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Catherine Weltzer

Identity/Community in Rock and Roll

Professor Kohl

8 October 2020

Definitions of Rock and Roll

Rock and roll is a genre that has had an undeniable influence on the world. It unites

peoples of different races, creeds, and cultures, and it has guided teenagers through rebellion, and

has even shaped fashion trends. Rock and roll has left its lasting mark on music as a whole, not

with just the songs within the genre, but the genres that have come from it, such as heavy metal,

rap, and grunge. There is no doubt that rock and roll, has helped to define generations of people,

which begs the question, how do you define rock and roll? When one thinks of rock and roll,

some of the first words that come to mind are sex and drugs, and while both of these words do

have ties to rock and roll, they do not define it. Ultimately, there are three words that represent

rock and roll to its core, they embody the spirit of the genre and those who perform it. These

three words are community, youth, and rebellion and each of these have 3 songs that exemplify

them.

Community is one of the most important aspects of rock and roll, this is because the

genre has created itself its own community, one that unites people of all races, religions, and

cultures. One of the songs, the shows how community defines rock and roll, is James Brown’s

"Say It Loud – I'm Black and I'm Proud." This anthem of embracing black identity and power,

which was released in 1968 is in and of itself a call for community (Whitburn). The song's, use

of the word “we” throughout shows the connection, the community of people who relate and

represented by the song. In addition to the importance of this song to the black community, its
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popularity reached far beyond. "Say It Loud – I'm Black and I'm Proud" reached number ten on

the Billboard Top 100, an indication of its popularity to people of other races and communities

(White). Another representation of the importance of "Say It Loud – I'm Black and I'm Proud" to

rock and roll and how it demonstrates of how community defines rock and roll, is the song’s

inclusion in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll (500 Songs

That Shaped Rock). This song shows that rock and roll spans across races and cultures; it shows

that rock and rolls creates a community made up of other communities, a community that

believes in quality and justice.

One of the most well know and most loved rock and roll bands is history is the Beatles,

this band is one of the rallying points of the rock and roll community. The Beatles itself

represents its own community of fans that spans generations, it is for this reason that the song “A

Day in the Life” exemplifies community as a defining trait of rock and roll. “A Day in the Life”

was released on the Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album in 1967. Of course, 1967 was

the year of the Summer of Love, one of the most iconic and important periods in rock and roll

history. The Summer of Love is and was a representation of the community that is rock and roll,

and the Sgt. Pepper album was one of the defining pieces of media for that summer, making “A

Day in the Life” a representative of community and its place as part of the definition for rock and

roll. In addition to the importance this song has to rock and roll, the lyrics themselves can be

interpreted as a representation. Though the lyrics are mostly just pieces of news, it represents an

almost universal experience of reading the news, and the lyrics “Woke up, fell out of bed,” are

surely relatable to many across the world. It is these small similarities that shows the people that

we are all connected and we are not as different as it may seem. The relatable lyrics are
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representative of a community and show how this song can help to define community and rock

and roll.

One of the uniting experiences for all people is the experience of change, whether it be

good or bad, it would be impossible for one not to experience change in their lives. In addition to

being a universal truth, change also serves to unite people and create communities, especially

when those people are working towards a specific change. These facts make Bob Dylan’s song

“The Times They Are a-Changin',” a perfect representation for the word community and how it

defines rock and roll. This song was released in 1964 on Dylan’s album of the same name, it has

connections to the civil rights movement, and is considered an anthem of change (Gill). In

addition to the connection to community through the shared experience of change, the song’s

lyrics also call for people to unite, for example the opening lines to the first four verses are

“Come gather 'round, people, Wherever you roam… Come writers and critics, Who prophesize

with your pen… Come senators, congressmen, Please heed the call...” and “Come mothers and

fathers, Throughout the land,” respectively. The above-mentioned lyrics are a call to community

from Bob Dylan, a call that rock and roll answered. Overall “The Times They Are a-Changin'”

reflects community within rock and roll and therefore serve to prove that the idea of community

is essential to the definition of rock and roll.

Rock and Roll has always been considered the music of the youth, though the original

fans of the genre have long since grown beyond their youth, rock music still calls the young of

today whether through songs made in the 20th century or through the newer music that is from

genres that stem from rock. One of the most iconic songs that has defined rock and roll as music

of the youth is Nirvana’s “Smells like Teen Spirit.” The song was released on the 1991 album

Nevermind, and it has retained a large fan base, even today one would be hard pressed to find a
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teenager who has not heard the song, even if it was unknowingly so. The songs lyrics and even

the style of “Smells like Teen Spirit” exemplify the teenage experience, the heavy bass line fits

in well with the anger and angst that the youth often experience, and lyrics such as “ I feel stupid

and contagious,” perfectly sum up the emotions I often felt as a teenager, and of course the line

“Oh well, whatever, never mind” is a pretty accurate representation of what the youth says. This

song is one that is attractive to nearly every young person, making it a perfect example as to why

youth is an important part of the definition of rock and roll.

