Abstract

    Rock and roll in the United States in the 1960s is not only a form of music, but also a cultural phenomenon. It reflects the young generation’s notions of life, attitudes to life, ways of life, the spirit of the times and values. This paper aims to explore the significance of rock and roll on American society in the 1960s through historical background, its characteristics and comes to the conclusion that rock and roll in the United States in the 1960s is a flower on the ruins, a music of the soul.

Key words: rock and roll, American society, 1960s，counter-culture

摘 要

  美国1960年代的摇滚乐已然不只是一种音乐形式，更是一种文化现象。它反映了当时的年轻人的生活理念、生活态度、生活方式，时代精神和价值观。本文旨在从摇滚产生的时代背景、摇滚表现形式分析了1960年代摇滚乐对美国社会的深刻影响，从而得出美国1960年代的摇滚是一朵废墟之花，灵魂之乐。

关键词：摇滚；美国社会；1960年代；反文化

1.    Introduction
    Rock and roll, a genre of popular music, originated and evolved in the U.S. during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music. The phrase “rocking and rolling” originally described the movement of a ship on the ocean, but was used by the early twentieth century, both to describe the spiritual fervor of black church rituals and as a sexual analogy (Wikipedia). In 1951, it became famous in a nationally known radio program in Cleveland in Ohio. It is Alan Freed, the father of rock and roll, that completed such a revolutionary change and introduced “rock and roll” to the whole world. Rock and roll is quite different from other music that you have listened to. It is generic term of a huge and colorful music system, a symbol mark of a new kind of music formed in new times. So many styles it has, for instance, hard and soft rock, acid rock, art rock, punk rock, folk rock, heavy metal, which inject vigor and flexibility. Rock music, which now is a highly popular type of music, was involved in the small, counter-cultural circle in the unique social circumstance in the sixties. Behind the birth and apex of it lies a long story about that zealous period. It is not only a combination of yells, long hair, electric guitar, the crisp drumming. It fights for passion, freedom and reason, which are not accepted by lots of musicians at that time, or even today. To put it in this way, rock and roll comes into being among severe ethnic and social conflicts and it itself is an ambiguous concept; however, the fact is, wherever it goes, it will cause quite an uproar.