SYLLABUS FOCUS:
1) Developments in popular culture in post-war Australia and their impact on society, including the introduction of television and rock 'n' roll
Student Outcomes:
- explain ways in which Australia in the 1950s was influenced by American culture
- assess the way American and British music influenced post-war Australian entertainment, such as rock 'n' roll
1) Developments in popular culture in post-war Australia and their impact on society, including the introduction of television and rock 'n' roll
Student Outcomes:
- explain ways in which Australia in the 1950s was influenced by American culture
- assess the way American and British music influenced post-war Australian entertainment, such as rock 'n' roll
ROCK 'N' ROLL
Rock ‘n’ Roll
Rock ‘n’ roll is a genre of music that originated from the United States of America. Incorporating aspects of the African American music genres of Jazz and Blues, and western country music, Rock ‘n’ roll officially came to life as a distinctive musical genre during the early 1950s - it was essentially jazz and blues rebranded for a white audience. Whilst Rock ‘n’ roll originated in America, due to the globalisation of commerce and entertainment, over the decades rock ‘n’ roll (know generally known as ‘rock music’) has become a global sensation.
Early forms of rock ‘n’ roll in the 1940s were characterised by Vocals and a lead instrument such as the piano, guitar or saxophones accompanied by a blues beat, however, by the 1950s there was a heavy emphasis on the guitar as the lead instrument. Furthermore, rock 'n' roll was also characterised by an animated perfomance - rock 'n' roll performers would often move their bodies and dance while playing (Woollacott et al., 2013).
Rock ‘n’ roll is a genre of music that originated from the United States of America. Incorporating aspects of the African American music genres of Jazz and Blues, and western country music, Rock ‘n’ roll officially came to life as a distinctive musical genre during the early 1950s - it was essentially jazz and blues rebranded for a white audience. Whilst Rock ‘n’ roll originated in America, due to the globalisation of commerce and entertainment, over the decades rock ‘n’ roll (know generally known as ‘rock music’) has become a global sensation.
Early forms of rock ‘n’ roll in the 1940s were characterised by Vocals and a lead instrument such as the piano, guitar or saxophones accompanied by a blues beat, however, by the 1950s there was a heavy emphasis on the guitar as the lead instrument. Furthermore, rock 'n' roll was also characterised by an animated perfomance - rock 'n' roll performers would often move their bodies and dance while playing (Woollacott et al., 2013).
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TASK 1 - Listen to the two songs above, Chuck Berry's 'Johnny B. Goode' and Bill Haley's 'Rip it Up' and answer the following questions.
1) How do the songs make you feel? If they give you an emotional response, describe it.
2) How would you describe the cultural values in the songs lyrics? (think about of what kind of behaviours and ideas the music promotes)
3) Do you think these values were traditional at the time?
After you have answered these questions, compare your answer with the person next to you. Take notes of similarities and differences between you and your peer’s answers and discuss how you came to your answer.
1) How do the songs make you feel? If they give you an emotional response, describe it.
2) How would you describe the cultural values in the songs lyrics? (think about of what kind of behaviours and ideas the music promotes)
3) Do you think these values were traditional at the time?
After you have answered these questions, compare your answer with the person next to you. Take notes of similarities and differences between you and your peer’s answers and discuss how you came to your answer.
Rock 'n' Roll's Impact on Australia
Rock 'n' roll arrived in Australia during the mid 1950s and divided Australia more than any other prior cultural force. This division was largely generational. Young people embraced rock 'n' roll whilst adults reacted as if rock 'n' roll risked destroying the fabric of Australian society, the 'Australian way of life'. rock 'n' roll was condemned as the 'devil's music' by a large portion of Australia's Christian community and was also regarded as the soundtrack of rebellion. Many Australian radio stations had also banned the broadcasting of rock 'n' roll. A large portion of the anxiety surrounding rock 'n' roll was fuelled around the emerging concept of the 'teen', a new type of rebellious working class youth (Woollacott et al., 2013).
Compared to previous forms of music, Rock 'n' roll was very upbeat, and the animated performance of rock 'n' roll artists made people want to dance. A lot of teens loved rock 'n' roll for the aforementioned reasons, however, some just liked it cause adults hated it - for these teens, rock 'n' roll was a form of counter-culture (a type of culture in opposition with mainstream culture). Rock 'n' roll was often played at milk bars and dance halls, locations were teenagers met often and as a result these venues were stigmatised as the source of rising juvenile delinquency. At concert halls, crowds were often frenzied by the need to dance and would attempt to climb the concert stage - this was the case during the first live American rock 'n' roll concert in Australia in January 1957, when Bill Haley and the Comets played in Newcastle (Woollacott et al., 2013).
