Rock is a genre that has copious amounts of roots and branches. However, the genre would have never grown to be the monster that it is without the music from bands in the 1950s and 1960s. It’s the progressive musical twangs within a song that truly move a genre forward, and the 50s and 60s had a plethora of them; thus, making it the most influential time period for rock music as a whole.
One of the most influential rock artists of the time was the one-and-only, Elvis Presley. Elvis was a man of many musical talents. From rock to blues to gospel - he could do it all, and do it seamlessly under one, cohesive brand. However, what Elvis did that truly influenced the rock genre for years to come was the strategic compositions he recorded. One example is this is his 1956 hit song “Love Me Tender” off of the album Heartbreak Hotel. “Love Me Tender” was originally a retaliation song to Elvis’ live performance of his song “Hound Dog.” When Elvis performed “Hound Dog” live, he was a bit overzealous with his dancing and pelvis thrusts. Elvis’ older audience was not pleased with the sexual nature of the performance; thus, forcing Elvis to make more innocent songs such as “Love Me Tender.”
However that does not diminish musical innovation of the song. If you listen closely, you can hear something incredibly genius in-between the
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The album itself had a unique duality, stylistically, due to to the two separate songwriters in the group, John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Both artists wrote songs for the album, which made it more likable to a wider range of people. Furthermore, the band introduced instruments such as the 12-string guitar, which had a unique twangy sound, on top of their increasingly improved harmonies, lyrics, chord progressions and echos. The album truly broke the barriers of popular rock music at the time, leaving room for others to break the rules even