worry it would be too large an impact on the culture and it would unsettle the
way people lived alongside one another. Economically, the sales of music
records and merchandise such as posters and collectables boomed. The new
genre became popular almost instantly and virtually reshaped America. They
called it Rock n Roll (Michael K. Hall, 2014).

As many genres of music are created, a mixture of people from America

and the black families from the former slave trade era made for closer
proximity of living than ever before. This way of living meant that music from a
variety of cultures were shared between the people and new ones were
created. Each different style would influence the others and thus formed new
ones. Not only did Rock and Roll change within the roots but technology also
had a large impact on it (V. Bogdanov, 2002). For example, the earliest styles
were in the late 40s to early 50s and the piano or saxophone would usually be
the main instrument. However as technology progressed and we were
introduced to the electric guitar they were slowly replaced. It became the
standard that more often than not, a guitar would be the main event (Mitchell
K. Hall, 2014). Shortly after the electric guitar the amplifier and microphone
were introduced. This was the birth of concert style performances and the
fans could go and watch the performer live which was very exciting and
independent for the younger generation. As well as live performances the
radio played the music repeatedly so the popularity grew. It became a distinct
characteristic of teenagers in the 1950s and relatively affluent ones at that (V.
Bogdanov, 2002).

The new wave of subculture did not only include music but also extended
to hair, films, clothing, and motorbikes and had an influence on language use
as well. Many people believed that the music created a sense of belonging for
the teenagers that listened to it even if they were constantly alone. Once the
Rock n Roll era had truly emerged it began helping young Americans to
construct their personal identities. The music not only moved people by the

use of lyrics but the use of body language by the performers and the rhythmic
character of the music. The new genre was a celebration of leisure, romance,
and sex. It offered them new perspectives in life. However, although it was
seen as uplifting it was particularly unwelcome due to the effects of the dream
era that followed the Great Depressions and World War ||. The dream era was
a time in which anxiety was particularly prominent due to monetary difficulties
and trying to rebuild lives after the chaos in the earlier years (Glenn. C, 2003).

Shortly after the new genre of music became increasingly popular, the
baby boomer generation was to forever be associated with it. The new
culture was of huge concern to the older sector of the population as the music
was about sex and relationships, which had not before been sung or spoken
about. They believe that this was the reason for the baby boom. The music
was sexual and was seen as encouragement to the youth. Thus meaning
more babies were born out of matrimony and had underage single mothers.
The older generations began to see a divide in the society with an increase in
juvenile delinquency and social rebellion. They began to worry about this as
they thought it could get out of hand and damage the image of their society
(M. Coleman, 2007). Many of the older people could not seem to understand
why it appealed to the youth of America so much. They just saw it as trash.
There was much debate over whether or not it had an impact on the behavior
of the listeners. On one side of the arguments, Judge Hilda Schwartz claimed
that there are certain types of people that go looking for fights, riots and to
commit crime and they find it. Regardless of the music they are listening to,
the way they look or who they spend their time with. On the other side of the
argument was the media. They portrayed the newly formed subculture to be
damaging and evil. They made bold claims such as the groups of young
people bore a resemblance to Hitlers mass meetings. This was a very
strong statement, which lead people into hysteria as they were frightened of
the youth (Glenn. C, 2003).

With regards to the actual music the lyricism played a huge part in the
controversy. Sexuality and intercourse were not usually spoken about due to
the subject being seen as taboo. With the rise of popular music, many artists
used sex and relationships to provoke excitement and reactions. These things
were risky and private so many metaphors were used to cover up the meaning
slightly. However they did not go unnoticed.

In Elvis Presleys Jailhouse Rock, there have been many gender studies
that believe the song has reference to homosexuality (Philip Brett, 2006). The
lyrics have caused a stir due to its homoerotic implications and imagery of
prisoners behind bars. The lyrics Number 47 said to Number 3/Youre the
cutest jailbird I ever did see suggest a romance between two cellmates. On
hearing the word jailbird one assumes the person is female but the video that
came out with the song was a cellblock of men only. Many people did not
understand the homosexual references so they listened to the music anyway.
There were many people that were enraged by the implication of gay romance
as it caused so much disarray (Gary Mulholland, 2010). Presley also names
characters in the lyrics that are real people. Shifty Henry was in fact not a
criminal and was well known for his music in Los Angeles. The Purple Gang
were a real mob from the 1920s and was made up of predominantly Jewish
men. Sad Sack was the name given to someone is they were a loser. This
came from the U.S Army as they nicknamed this to those who were seen as
weak or cowardly in World War ||. The nickname later changed into a comic
strip character in the 1940s (Mauri96, 2013).