One of the more enjoyable parts of being young is the excitement of simply being alive,

and the urges to just run wild. Rock and roll fuels this excitement, and in fact even represents it

in songs, especially those that make people have the desire to let lose and throw away

inhibitions. It is this aspect of rock and roll that makes youth such an integral part to its

definition. One of the songs that represents the feeling of youth is Sly and the Family Stone’s

“Thank You.” The song was released in 1969, and has the iconic lyrics “I want to thank you

falettinme be mice elf agin,” a play on for letting be me myself again. While the intention behind

the song is not necessarily about youth, what is more representative of being young than wanting

to be yourself, including saying it in an unusual way (there always seems to be some new

nonsensical way to say something that was invented by the younger generation). Even the

rhythm and musical style of the song has a care-free vibe to it, something that is often seen in

young peoples, the freedom of being young and having your life in front of you. “Thank You”

has the feel of a teenager, and is therefore a good example of how youth defines rock and roll.

An almost universal experience for the youth is hearing complaints about “your

generation,” especially their taster in music. Rock and roll is particularly know for being

somewhat hated by the older generation when it gained popularity, this indicates youth as an
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essential piece of the definition of rock and roll. The Who’s “My Generation” is all about the

youth or their generation not being respected, a common problem every young person seems to

face (despite the fact that the older generations experienced the same thing and also complained

about it). The song was released in 1965, it is number 11 on the Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest of

Songs All Time, and is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and

Roll. In addition to its commercial success that hint at the popularity it had with the youth, the

lyrics perfectly showcase the feeling on being young and looked down on, for example below is

the first verse of the song.

“People try to put us d-down (talkin' 'bout my generation)

Just because we get around (talkin' 'bout my generation)

Things they do look awful c-c-cold (talkin' 'bout my generation)

I hope I die before I get old (talkin' 'bout my generation).”

As mentioned above these lyrics showcase how it feels to be the younger generation being

shamed for their interests and behavior. Additionally, the last line of the verse reflects the idea

that a teenager would rather die than end up like their parents. Overall, the success of this song,

and its message shows how rock and roll is music for the youth, and therefore youth is an

important part of the definition of rock and roll.

Rebellion, often associated with youth, is also crucial piece in the essence of rock and

roll. Often rebellion and youth go hand-in-hand, therefore rebellion must be included in the

definition of the rock and roll genre. One of the pioneers of the genre, Elvis Presley was a

representative of rebellion, especially his movements. Because of his influence on rock and roll,

and the rebellion of the youth of the time, his version of “That’s Alright Mama” is a song that

can be used to define rock and roll with the world rebellion. The song was released as Elvis’s
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commercial debut in 1954, and therefore a starting point for the rebellious nature of rock and

roll. In addition to being an origin for the rebellious youth of the time, the musical style of

Elvis’s version of “That’s Alright Mama” was a rebellion in itself, this is because Elvis had a

“negro sound” while being white, paring this with his hip movements, this song becomes a

defining song for rebellion and its necessity in rock and roll music.

One popular form of rebellion is protesting or raising concern over the current state of

things, often it is against those in charge. This was a common topic in rock and roll music,

because of important rebellion is to the genre. The Clash’s “London Calling,” released in 1979,

the song has heavy political influences. According to Donald Guarisco, the song is a reflection of

world events, including police brutality and recreation drug use. While drugs use has been

previously encouraged by rock and roll, over acceptance can cause problems and thus being

something to rebel against. Overall the song has a rather morbid tone, but in such a way that

indicates a call for change. At the end of the day rebellion is fighting for things to be different, to

be better, therefore this song is an example of rebellion and it shows how critical rebellion is to

the genre of rock and roll.

In rock and roll, much of the rebellion is often against authority figures or society as a

whole, this rebellion is reflected in many songs, and even in subgenres such as punk rock. While

songs about rebellion are very common, songs that in themselves rebellious are rarer. The Sex

Pistol’s “God Save the Queen” is one of those sons that is an act of rebellion. Released in 1977

during Queen Elizabeth II’s Silver Jubilee, the song strongly bashes the Queens and states that

“There's no future,” other lines include “the fascist regime,” and “Our figurehead is not what she

seems.” “God Save the Queen” topped out at number two on the UK charts, which led to

speculation that it was rigged. All of this combined makes the song an anthem for rebellion,
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because after all, what is more rebellious than writing a song insulting your government and

monarch. Overall the popularity of this song and its message make it a perfect representation of

rebellion and how it defines rock and roll.

Overall, rock and roll has influenced countless people, it has called for change in various

ways while also encouraging respect. Rock and roll is starting point for numerous popular genres

todays, and the original form is still listened to and appreciated by people of all ages. The key

components of the definition of rock and roll are rebellion, youth, and community. Many of the

songs within the genre, and its subgenres have ties to these themes. Ultimately with these major

pieces of rock and roll, the genre would not have had the level of influence and longevity. Rock

and roll unites all sorts of people in a community, and it teaches the youth how to rebel and how

to fight for change.

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