International Rock and Roll Day

By: Carlos “Payta” Sánchez, Producer and Host of RadioUnión

Rock and roll, or as it’s known in Mexico, “rocanrol,” already has a celebration on July 13th. International Rock’n’roll Day was created to pay tribute to the pioneers of this movement in the 50s, which is based on a mix of American musical genres such as Doo Wop, Rhythm and Blues, Blues, and Country, among others. Among the most prominent artists were Elvis Presley; Chuck Berry; Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, Bo Diddley, Buddy Holly, Bill Haley, Sister Rosetta, and many more. The term “rock and roll” was already used in R&B lyrics in the late 30s, but it was Alan Freed, the American broadcaster, who coined the term to describe this style. But beyond these basic data is what each artist had in their heart and mind when presenting their musical proposal. So, I will take this guideline to go through the decades and see how this has evolved musically and technologically, always contributing to society in constant movement.

@andreasombrosa

1950s. Its beginning establishes the generation gap between parents and children, where young people stopped listening to their parents’ music, artists like Dean Martin, Brenda Lee, or Perry Como, whose themes were calm and romantic. R’n’R arrives to support the youth that began to complain about the oppression of adults and the myth of the perfect family, so songs like Great Balls of Fire, Jailhouse Rock, and Tutti Frutti were born, full of rebellion, hidden sexual connotations, and just plain fun, by laughing when singing ‘Awap bop a lup bop a wop bam boom.’ But without a doubt, this musical hybrid changed music forever!

1960s. Rock and roll lost its innocence and began to mature in a turbulent decade, in the U.S., with the Vietnam War, the Cold War, and almost zero Civil Rights. The music expressed thoughts and ideas about the sexual revolution, civil rights, racial equality, feminism, and environmentalism. Here is the beginning of the incursion of the musicians into the world of drugs, which gives a new twist to the sonic expression of their projects. Some of the most notable bands and songs included The Beatles’ “Strawberry Fields Forever” (drugs), Bob Dylan’s “Blowin’ in the Wind” (protest), Aretha Franklin’s “Respect” (feminism), “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” by The Rolling Stones (Critical of the U.S.), “Say it Loud (I’m Black and I’m Proud)” by James Brown (civil rights), “A Change Is Gonna Come” by Sam Cooke (civil rights) and Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Fortunate Son” (antiwar), just to name a few.

1970s. After the Summer of Love in June 1969, the 70s began with a decline in the field of fashion, society, and, obviously, music. Men’s hair grew, women became more liberal, and rock and roll evolved into rock, but disco, funk, and soul were the most popular genres. Led Zeppelin, David Bowie, Pink Floyd, Queen, ABBA, Parliament Funkadelic, and The Isley Brothers were the most popular bands and artists. Incredibly, a battle between Rock vs. Disco was created, supported by the phrase “Disco Sucks,” incited by homophobia and racism, since Disco music had its peak in gay bars with Black and Latino people. Some of the songs that put their surroundings into their songs were Steel Pulse’s Ku Klux Klan (Racism), Crosby’s Ohio, Stills, Nash & Young (Kent University Shootings), Bob Marley & The Wailers’ Get Up Stand Up (Rights Humans), (White Man) In Hammersmith Palais by The Clash (Equality), What’s Going On by Marvin Gaye (Social Conscience), among others. All this decade’s controversies were minimized with the arrival of Punk, who said, all this excess was garbage. Under the D.I.Y. (Do it yourself) aesthetic, they bought their used instruments and began playing music without knowing how to use them. This brought revolutionary bands like the Sex Pistols, the Clash, the Ramones, and the New York Dolls, challenging the status quo and creating a musical revolution.

1980s. Although new musical genres such as postpunk and new wave were created, with new proposals making music that was more cerebral and tech with the use of synthesizers. But popular music kept its commercial trend with artists like Michael Jackson, Madonna, and Billy Joel. But what was learned was applied, and social issues were heard again with songs like “Born in the U.S.A.” by Bruce Springsteen (Vietnam), “Sunday, Bloody Sunday” by U2 (Irish Guerilla), “The Message” by Grandmaster Flash (Social Conscience), F**k tha Police by N.W.A. (police abuse), and Nena’s “99 Luftballons” (cold war). A movement arose due to the explicit lyrics in the songs, from Rap, Punk, and Heavy Metal, and was led by Mary “Tipper” Gore in the U.S., who got the albums to carry a “Parent Advisory” label. for parents) to censor its content. However, the birth of MTV gave greater diffusion to music now in a visual format that also criticized this cancellation of freedom of expression, which in the U.S. is the First Amendment that guarantees our right to free expression and association in the constitution.

1990s. The music of the ‘90s was diverse, with artists taking the styles of previous decades, refining them, then adding a sonic dimension and attitude that matched the optimism and sometimes despair of the decade. While Britpop sounded in England, in the U.S., grunge replaced the Hair Rock of commercial Heavy Metal to forcefully take specialized radio with more honest and direct music from the heart. Unfortunately, excessive drug use and depression had an impact on major bands such as Nirvana, Alice in Chains, and Screaming Trees, among others. But even with these losses of life, songs emerged that did not take their finger off social issues, such as Sonic Youth’s “Youth Against Fascism” (fascism), The White Stripes’ “The Big Three Killed My Baby” (against America), Sinead O’Connor’s “Black Boys on Mopeds” (police abuse), Rage Against the Machine’s “Killing in the Name” (police abuse), among others. On the other hand, the subculture of dance clubs, creating the golden age of house music, New York and London took the baton that started in Chicago (in the 80s) to create a much darker sound driven by Raves. Finally, due to the ease of access to computers and the Internet, digital music put the music industry in trouble, and they started looking for ways to avoid “Burn C.D.s;” Little did they know the impact Napster would have on their battle, offering its royalty-free music sharing service on June 1st, 1999.

2000s. Despite hip hop’s dominance (particularly in the intervening years), rock music remained popular, particularly alternative rock, and especially genres such as post-grunge, post-Britpop, nu metal, pop punk, emo, and indie rock. Some of the songs that created social awareness were Green Day’s “American Idiot” (social dysfunction), Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way” (LGBT rights), Kendrick Lamar’s “Alright” (police abuse), Immigranida (We Comin’ Rougher) by Gogol Bordello, The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song by The Flaming Lips (abuse of power), among others. And as expected, Internet users began to share copyrighted songs through peer-to-peer networks, with Napster being the main vehicle, creating a movement allying the industry and artists against their use, in addition to seeking to prevent the spread and more projects with this type of service. Although that was just beginning and the music game changed forever since in 2005, YouTube started, followed by a small company from Sweden called Spotify in 2006.

Currently, early rock and roll have changed a lot from what we can be listening to today. Unfortunately, that acceptance that gave the impetus to the global phenomenon that it is today made it a very profitable business. Still, it is in our hands that it continues to be that way. That is why we are looking for a good artist or band, not just to entertain you, who is an upright artist with his own proposal and a message that appeals to you and avoids being a marketing product. It will help you listen to new music, if necessary. Rock, even better. Then support your favorite artists by going to their concerts, and do not leave without buying some merch; it is where they make their real money. And remember to share their music; this is something anyone can do! See you next time, and Happy International Rock’n’roll Day!

@andreasombrosa