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Analysis Of All Shook Up: How Rock And Roll Changed America

Decent Essays

The book All Shook Up: How Rock ‘n’ Roll Changed America is an analysis on how the music rock’n’roll has changed America. This book focuses on the culture of the music from then time period of 1945 to about 1963. In the paper I will show how the rock’n’roll made a large influence on the culture during the 1950s. In the early parts of the books Altschuler develops the concept of rock’n’roll by saying “…rock’n’roll was a social construction and not a musical conception” (23). During this time period of the fifties culture was deemed as more important than what it used to be. Because of the fact that the baby boom had just occurred there was a surplus amount of teenager that were coming up, especially in the middles class. There was more exploration …show more content…

In the novel Altschuler makes a very profound statement at the beginning of the third chapter by saying, “…rock’n’roll became the focal point for anxiety that cultural life in the US had become sexualized and teenagers addicted to the pleasures of the body” (67). The music during this time had a beat that was up tempo and kept a crowd on their feet. For example Elvis Presley was just coming out during this time, Elvis was considered to be a “hood” or a juvenile delinquent. Most of his music he said was inspired by African American music. Elvis was considered something new, when he got on stage he let the music control him. As he was singing he do these jittering movement with his legs and the more he moved his pelvis the louder he crowd became. Many parents felt as if this music was undermining their authority with their children. In the novel Altschuler quotes the critics by saying “The music rarely endorsed sex outside of established relationships” (67). Although some of the music lyrics were questionable there were figures such as Dick Clark from American bandstand and Pat Boone who provided a clean image for the youth. Both of these men did not like what the culture was becoming so they tried to become more on a teens level by telling them to fight urges and live in the correct godly

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