I don’t think I
realized how hard it would be portray the movement of rock and roll in just ten
songs, until I tried. Queen, Jimi Hendrix, Nirvana—the list of those who have
tremendously impacted the genre goes on and on. However, for the sake of
honoring that “Top Ten” constraint, here is a compilation of songs I feel
highlight some of the best moments of rock and roll! Enjoy!
1954: Billy Haley and
His Comets’ rendition of Rock around the Clock marks the critical period when
rock and roll finally pushed its way into mainstream American culture. The
first of Haley’s songs to hit the top of the Pop charts, Rock around the Clock
was a key contributor to rock and roll’s explosive popularity across the globe.
The song was especially well-received by the younger generations of the 1950’s.
(For fear of belittling Billy Haley and His Comets, I’m hesitant to compare the
song to a teen-obsession like “Call me Maybe” or “You Don’t Know You’re
Beautiful.”) Nonetheless, the song’s impact on American youth was tremendous,
becoming an anthem of the time.
1956: Inducted into
the Grammy Hall of Fame and ranked #45 on The Rolling Stone Magazine’s 500
Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll, Heartbreak Hotel by Elvis Presley changed the
early sounds of the genre. The song incorporates an eight-bar blues progression
and exemplifies Presley’s unique style. His southern twang and vibrato-infused
vocals mixes into the music, resulting in this great, echoing sound that people
now associate with Presley. Regular performances of big hits like Heartbreak
Hotel helped glorify Elvis, as the King of Rock and Roll.
1958: No curation of
Rock and Roll would be complete without including something by Chuck Berry.
Commended by The Rolling Stone Magazine for his guitar-driven melodies, Berry
shaped the sound of rock and roll with his blues-style picking and upbeat
rhythm. His chart-topping hit Sweet Little Sixteen encompasses key elements
that made rock and roll an early, musical phenomenon. Catchy lyrics, a lively
tempo, guitar riffs—who wouldn’t tap their foot to a beat like this? The song
also proved to be extremely influential on later rock and roll super stars. In
fact…listen closely and you’ll realize that the melody is pretty similar to a
certain Beach Boys song… any ideas which one? If not, the tune will definitely
ring a bell soon!
1963: Up until this
point, the Beatles had proven extremely successful in the British music
industry. With the release of I Want to Hold Your Hand, however, the British
rock band broke into the American market. Catchy tunes with bold instrumentals
helped turn “Beatle-mania” into rock and roll’s next biggest phenomenon. Songs
like this and the well-acclaimed Hey Jude not only popularized the Beatles in
the 1960’s, but contributed to the band’s legacy as THE timeless identity of
rock and roll.
1965: Over 6 minutes
long, Like a Rolling Stone by Bob Dylan wasn’t even released to the public ears
of rock and roll until a month after its recording. Thank goodness the song was
eventually leaked, though, because it ended up becoming a really influential
piece in the genre’s modern age. Many rockers would later cover the song, and
Bob Dylan, himself, considered it to be the highest point of his career.
Dylan’s compelling lyrics and that famous organ riff—just two of the many
elements that contributed to the song’s revolutionary appeal during the
post-war era. Today, ranked as #1 on The Rolling Stone Magazine’s 500 Best
Songs of All Time, Like a Rolling Stone represents a big cultural milestone in
popular music.
1965: I had to include
something from the Rolling Stones. Yes, part of the reason was because they
have an internationally acclaimed magazine named after them…but more than that,
the band’s ability to reach out and engage America’s younger generations marks
a pivotal point in rock and roll history. Bands began using their music as a
weapon against the world’s greatest problems, and no band was more successful
at doing so than the Rolling Stones. Bringing back the blues of black musicians
and rebelliously singing about sexual subject matter, the Rolling Stones
reacted to discontentment of the times. In the midst of the civil rights and
women’s movements, the explosive music and provocative lyrics of Satisfaction
was well-received. Probably their most well-known song, today, Satisfaction by
the Rolling Stones ranks as the second best song of all time (second only to
Bob Dylan’s Like a Rolling Stone).
1966: When we think
Beach Boys, the first song that may come to mind is Surfin’ USA, one of the
California band’s earliest hits. (To answer that previous question, this was
the song that “borrowed” the melody of Chuck Berry’s Sweet
Little Sixteen.) However, the Beach Boys were known for much more than their summertime tunes. Often referred to as the Beach Boys' “pocket symphony”, Good Vibrations
demonstrates the band’s innovation in musical arrangement and
their signature vocal harmonies. It is
one of rock and roll’s big successes in the 60’s age of psychedelic pop.
1970: The
guitar-driven melody and husky vocals of Eric Clapton’s Layla helped usher in a
softer side of rock and roll. Originally released by Clapton’s band, Derek and
the Dominos, the song was not well received in the 1970’s. However, in the
following decades, Layla gained enormous acclaim—definitively becoming the best
known love song in the history of rock and roll. Inspired by Eric Clapton’s
love affair with Pattie Boyd (former wife of George Harrison from The Beatles),
the acoustic, unplugged version ranks as #27 on the Rolling Stones Magazine’s
list of “500 Greatest Songs of All Time” and earned Clapton a Grammy for Best
Rock Song in 1993.
1971: Led Zeppelin’s
Stairway to Heaven is one of those dynamic songs that keeps you on your toes.
Over the course of 8 minutes, the English band progresses through an acoustic
folk feel, to an electric sound, all the way to a bold finale of hard rock; each section brings something amazing to an audience’s ears. Stairway to
Heaven took a few years to gain anthem-status in the US and UK, but even today,
the song has made a lasting impression on rock and rollers, worldwide. Not a huge rock-junkie myself, I admit that
this song is the first that comes to mind when I think Led Zeppelin. I started
the clip from the end of Jimmy Page’s phenomenal 4-minute guitar solo during
the song, as it is widely considered one of the best all time.
1975: Bruce
Springsteen played a huge role in revitalizing rock and roll. He sought to
embody the energy and vibrancy that had characterized the music of early stars
like Elvis Presley and Chuck Berry. The title song of his third album, Born to
Run, captured the rebellious attitude of the 1970’s, infusing a sense of
liberation and exhilaration into the genre of rock. The song is especially
demonstrative of Springsteen’s break from the conventional organization of
rock. He and his band incorporate multiple instruments to create this rich,
overpowering sound that proved extremely appealing to the disillusioned
audience of the time.
That concludes my
curation of the Ten Biggest Moments of Rock and Roll. Feel free to comment or
add to the list!
