It was 1954 when Bill Haley and his Comets recorded the celebrated "Rock Around the Clock ," a 12-bar blues that, according to numerous music critics, marked the birth of rock 'n' roll in the United States. The birth of this new music can be traced back to the States due to the confluence of different genres present there: African-American music such as the blues and the influences of country music, understood as rural music, dominated in a strong cross-pollination that has always characterized America, a land born from the mixing of heterogeneous races and cultures. In this mix of "white" and "black" music, exactly one year later, the King of rock 'n' roll made his debut: Elvis Presley.
One of the most celebrated singers of the twentieth century, considered a true cultural icon and a source of inspiration for many musicians and performers who followed him. Young, handsome, and provocative, he exerted a notable influence on the conformist American culture of the 1950s, aiding a strong wave of consumerist affluence that enabled the rapid rise of the rocker with the greased quiff.
Understanding the facts
To illustrate sociologicamente la rock music and the success of Elvis Presley must be analyzed through the interaction of the historical-social context, the artist's individual talent, the role of the mass media, the strategies of the cultural industry, and finally, public reception. The English sociologist Iain Chambers He tells that at the end of the 1930s a fierce commercial conflict broke out between American radio stations and music publishers, caused by the latter's increase in copyright fees, in an attempt to curb the growing success of radio.
To combat the publishers, radio stations responded by forming their own rights-control organizations, but were forced to play music outside of that managed by the publishers, opening the doors to blues (once labeled " race music" due to its influences from African-American culture) and country. Among the listeners of these new radio programs was the young Presley, who, along with many other listeners, formed a new segment of the public highly attracted to the consumer industry.
It was precisely in the figure of young people that a different type of consumer was identified who, taking advantage of the greater economic availability of the period, could gain access to a specific market, made up of clothes, records and magazines that increased their free time, no longer seen as the aim of enriching the Adornian pastime, but as "raw material of personal existence, the most significant context in which we have the possibility of affirming our self ." In this social space, young people were the protagonists of specific lifestyles , often profoundly different from the adult world, decreeing the success of rock 'n' roll, which with its lyrics became a tool of symbolic representation of youth.
The Rise of Rock 'n' Roll
The rise of rock 'n' roll also cemented Elvis's artistic career, starting with his self-titled debut album, which became a record-breaking album, selling over a million copies and staying on the American charts for a total of 49 weeks. This allowed him, that same year, to perform numerous concerts in major American theaters and make several television appearances on the most popular entertainment shows.
Despite his great achievements, conservative American society frowned upon "a white man doing black things," something that certainly wasn't welcomed by music critics and the public either, still attached to Christian-Methodist country and gospel music, which, unlike the more risqué and allusive themes explored by rock 'n' roll, mostly dealt with religious faith and dedication to one's country. All this led to outright attacks by critics against the singer and his music, aiming to restore order to radio stations' programming and the easily subjugated youth culture. The first and most striking incident, which gave rise to widespread criticism, was his appearance on the Milton Berle Show in June 1956.
The Case of the Milton Berle Show
Hollywood actor and host Milton Berle's show was the most-watched variety show on American television since its debut in 1948. That evening's set list included Elvis Presley's performance of the famous "Hound Dog ." During that performance, the Memphis singer unrestrained his trademark dance moves, fueling the euphoria of his fans in the studio.
The following day, the reaction to the performance was almost uniformly negative. His appearance on the Milton Berle Show caused a strong uproar in public opinion, which led to Elvis being labeled a dangerous depraved individual, responsible for the delinquency of many young Americans. Numerous Catholic organizations, scandalized by both his "mad" rhythm and the wild movements he exhibited during his performances, began to persecute him, making him the target of a harsh and violent smear campaign.
Adorno and vulgarity
Elvis Presley's moves and dances were labeled obscene and vulgar by a segment of the public not yet fully ready for a genre considered too premature to take over the music scene. Theodor W. Adorno speaks of the concept of vulgarity as a crucial aspect of pop music, a type of vulgarity that has social roots and is "relentlessly controlled so as not to hinder the saleability of the product."
According to the German philosopher, the vulgarity of music degrades the artist and identifies him with degradation itself through the use of catchphrases such as lack of spirituality and unbridled sensuality. This concept also leads to degradation in the listener of such music. The analysis proposed by sociologists Simon Frith and Richard Middleton is different, and they focused their analysis on a category previously illustrated in this paragraph: teenagers.
Teenagers and the music market
This category, already socially recognized a decade earlier, represented for British sociologists the true protagonists of rock 'n' roll. Their mania for unbridled consumption, justified by their lack of obligations (especially after the end of compulsory military service), instilled fear in old-fashioned society due to their lack of values.
Youth experts, teachers, and young workers were concerned about the consequences of this state of affairs. Conservative circles criticized young people's individualistic hedonism and lack of public and collective sentiment. […] For the media, the real problem was not so much the banality of teenagers' lives, but their apparent predisposition to sex and violence. The fear of a world of young people permeable to the interests of the adult world and dominated by group norms of behavior has been widespread at least since the beginning of the century.
Breakthrough music
These were the main factors that, according to Frith, influenced rock 'n' roll groups of the time (including Elvis), in writing lyrics that closely matched the attitude of young American rebels, characterized by teenage love, wild parties, and fancy cars. For Middleton, rock 'n' roll represented a revolutionary music, unlike any other genre that had come before it. Its distinctive feature was precisely its strong connection with the lower-middle class of American society: the working class and young people inspired singers who integrated the various aspects of life—sex and religion, mind and body, work and leisure, pleasure and suffering—into their songs.
The role of the music industry in this sector is nothing short of fundamental in the leveling of artists. Just think of Elvis himself, who in the space of a few years went from rebellious myth to patriotic and reactionary icon, highlighting, according to Frith, the "usual cliché" of successful rock music: "Despite its various versions, the plot is always the same: a development of creativity (on the part of artists, audiences, locations, subcultures) followed by the control and rigidity of the record companies." In this situation, the more importance and decision-making power the record company has over the smaller record labels, the more the "commercial" product of the moment will suffer significant cuts and censorship of its work , with the most sought-after promise by the artist : fame.
Richard Cilli
BIBLIOGRAPHY
- TW Adorno, Introduction to the sociology of music (1962), Einaudi, Turin 2002.
- I. Chambers, Urban Rhythms: Pop Music and Popular Culture (1985), Meltemi, Milan 2018.
- S. Frith, Sociology of Rock (1978), Feltrinelli, Milan 1982.
- R. Middleton, Studying popular music (1990), Feltrinelli, Milan 1994.
