This paper will be concerned with the effects of rock and roll on society. Throughout its history, rock and roll music has had a profound impact on its fans. In addition to providing a source of entertainment, rock and roll provides its fans with a particular, identifiable fashion. This fashion, which undergoes changes with each passing generation, provides a unique identity and lifestyle for its adherents. From the origins of rock and roll in the 1950's, this fashion has evolved through a variety of movements, including folk rock, acid rock, punk rock, heavy metal, and rap. In each of these movements, however, it can be seen that the prevailing style of rock and roll music and fashion has always had a powerful influence on the youth of the time. In this regard, it has been noted that rock and roll music "acts as an acute and often liberating expression of generation-wide feelings and emotions."'
In fact, the birth of rock and roll itself had its roots in the expression of a generation of youth. In the years following the Second World War, studies found that there were more teenagers in America than ever before. This increase in the youth population was attributed to a "baby boom," or an abnormal increase in births. In addition to the increase in numbers of teenagers, it was found that the
"'History of Rock," The Marshall Cavendish Illustrated -History of Popular Music, Volume I, Ashley Brown, ed. (Freeport, N.Y.: Marshall Cavendish, 1989), 2.
youth of America had also become more affluent than ever before.2 By the early 1950's, it was obvious that there was a distinct market composed of teenagers who had money to spend on such things as movies and records. At the same time, however, it was apparent that those teenagers had also rejected the styles of pop music which their parents had en]oyed. Sociologists and music executives alike began to realize that the normal process of growing up involves a certain degree ...