Thomas Campbell's Rock n Roll Reflections
The main idea from “The History of Rock and Roll� DVD is how Rock and Roll and sexuality brought about a revolutionary change to America’s society after World War Two. The three main artists that were discussed include Elvis, The Beatles, and Bob Dylan. These three music artists had unique differences in the importance to changes to sexuality in America. The artist’s uniqueness was the key to their success. Elvis and The Beatles were considered sex symbols known for their love and affection in their lyrics, however Bob Dylan was not a sex symbol but known for his exceptional lyrics that were politically motivated. Both Elvis and The Beatles were new and exciting which emphasized the changing roles of women, however the sexuality of the singers played a large part in the parents disapproval of the artists music, due to their fear of change. A great example of this is “Beatlemania�. Ehrenrich et al believe that Beatlemania “was the first and most dramatic uprising of women’s sexual revolution� (pp. 524). The Beatles long shaggy hair cuts, their English accents, and sense of humor was something new and exciting for the teenage girls. The Beatles changed the style of the American fashion sense from clean haircuts to the longer haircuts, as the teenage girls fell in love with The Beatles. Elvis also changed the roles of women through the sexuality of his gyrating dance movements and boyish American good looks. Elvis helped change the music genre of the time to Rock and Roll through his attractiveness as the girls loved him. His dance moves were new and exciting, which also played a huge part in teenage girls parents disapproval of his sex appeal. Parents were afraid of change, and believed that these sexual movements were inappropriate, which lead to the parent’s belief that their daughters were rebellious. Bob Dylan was different as his more political voice was not so appealing to young females. He also was not as attractive as The Beatles, and Elvis. Dylan instead used his lyrics to spread his message to his fans. Overall Bob Dylan, The Beatles and Elvis had a different way to bring about a revolutionary change in Rock and Roll within America’s society.