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Victoria Aldecocea
Ashley Rea
ENC 2135
27 June 2016
Rock Still Rolls Our World
Out the cubicle window, its a sunny Friday, the clock hits 5:00 and the weekend
officially greets you. The bulky keys of your 1972 convertible Ferrari 365 weigh down your
bellbottom jeans that even your chunky chain belt cannot hold, but its the 70s, so fashion before
comfort. After jiggling and wiggling the key for minutes, you hear that engine and the bass
guitar, drums and vocals of the Eagles. Take It Easy is the perfect song to start the weekend
while driving down the Pacific Coast Highway. The genre of rock has molded music and
American culture as we know it in today. In the 1950s African-American music, like blues and
gospel had an upbeat, fast paced rhythm that inspired the beginnings of rock music (Brody 80) .
As the rock genre gained popularity, stars like Elvis Presley emerged into stardom. Rock
instantly became the cool sound for teens and young adults across the United States. Ripped-jean
rock stars became icons in American society and their wild, rebellious nature influenced their
audience of youngsters. Teenagers love rebellion and individuality which they could find in these
rock stars and their music. In the beginning era of rock, the older generation listened to jazz with
pianos, soft instruments, but rock was the opposite of what the older people liked. In the 1970s
drugs and sex seeped into the lyrics of many rock hits. The confusion and curiosity of the rock
audience and the lyrics being preached to them gave the genre a bad reputation with parents and
older generation adults that were used to the sweet, soft sounds of jazz and classical music.
Rock and roll is loud, rowdy, and all the rage.

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The boom and success of the rock genre is the product of the mass support from the
audience of teens and young adults. In the 70s, music seeped into the average teens everyday
life. Music was not just heard at a restaurant, social gathering or the afternoon radio, but at home,
the gym and soon TV. The youth wanted records, they wanted to go to live concerts to see the
rockers they obsessed over. Music became a popular commodity and it began with the rock
audience. The values of the discourse community of the primarily youth audience that followed
rock music were to have fun, have peace and dont need nothing, but a good time. Rock music
pumped the crowd up, made people want to dance, sing loud and party together which was
exactly what the young audience wanted. Fitness was a big part of the lives of young people
when rock was extremely popular and the beats were perfect to pump iron or do the elliptical to.
The rock genre was popularly listened to on the radio (mode) and the medium would be digital
since the powerful lyrics played on records. Also, rock made outrageously loud concerts a
popular form of entertainment, to gather with fellow Van Halen or Twisted Sister lovers and be
face to face listening to the crazy rock stars. The rock culture brought the people together.
Concerts have an unreal and addictive energy. The anticipation to see the rock legends
you love like the Rolling Stones, slowly emerge from the stage floor as Start Me Up beat
fades, it is electrifying. I love rock music. Rock rolled into my ears and soul from infancy.
Although I am not from the 70s, my parents took me back in time by exposing the music of their
time, rock. The rock stars I love have about forty or fifty years on me, so I would not consider
them to be current heartthrobs for the average millennial girl, but their music footprint takes us
back to Mick Jaggers sexy days. Rock hits from the 70s and 80s still make an imprint on
modern society today, which adds to my love of the genre. The music rocked so much then, that
we still hear it and love it now. When rock first found its place in music, some could never

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imagine how popular the genre still is today. Distorted guitars, drums, deep bass and stellar
vocals are the main ingredients to a hot rock single. The rock genre has a powerhouse, a
powerhouse of instruments. Voice aside, just listening to a solo on the electric guitar and the
drums raising your heartbeat, rock makes the people feel alive. Journeys song Dont Stop
Believing made the 2009 TV show Glee the modern day hit it is today. The passion of the
instruments perfectly sounding together, and the sweet love story gives me goosebumps every
time. Everyone knows that song, everyone wants to sing along with a hairbrush in their hand to
Journeys top hit, even the people in my generation.
Rock songs are profound in their meaning and message given to the listeners. Rock has
messages of good days and positivity, and when compared to the rap genre, which in certain
songs, the message seems to mostly be about the objectification of women or partying, I prefer
rock. The songs of rock talk about a variety of ideas, events, dreams and stories. The songs
possess depth, because the minds who wrote the lyrics were passionate about what they would be
singing. Songs of rock I believe have different purposes. Some songs are to give advice for
broken hearts, to look at life in a different light, tell a life story or sing about peace and love.
Billy Joels We Didnt Start the Fire is a powerful song with an incredible story. He lists
important historical events and people from 1949 to 1989. In the song, Joel is showing us all of
the things that represent our society; the events and the people. My interpretation of the catchy
chorus We Didnt Start the Fire, it was always burning since the worlds been turning, is that
Joel is saying that we will always have things molding our society, some will be good examples,
some will be bad examples, but it is a fire of our humanity. In my eighth-grade American History
class, my teacher required us each to memorize the four minute Billy Joel hit. Not because the
teacher wanted to hear thirty-one, out of tune preteens with cracking voices sing his favorite

