American Music: A Journey Through Classic Rock and Its Evolution

Running head: AMERICAN MUSIC
AMERICAN MUSIC
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1AMERICAN MUSIC
Introduction
The United States of America, land of the free home of the brave, has been a pioneer in
terms of producing music that has taken the world by storm in the last six decades. From
American folk to the African-American rendition of blues and Jazz they have traversed various
realms of sound and emotion to connect with crowds from various ethnic and cultural
backgrounds (Reising, 2017). “Rock ‘n’ Roll” originally coined as a profanity has now evolved
into a culturally accepted form of expression of self. The origins of the idea of rock ‘n’ roll can
be traced to the blues escapades of the legendary Robert Johnson who started the Mississippi
blues scene singlehandedly though over the years American folk and jazz have found their
elements in bits and pieces of classic rock. In order to understand the ideal that rock seeks to
profess one must look at the historical relevance that the movements associated with rock have
(Leonard, 2017). Each movement created and preached its own ideals and each originated from
an idea of rebellion. As rebellious as the message of rock maybe over the years it has managed to
incorporate various pangs of commercialism in its rungs and the same can be attributed to its
eventual downfall at the hands of more crowd-appealing genres of music such as pop or hip-hop.
With the expression taking a backseat in later years, mass appeasement became the main
medium of communication for musicians. Rock however has survived the downfall and is still a
prevalent genre that has a considerable following and a plethora of dedicated artists who are still
making music that caters to this fan base (Perry, 2013). The following paragraphs will list ten
songs from this genre and seek to establish the elements that have changed over the years and the
elements that still remain past its immense metamorphosis over the years.
1. Stairway to heaven

2AMERICAN MUSIC
This song has been synonymous with legendary classic rock from the time of its very
inception. Written by Robert Plant and Jimmy Page from the globally proclaimed “super-group”
Led Zeppelin it captures various elements of jazz and blues in its overall arrangement with a hint
of folk rock in various parts of the song (Fürst, 2014). Publicly released in the year 1971 it
immediately became a staple for every social event that featured rock to the extent where it
became the best known rock song of all time. It thus entered the Rock ‘n’ Roll legends from the
very first performance that featured and Plant and Page would be forever known as aficionados
of the Rock movement and their versatility would be revered by the generations to come as
ushering in a new age. The age of Rock ‘n’ Roll.
2. Smoke on the Water
Ritchie Blackmore, a virtuoso, whose Rock ‘n’ Roll hall of fame induction happened in
late 2016 can be considered as one of the pioneers of the Rock ‘n’ Roll. The late induction to the
Rock ‘n’ Roll almost renders his work with a posthumous pride (as the band he’s worked with
were not in existence when the induction happened). Ritchie Blackmore has however been the
pioneer and founding member of various groups that have achieved both commercial success and
critical acclaim such as Deep Purple and Rainbow (Jones, 2017). Smoke on the water is a song
comprised mainly of guitar riffs which are a standards element in most rock songs. Guitar riffs
however find their origin in the blues and the same is a stagnant element that finds its place in all
expressions of rock.
3. Bohemian Rhapsody
Released in the market in 1975 this rock classic can still be found being played at various
events and places that feature rock. Freddie Mercury and Brian May brilliantly blend their