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Rock And Roll Music's Influence On Popular Culture

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Popular culture can be defined as the perspectives, attitudes, ideas and images that are a part of the mainstream of a particular culture. One of the many forms of popular culture is rock ‘n’ roll music, which can be responsible for starting new trends and influencing popular culture across separate groups within a society. Rock ‘n’ roll is also a way for individuals to influence society. Throughout history, artists and bands have often spread political messages and awareness of social and environmental issues through their music and lyrics. An example of a rock ‘n’ roll band which has used their music to spread their own political messages is an Australian band, Midnight Oil, who are one of Australia’s most famous and iconic rock bands.

Midnight Oil was formed in 1976, however the original members, Rob Hirst (drummer), Andrew James (bass) and Jim Moginie (keyboard/lead guitarist) formed a band called Farm in 1972. In 1975, Hirst advertised a position for a lead singer for Farm in the Sydney Morning Herald; Peter Garrett auditioned and was successful in joining the band. Shortly after joining the band, Garrett shaved his head, adding a visual element to the band that became the …show more content…

This has impacted the growth, evolution and accessibility of popular culture. With technology evolving, the nature of media has changed allowing for a wider range of artists and bands to be easily accessed. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, rock ‘n’ roll music was produced on vinyl albums and sold in record stores making it slower and often limited to access. Fans could go see the band live at concerts as well as listen on the radio. The 1980s saw the rise of MTV and music videos, and bands began to focus on the visual elements of their performance. This visual element also allowed bands such as Midnight Oil to further illustrate their political messages through powerful

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