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rocker, but for each of us to learn famous events and people in American History from 1949 to
1989 with a musical touch.
People absorb and retain information they hear, especially if it has a good beat to it. The
type of music and lyrics I listen to is important to me, because I will retain the words and
message I get from the song. Rock has been my ultimate go to and probably has the most stored
lyrics in my mind than any other genre. I do not listen to heavy metal rock for many reasons, one
is that I absolutely hate the sound of someone who is screaming, but is actually supposed to be
singing and two is the instruments used in heavy metal songs are too amplified and exaggerated;
it is an instant headache. To be clear, I love the broad genre of rock, I am not crazy about some of
the sub-genres that fall under rock like heavy metal, but I am crazy about the country rock
subgenre.
In the 70s, the most popular subgenre of rock music was country rock. Country, as a
broad musical genre, is unique to the United States and is a leading, popular genre within the
country. The fusion of these two genres spread to a wider audience than each genre individually
had while adding to the Western culture that the international community recognizes the United
States for. Popular artists of the country rock genre are Bruce Springsteen, the Rolling Stones, as
well as some newer artists like Carrie Underwood and Keith Urban. The top of my list for the
country rock genre is The Eagles with endless hits like, Hotel California, One of These
Nights and Take it Easy. The songs of The Eagles are an ideal representation of the country
rock genre, because of all the conventions each song shares. Of course, the song has the mix up
of all the basic ingredients of rock (vocalist, guitars, drums), but the tone and twang added by the
lead singer and the type of guitars make The Eagles an example of the country rock genre. In
country rock, electric guitars are used but are commonly replaced by acoustic or bass guitars,

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that add natural and authentic sound to the songs. On a Monday night doing homework I will
probably be found in my dorm listening to The Best of the Eagles playlist on Spotify, since the
tunes are soft listening, sweet and positive. I seek positivity in all aspects of my life, I am what
most people would call Happy Gold Lucky Girl and pretty go with the flow. I crave passion,
deep love and life advice; all which are found in The Eagles greatest hits of the 1970s album.
Well Im a-runnin down the road, tryin loosen my load... which directly relates to my life
(Eagles). The transition into college has not been a breeze, distance is affecting my relationships
with friends and family, the workload is intense and I have to start from scratch by making new
friends. This song reminds me every day that I need to appreciate every moment and that life can
get crazy, but sometimes I need to step back and Take it Easy.
In conclusion, the rock genre has impacted the music industry deriving from another
unique genre, African-American blues and gospel. Rock revolutionized the popular music from
the 1950s to today. The genre has left a footprint that still is recognized and listened to by
thousands of people even today. In 2016, many of the favorite pioneer songs of the rock genre
like Take It Easy fall under the sub-genre of Classic Rock because they are the Hall of Fame
rock jams. The discourse community of 70s and 80s youth that fell in love with rock has
continued to pass the genres legacy to the next generation like my parents passed the melodies
to me. Music has an effect on people, it makes people feel. Rock music makes me feel alive
through the power of the guitars and drums, the passionate energy of the vocalist, the messages,
the stories, and the life advice. I have experienced rock music digitally, because most of my
favorite rock stars are 60 or 70 years old and the bands broke up about 30 years ago. Luckily, my
dad had a face to face experiences with The Eagles when they stopped in Miami for their 1977
concert tour. He still remembers the thrill of the crowd and every word the hits that never died.

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Rock still rolls our world, radio stations dedicated to the genre, popular modern movies, our
parents car CDs and our iPods. Whenever it has been a long, humid day in Tallahassee, I will
make sure I take five minutes to lay on Landis Green, look up at the half clear, half dark gray sky
and bust my earphones listening to Take It Easy.

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Works Cited

Brody, James. "Rock and Roll: An Introduction." Google Books. Web. 3 July 2016.
Eagles. Hotel California. Asylum, 1990.
Eagles. One Of These Nights. Asylum Records, 1975.
Eagles. Take It Easy. Asylum Records, 1972.
Joel, Billy. We Didn't Start the Fire. Columbia, 1989.

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