Though not always the case, rock and roll was generally perceived as being louder and faster than earlier forms of popular music, and being overly reliant on a strong "back beat," or a delayed emphasis on the second and fourth beats of the measure. The musical common denominators are a little harder to define, given the range of styles, but the various forms of "rock and roll" were generally simpler in their melodic, harmonic and rhythmic structure than much recent popular music had been, and they could be played by smaller ensembles. On occasion, a rock and roll song might reflect earlier history, such as Johnny Horton's "Battle of New Orleans," a narrative of Andrew Jackson's victory over the British at the end of the War of 1812, set to the melody of a traditional fiddle tune known as "The Eighth of January," written at the time to commemorate the battle. Teenagers that a generation or two earlier would have already been in the work force, now formed a new social class and a ready market, and their interests became the subjects of rock and roll songs about fashion (Carl Perkins's "Blue Suede Shoes," the Sparkletones' "Black Slacks," the Royal Teens' "Short Shorts"), cars (Chuck Berry's "Mabellene, Jackie Brenston's "Rocket 88"), school (The Coasters' "Charlie Brown," Chuck Berry's "School Day"), romance (Dion and the Belmonts' "Teenager in Love," Pat Boone's "Two Hearts") and youthful frustrations (The Students' "Too Young," Eddie Cochran's "Summertime Blues"). The songs dealt with familiar subjects by and large, but frequently with a new irreverence or directness sometimes due to the influence of blues and country & western lyrics. The artists themselves were usually quite young and their adaptations of earlier styles often reflected a simplified approach to them.
The social common denominator for the many styles of rock and roll that emerged in the early days was a target audience of teenagers and pre-teens. The guitarist, in an appearance at the Library of Congress in 2009, speaks about his prolific career, including his time with The Byrds.Īn interview with the guitarist conducted in the 1980s by retired music executive Joe Smith.Ī 1988 interview conducted by retired music executive Joe Smith. In 1965, The Byrds adapted the song for "He was a Friend of Mine," a tribute to President John Fitzgerald Kennedy.įeaturing performances by Dion DiMucci of Dion and the Belmonts. Recordings from Library of Congress Collections Some styles were already well established with certain audiences, or used musical devices that had been around for some time, but in the mid-1950s, they achieved national popularity, and soon became the driving forces in much of popular music. The term "Rock and Roll" was applied to several related forms of music broadly popular with youth starting in the mid-1950s.
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