Parents were not so happy though. The music’s burst of popularity was mostly a symptom of the generation gap, but many parents put the full blame on rock and roll. Many saw rock with its rebellious tone, sexual lyrics, energy and faster and harder beat as subversive and a threat to the suburban way of life. It was often thought “evil”, “garbage” and was sometimes called “the devils music”. Teens would still not give up rock and roll despite their parent’s disapproval and this helped increase the generation gap. The more infamous the music became, the more popular it became, especially when used as a tool of rebellion. This kind of behavior is reflected throughout history especially in recent decades. The reason why such things as the Kenneth Star Report or books banned by the library for example, receive so much attention and readers time is because of the controversy surrounding them.

Punk rock was a reaction to the extravagance of Seventies. It shunned the electronic beats of disco and used real instruments and shunned “real rock and roll” and looked down up guitar solos and musical complexity. Punk first hit the mainstream in the form of the UK’s Sex Pistols, so sometimes punk is called “The Second British Invasion” even though punk probably came from New York. Punk was the music of social and class rebellion. Also “true punks” would dress and style themselves as such, with ripped pants, leather jackets, Mohawks, hair dye and safety pins(which at the time were preferred over patches, because patches were “for the upper class”). Punk is akin to Reggae, a Jamaican form of music, in that both have social and political messages in their lyrics and both are made by oppressed people (or at least thinking they are). Punk has become it’s own hypocrisy though, they are many elitists in the scene claiming to be more punk than others and this has of course caused problems. Eventually the message of punk watered down, it became commercialized and became accepted by the class it rebelled against.

Another important musical for of the Seventies is heavy metal. Heavy Metal musically is derived from the psychedelic sound of late Sixties rock stars such as Jimmy Hendrix. The bands that “invented” metal were Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin, but whom for certain of the two is still in dispute today. Metal has often gotten a bad reputation throughout its history, sometimes labeled “satanic”(some forms of metal are, at least in lyrical content) “sexist”, “violent” and has even been blamed for some suicides and murders. Eventually music became more extravagant onstage as well, make up and special effects were not uncommon for the likes of Elton John and Kiss.

“A pop explosion is an irresistible cultural upheaval that cut’s across lines of race and class (in terms of sources, if not allegiance), and, most crucially, divides itself by age. The surface of daily life (walk, talk, dress, symbolism, family affairs, and heroes) is affected with such force that deep and substantive changes in the way large numbers of people think and act take place. Pop explosions must link up with and accelerate, broad shifts for sexual behavior, economic aspirations and political beliefs.”

After World War Two, the United States came out the most prosperous nation in the world and veterans of the war were coming back in the thousands to start a new life. New families started up all around the nation causing a growth spurt in population known as the ‘Baby Boom’ and many of these families moved to communities on the outskirts of the cities known as suburbs. These suburbs consisted of a house for each family complete with a yard, driveway and garage, as well as clean air and plenty of space for the kids to play. It was in other words the perfect place to raise a family. The design of the suburbs themselves promoted a lot of sameness and “conformity”. For example

Some topics in this essay:
Vietnam War, , Promised Land, Stafford October, Run DMC, Rock Roll, World War, Marilyn Manson, Greil Marcus, Reggae Jamaican, rock roll, rock music, form music, gangster rap, lyrical content, move cities, world war, 2 7 8, sixties rock, 7 8, it’s self cultural, racial discrimination, self cultural mirror, world war teens, youths rock roll,