American Popular Music and Its Evolution

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Introduction

The rationale for choosing these songs as great representatives of more than forty years of development of American popular music lies in their significant role either for the lives and careers of their authors or in the music itself. Almost all of these songs were in my playlist even before we started studying them this semester, and I consider them one of the most influential, distinct, and unique.

“Crazy Blues” by Mamie Smith

“Crazy Blues” was written by a successful black songwriter and music store owner Perry Bradford and performed by Mamie Smith in 1920. This is one of those songs that featured their vaudeville performer, allowed her to become extremely famous, and initiated the music industry’s discovery of black music. Compared to the country blues popular in the 1900s, classic female blues combines its features with urban theater music, and “Crazy Blues” is one of the first songs of this genre. It is also the first crossover race record.

“Waiting for a Train” by Jimmie Rodgers

“Waiting for a Train” is Jimmie Rodgers’s most enduringly popular and influential song, released in 1928. This first country music star’s forward-looking versatility allowed him to create a record that appeared to be too progressive. The steel guitar made the song uniquely modern, and the record’s success probably influenced the further incorporation of this musical instrument in country bands. At the same time, “Waiting for a Train” has conservative elements like the clarinet and cornet from jazz ensembles. Therefore, it is a unique combination of older sounds and progressive elements.

“Cross Road Blues” by Robert Johnson

Robert Johnson and his 1936 song “Cross Road Blues” in particular had the most powerful impact on later generations of blues and rock musicians. This record is unique with its forcefully rhythmic guitar and a feeling of regular pulse that is stronger than in any previous compositions. Way ahead of its time, “Cross Road Blues” has unusual and effective alternations of sounds and techniques like the “bottleneck.” After this composition’s much heavier and more emphatic style, most of the following music, namely rock and blues songs, was changed forever.

“Flying Home” by Benny Goodman & Charlie Christian

“Flying Home” is a special composition recorded by Benny Goodman and Charlie Christian in 1939. Created almost accidentally, this song was destined to become a hit. As an electric guitar pioneer, Benny Goodman included this instrument in the recording, and it is impossible to imagine how weird this composition was to its listeners. Two separate electronically amplified instruments, namely vibraphone and guitar, were involved in the recording to make it sound distinct, modern, and unique. What is more, the song anticipated various aspects of the rock genre, and it was the prototypical rock band since drums, double bass, electric guitar, and piano would become this genre’s feature instruments twenty years after the song’s appearance.

“How High the Moon” by Les Paul & Mary Ford

“How High the Moon” by Les Paul and Mary Ford was recorded in 1951 and became one of the most innovative songs of the twentieth century. Uncommon for any previous song created by white performers, this composition hit number one on the R&B chart and became extremely popular among its listeners. It is a souped-up, white-sounding, and multi-layered recording that used advances in technology to be way ahead of its time. Innovative and technological brilliance of “How High the Moon” and its experimentation sounds greatly impacted the following performers.

“Rocket 88” by Jackie Brenston & His Delta Cats

“Rocket 88” was performed by Jackie Brenston and His Delta Cats in 1951, and the history of rock music has significantly changed since then. First of all, its influence and power were admitted when the record became the first number-one rhythm and blues hit for Chicago-based Chess Records. Furthermore, “Rocket 88” is considered the first rock song because of its unusual and unique sound. The guitar sound’s distorted buzz was something extraordinary for the listeners. The driving rhythm and youthful, raw, and wild energy of the song allowed it to be qualified as the first example of rock ‘n’ roll even when this term was not common in the music industry.

“That’s All Right” by Elvis Presley

This composition was written and first performed by a great bluesman Arthur Crudup, but it was not his version that was destined to rewrite the history of modern music and significantly contribute to its sound. In 1954, Elvis Presley unintentionally created a unique and distinct composition after he was humming it in his particular manner in Sam Phillips’s presence. Sometime later, the recorded song became a real hit among people of all ages and merged together two music genres, namely country and western and rhythm and blues. What is more, some researchers believe that this song’s raw energy made it the first example of rock ‘n’ roll, while “Rocket 88” by Jackie Brenston & His Delta Cats was simply the premise of this music genre.

“Rock Around the Clock” by Bill Haley & His Comets

“Rock Around the Clock” record performed by Bill Haley and His Comets in 1955 was a real success. This song became the first rock ‘n’ roll hit that reached the number one position on the “Best Sellers in Stores” chart in 1955 and stayed in the top spot for eight weeks, which was unbelievable. “Rock Around the Clock” is believed to be the beginning of a new era in American popular culture as it has opened the floodgates for artists like Buddy Holly, Elvis Presley, and Carl Perkins. Different from previous compositions, this song prepared a receptive mass audience for the sounds of rhythm and blues.

“My Girl” by The Temptations

A “teenage symphony” “My Girl” performed by The Temptations in 1964 is a moderate-tempo love ballad that gently touches its listeners’ hearts and souls. This song’s simultaneous straightforwardness and brilliance had a significant influence of the following top charts music. Precisely Motown’s spectacular production values and virtue of the Temptations’ thoroughly engaging performance made this recording become lifted emphatically beyond the ordinary. Finally, it greatly influenced the rhythm and blues genre and solidified its future songs.

“Eleanor Rigby” by The Beatles

In 1966, the Beatles recorded a composition that has entirely changed the way society perceived their musical creativity. “Eleanor Rigby” is a pop song with deep, introspective lyrics that certified the Beatles’ new status as both the most popular and innovative music band in rock ‘n’ roll history. Being truly “beyond category,” this song provides a modern and unique interpretation of orchestral strings functions. Though they are generally associated with soothing music, in “Eleanor Rigby,” they are confined to brief rhythmic figures and repeated and steady chords. This was later adapted by other rock bands.

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