The negative reception of rock 'n' roll by Australian adults can be understood as a 'moral panic' - an unjustified and exaggerated reaction to an event. The event in this case was rock 'n' roll and the concept of the 'teenager'. Politicians and Police were called upon by the public to deal with the threat of teenagers harshly due to the anti-social behaviour of a small number of youths. the moral panic that surrounded rock 'n' roll in the 1950s was similar to the reception rhythmic and danceable ragtime music had received in the 1890s. And just as ragtime music had become an accepted part of Australian popular culture at the start of the 20th century, rock 'n' roll became more accepted as a legitimate aspect of Australian popular culture as the decades passed. By the 1980s Australia became producer of its own style of rock 'n' roll that was exported across the globe (Module 4 will focus on this).
During the 1950s, with the introduction of rock 'n' roll, There was a noticeable generational gap between teens and adults. Whilst there have always been generational gap, the generational gap between teens and adults were particularly significant as teens were seen as an economic group and a valuable new market for music, fashion and other fads. The word teenager itself first appeared in Australia in 1949, when advertisers used it to sell records, clothing and magazines to young people. By the 1960s, Australia was manufacturing between 600, 000 - 700,000 records monthly and teenagers were the record / music industry's biggest growing market (Education Services Australia, n.d)
The British Invasion
It wasn't Just American rock 'n' roll that took Australia by storm, during the mid 1960s, British rock 'n' roll gained popularity in both Australia and America. This phenomena was referred to as the 'British Invasion'. With the emergence of bands like the Rolling Stones, The Beatles, The Who, The Kinks and The Animals in the 1960s, Britain established itself as a viable producer and exporter of rock 'n' roll. Furthermore, the style offered by British rock 'n' roll was unique - it did not draw heavily upon american white country music, rather, it originated a mix of skiffle (improvised jazz and blues) and Celtic folk. In 1964, The Beatles visited Australia during their world tour and massive of crowds, thousands upon thousands of Australians, gathered wherever they went. Not too long after, in 1965 The Rolling Stones visited Australia on their 'Far East Tour', they were greeted with a similar reception.
A more thorough look at the 'British Invasion' can be found here
https://www.britannica.com/event/British-Invasion
TASK 2 - Answer the following questions in your exercise book
1) were the cultural values you described in the songs of task 1 similar or different from the values some Australians in the 1950s claimed that rock 'n' roll possessed (e.g. Rebellion / Satanism)? If so, how were they similar or different?
2) explain why was rock 'n' roll so popular in Australia.
3) do you think there is a similar moral panic around a certain genre of music today that parallels the moral panic around rock 'n' roll in the 1950s?
1) were the cultural values you described in the songs of task 1 similar or different from the values some Australians in the 1950s claimed that rock 'n' roll possessed (e.g. Rebellion / Satanism)? If so, how were they similar or different?
2) explain why was rock 'n' roll so popular in Australia.
3) do you think there is a similar moral panic around a certain genre of music today that parallels the moral panic around rock 'n' roll in the 1950s?
TASK 3 - Visit the following URL, watch the interview with Germaine Greer, and answer the questions in your exercise book
http://splash.abc.net.au/home#!/media/521111/germaine-greer-on-rock-culture
1) were Australian rock ‘n’ roll fans a homogenous group consisting of a single type of person?
TASK 4 – RESEARCH TASK
In groups of 2, using the internet, research a British or American rock ‘n’ roll band from the 1950s - 70s and answer the following questions:
Did this band perform in Australia?
was their music sold in Australia?
How popular was this band in Australia? justify your answer with the use of sources.
After you have finished researching find another group and share your answers with them
In groups of 2, using the internet, research a British or American rock ‘n’ roll band from the 1950s - 70s and answer the following questions:
Did this band perform in Australia?
was their music sold in Australia?
How popular was this band in Australia? justify your answer with the use of sources.
After you have finished researching find another group and share your answers with them
REFERENCES
Woollacott, A., Butler, H., Gregory, J., Malone, R., Evans, R., & Webb, K. (2013).History NSW Syllabus for the Australian Curriculum Year 10 Stage 5. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Author - Educational Services Australia (no date)
http://splash.abc.net.au/home#!/digibook/618362/popular-culture-in-post-war-australia
Woollacott, A., Butler, H., Gregory, J., Malone, R., Evans, R., & Webb, K. (2013).History NSW Syllabus for the Australian Curriculum Year 10 Stage 5. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Author - Educational Services Australia (no date)
http://splash.abc.net.au/home#!/digibook/618362/popular-culture-in-post-war-australia