Music is an important element in any society. It can be dated back millions of years and has hundreds of genres and sub-genres. Music has always been a way to express feelings like any other art. Listening to music allows the listener to enjoy the feeling of it but also bring meaning out of what they are hearing. During the 20th century social change was happening everywhere. A few specific areas where lots of change happened was in racial and sexual issues and the adolescents of America. These changes were reflected greatly in many aspects of life and unsurprisingly music also. America’s core principle is based around freedom, although not always perfect in the 20th century more and more people were getting freedoms they had not had before. …show more content…
A massive boom in the NAACP to having over half a million members and growing support from all races made living as a Black person much more comfortable. The new genre of music that intrigued a younger audience was Rock and Roll. All kinds of famous musicians played this genre of music like Ray Charles or Ike Turner. Rock and Roll was filled with sexual and adult themes that intregued kids. Teenagers in the 50s were becoming more rebellious and heard Black musicians for the first time. Lots of white parents disapproved of this but that made them want it more. Elvis Presley bridged the gap for Black and White musicians because he was White but sounded Black. White children could listen to Elvis and he led them to explore other Black artists who sounded similar. Elvis Presley also grew rapidly due to the television. More families were getting tvs and amazed to see their favorite singers on. Women also grew to like Elvis because of how attractive he was. Teens angst and rebellion amongst those in the 50s was growing but still had a ways to go later in the 20th …show more content…
Songs also got much more sexual and vulgar as society started to become more open about sensitive topics. Rap quickly became popular amongst Black and White teens alike. Famous songs like “F--- the police” by N.W.A and “Crooked Officers” by the Geto Boys spoke out against police brutality against Black people. Other groups who were gaining a voice in society like the LGBT community also used music to their advantage in songs like “Go West” by the Pet Shop Boys. On top of oppressed groups becoming more bold so did teenagers. Teenagers became more bold and edgy to rebel from the norm and music was taylored around this feeling. Hard Rock became a huge genre with names like Metallica and AC DC that we all know today. Other genres like Grunge also were created for the same reason. The most famous of these bands being