The basis of 12 bar blues is usually the lyrics, which tell deep emotive
stories, and feelings that the audience and listeners can relate to. Although
sometimes this does not happen. Shake, rattle and Roll however does not do
this. Turner sings of a woman being in bed who should be in the kitchen
making noise from the cooking. The first verse says the words Get outta that
bed/Wash your face and hands/Well you get in that kitchen/Make some noise
with the pots and pans. This is extremely sexist and shows very little to no
emotion towards his lover. In this genre this attitude seems an unlikely mix
between the soul of the music and the chauvinistic views of the man.

The main form to this particular style of music is 12 bar blues. The exact
origin of where this music came from can never be certain as it worked its way
through so many genres and lost its originality slightly. It is often though that
the blues originated with African roots as the workers would sing about their
hardships to try and boost the moral of those around them. This was the
creating of the call and response ad the lead singer would sing and the others
would either repeat it or carry on the phrase in an answer like fashion. For this
music the lyrics were the most important because they were what the music
was based on. They also told the story or feelings of the people singing. The

music then transformed from group chant to solo songs with deep emotional
content (Mich Gold, 2012). Each section is comprised of four bars so the three
separate sections leads us to the 12 bar structure. In ever piece the chord
progressions are always the same, regardless of whether the pitch was higher
or lower, or the key signature different (Andrew S. Coxon, Unknown). The
most common form of the 12 bar blues is structured as follows. The first four
bars use a |, |, |, | progression. The second four bars change slightly with the
addition of chord |V; played twice then followed by another two root chords.
Finally the verse or chorus ends with a chord progression of V, |V, I, V (Kelly
Guiney, 2003). The song Jailhouse Rock is completely based on this
structure, which also falls in the category of strophic form. This means that the
music for the verse and chorus is virtually the same. Thus giving it an overall
AAAAA form (Andrew S. Coxon, Unknown).

With regards to the structure of Shake, rattle and roll it is very similar to
that of Presleys Jailhouse Rock. The use of 12 bar blues was very common
due to the ease and popularity of the style. Apart from the intro, every verse
and chorus has the same chord progression. The first chorus includes a
saxophone solo, which adds more variety to the structure and harmony. The
rest of the song has no more solos and just sticks to the original form. With six
different verses and three choruses the piece technically has an AAAAAAAAA
form. This is excessive and would never be written out like this but it is not
necessarily the form that is there to define the piece but more the lyrics (John
Covach, 1996).

In Rock n Roll, the melody lines can be weak and often do not contain
enough melodic material to hold together without a band underneath it. Most
of the time, the instruments will play short melodies such as improvisation or
solos to keep the piece moving and add interest. However, Jailhouse Rock
has a stronger melody and is very well known without the band. The melody
Presley sings is very repetitious but that suits the style of the 12 bar blues
simple yet effective harmonic structure. Shake, rattle and Roll is very similar to
Jailhouse Rock because the melody is simple and follows the harmony of the
band. The chord progressions define the melodies and create an overall
strong, memorable melody line (Michael Campbell, 2007).

Overall, the rise of new popular music in America in the 1950s had a
substantial impact on the younger generations as well as the older. Jailhouse
Rock and Shake, rattle and Roll are famous for their catchy rhythms, walking
bass and uplifting the spirits of those who need it.

Andrew S. Coxon. (2013). ROCK YOUR GCSE MUSIC.

Available:
www.musicroom.com/images/fhcampaigns/uk/pages/rhinegold
/Rock_Your_GCSE_Music_Sample_Booklet.pdf. Last accessed
10th April 2014.
Garry Mulholland (2010). Popcorn: Fifty Years of Rock 'n' Roll
Movies. Orion Books.

Glenn C. (2003). All Shook Up: How Rock 'n' Roll Changed
America. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pg8
John Covach. (1996). Form in Rock Music: A Primer. Available:
www.personal.kent.edu/~sbirch/Theory/21341%20CMT/Form
%20in%20Rock%20Music.pdf. Last accessed 10th April 2014.
Kelly Guiney. (2003). Understanding the 12-Bar Blues.
Available: www.pbs.org/theblues/classroom/essays12bar.html.
Last accessed 8th April 2014.
M. Coleman, L.H Ganong and K. Warzinik (2007). Family life in
Twentienth Century America. Greenwood. pg 216-217.
Mauri96. (2013). Jailhouse Rock (song). Available:
www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jailhouse_Rock(song). Last
accessed 10th April 2014.
Mich Gold. (1012). Origins of the Blues. Available:
www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Origins_of_the_blues. Last
accessed 10th April 2014.
Michael Campbell and James Broody (2007). Rock and Roll: An
Introduction. pg76
Mitchell K Hall (2014). The Emergence of Rock and Roll.
Routeledge.
Philip Brett, Elizabeth Wood and Gary Thomas (2006).
Queering the Pitch: The New Gay and Lesbian Musicology.
Routeledge. pg363.
V. Bogdanov, C. Woodstra and S. Erlewine (2002). All Music
Guide to Rock: The Definitive Guide to Rock, Pop, and Soul.
Backbeat Books. p1303.