Today, if we try to count music genres, we can count tens, if we add sub-genres, we can count hundreds. The reason for the emergence of music in so many different types is that it has been in our lives since the first people made rhythm by hitting the stone against the stone. Rock music is one of the music genres that emerged over time with the emergence of different instruments and their playing with different interpretations.
Of course, if we ask what is rock music today, everyone will have a different answer. Because rock music has developed a great deal since its first day, and today it has become a broad umbrella that includes countless sub-genres. We will not enter into an endless debate about which one is real rock, but we will go on a journey through the dusty pages of history and look for answers to questions such as what is rock music, when did it emerge, and how did it come to today.
First, let’s make a basic definition; What is rock music?
Rock music, which first emerged in the United States in the 1940s, has come to be known by this name because, as you can imagine, it is ‘solid as a rock’ music. To make a general definition, the type of music in which electric guitar, bass guitar and drums are played and a vocalist sings is considered in the rock music category.
Of course, that’s just the encyclopedic side of things. Even in its early days, rock music was not such a simple and clear type of music. Each period has been described as variable and unpredictable by music experts. When we look at the history of rock music, we can clearly see how much of a point-blank comment this is.
Slow but solid strides have been made with blues backings:
rock music that emerged at the end of the 1940s; It consisted of the sounds of the guitar in country music, the electric and bass guitar in blues music, and a steady drum rhythm. When we came to the 1950s, rock music as we know it emerged with a style called rock and roll.
It would not be wrong to say that for the rock music we listened to in the 1950s, he relied on classical blues works. You can imagine how offensive and shocking rock music seemed, especially when we consider the conservative conditions of the time. Of course, it had become synonymous with sexual freedom, as it brought about a cultural change.
Rock music didn’t stay underground and quickly stepped into its golden age:
The cultural change created by rock music started to show its effect all over the world, especially in the USA, when we came to the 1960s. Bands like the Rolling Stones were popular during this period, referred to by music writers as the golden age of rock music. Of course you know that era, free sex and drugs.
This emerging cultural environment also influenced other musical groups. In addition to the emergence of many new rock music groups, pop or different types of music began to gradually change their music with rock rhythms. When so many artists made rock music, psychedelic rock, progressive rock, glam rock and metal and heavy metal, which we can call a sub-genre of rock music, emerged.
From the seeds of hippie culture punk sprouted:
The relaxed hippie culture of the 1960s changed by the 1970s. These easygoing guys suddenly got tough, and the hard rock subgenre became commonplace. Led Zeppelin released their toughest songs during this period.
On the other hand, there were bands like Pink Floyd, which had more psychedelic themes and the whole album told a story. Of course, every action has a reaction. Bands like the Sex Pistols and Clash, who even saw Pink Floyd as too hippie, emerged and created the punk genre by making rock music as simple, loud and angry as it could be.
Alternative rock or what?
Rock music, which shook the world in the 1970s, calmed down a bit when we came to the 1980s. Of course, bands like Depeche Mode, who say that punk is not dead, created a post punk style, added keyboard rhythm to the sounds we know and wrote more introverted lyrics. Bands such as REM tried a similar genre and became known as college rock.
College rock, which appeals to a small group, has come to be called alternative rock and indie rock over time, as it offers a different style from mainstream rock music. It was named that way because bands that made this type of music mostly worked with small, independent record companies. Billboard, one of the popular music magazines of the period, also named this genre as modern rock.
Just when rock music was over, it went back to the 90s like a bomb:
Everyone thought that rock was dead because it was post punk, indie, alternative or something. Then in 1991, Nirvana released Nevermind, don’t ask. With the rise of the grunge album, which resembles a combination of hard rock and punk, we started to hear rock music again wherever we turned our ears. The suicide of Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain, on the other hand, shocked everyone in this period.
Of course, rap music emerged during this period and came to correct all known wrongs. Bands such as Limp Bizkit, Staind, Puddle of Mudd have managed to effectively blend mainstream rock music with rap music. Bands such as the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Foo Fighters that emerged during this period were also shouting to the whole world that grunge music was not dead.
Rock music is dead bro:
Rock music was still with us in the 21st century. With the widespread use of the Internet, countless new rock bands have emerged. Even though it seems like a good development, the emergence of such new bands and thus different rock music interpretations has led to countless rumors, especially among old rock music fans, that this music is now over.
Of course, like every period, it gave birth to its own music groups in the 2000s and 2010s. For example, with The Arctic Monkeys, which makes indie rock music, the doors of a new era have opened for many music writers. Today, however, rock music continues to appear, blending with countless different music genres and electronic infrastructures.
We answered the curious questions such as what is rock music, when did it emerge, which changed the music world in a way that would never be the same again. Let’s not be unfair because we are talking about the most popular bands of their era, you can share your favorite rock music group in the comments.
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