Rock n Roll History and Analysis

This article explores the history and analysis of rock n roll music through the works of Michael Jackson, Prince, Van Halen, Metallica, Run DMC, and Public Enemy. It discusses the influence of different genres on their music and categorizes their songs into subgenres such as glam metal, thrash metal, and hip hop.

Running head: ROCK N ROLL HISTORY AND ANALYSIS
Rock n Roll History and Analysis
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1ROCK N ROLL HISTORY AND ANALYSIS
Part 1.
Michael Jackson-Beat it: Although Michael Jackson is associated with R&B as well as pop
genres, his songs have shown influences from different genres of music. Beat It can be
considered as a rock song due to the straight 4/4 drum beats which is commonplace for rock
songs. Moreover, the guitar solo of the rock legend Eddie Van Halen (of the rock band Van
Halen) also adds to the rock n roll feeling of the song. The guitar solo is swift and has a
significant use of whammy and tremolo picking, a style common among rock musicians
(Mistry & Arangala, 2015).
Prince- Little Red Corvette: Prince have also been largely associated with pop and R&B
music, however the track has a lot of rock n roll influences, starting from the 4/4 drum
patterns and guitar solos which are common among rock songs. The inclusion of synth and
electronic drum beats has also incorporated a lot of pop and R&B elements into the song
through the incorporation of melodic tunes, and hence this song can be considered as a classic
pop-rock song (Jeffries & Cochran, 2017).
Part 2.
Van Halen- Jump: This song can be categorized within the subgenre of ‘Glam Metal’ or ‘Hair
Metal’ based on the glam outfit of the artists and the upbeat sound of the song. The song is
heavily driven by the keyboard lines and a little bit of guitar solo (in clean tones), both played
by Eddie Van Halen along with the clean vocals of David Lee Roth making it a classic Glam
Metal song. The song also has a fast guitar solo played by Eddie Van Halen which adds a
rock n roll style (Campbell, 2018).
Metallica- …And Justice for All: This is a quintessential thrash metal song by Metallica. This
track with it’s down tuned guitar tones and down picking style of James Hatefeild and Kirk

2ROCK N ROLL HISTORY AND ANALYSIS
Hammett makes this a classic metal track due to the sheer heaviness of the sound.
Additionally, the distorted vocal style of James Hatefeild and odd time signatures and
pounding drumming my Lars Ulrich resonate the classic hallmarks of thrash metal subgenre.
The lyrics of the song also has a social dialogue about the flawed justice system of a country
which also has been a trend among thrash metal bands (McIver, 2014).
Part 3.
Run DMC- Rock Box: This song has a strong and virtuous rapping style that later became the
signature of several hip hop musicians. However Rock Box stands apart from its
contemporary rap songs such as ‘The Message’ by Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five
due to its heavy rock guitar riffs and tough lyrics. The song is also straightforward in its
theme, and tries to establish Run DMC as equally talented as any rock n roll artist (Orejuela,
2015).
Public Enemy- Bring the noise: This shows the evolution of Hip Hop from its early days into
a more gritty and aggressive stance showing pride of hip hop musicians, comparing the music
to be at par with rock music. The style of Chuck D and Flavor Flav adequately showcases the
raw talent of the band in their composition and lyrical delivery in an aggressive as well as an
entertaining way, making this a classic Hip Hop song. The track has a lot of rock n roll
element with its straight beats and strong bass line both of which adds strength to the song
(Edwards, 2015).

3ROCK N ROLL HISTORY AND ANALYSIS
References:
Campbell, M. (2018). Popular music in America: The beat goes on. Cengage Learning.
Edwards, G. (2015). We Shall Overcome: Ava DuVernay on Making ‘Selma’. rolling stone,
5.
Jeffries, J. L., & Cochran, S. M. (2017). Studying Prince: An Introduction.
McIver, J. (2014). Justice for all: the truth about Metallica. Omnibus Press.
Mistry, N., & Arangala, C. (2015). Music genomics: Determining musical similarities with
seriation algorithms. Discrete Mathematics, Algorithms and Applications, 7(04),
1550041.
Orejuela, F. (2015). Rap and hip hop culture. Oxford University Press.