Music from the 1950s to the present has been a rebellious, youth-influenced form of expression against borders and limits. It began as rock-and-roll, rebelling against social norms, and later split into genres like protest rock and punk that rebelled against issues like war and economic struggles. While initially rejected, its popularity grew as the youth adopted it. Over time, as music evolved and society became more accepting of it, Canada shifted from a conservative to a more liberal and tolerant society.

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Music: 1950 – Present
Music has always been a prevalent force shaping society, but during 1950 to the present it
has become such a force that it warrants its own essay: namely this one. Music from the 1950s to
the present is a rebellious, youth-influenced form of expression, which continues to be a
Canadian form of expression against borders and limits which changed Canadian society from a
strictly conservative state to a far more liberal and tolerant society. The subtopics which I will
discuss in this essay are: the general theme of music, the target of musical rebellion, and the
impact of music.
In the timeframe of which this essay is to speak of, music had evolved to encompass a
strong rebellious theme from which in branched out, in its primary forms at least. The music of
the time did not just rebel for the sake of rebelling of course; there was a myriad of different
variables, each of which contributed their own cause to the evolution of music towards said
point. This era would be known as the era of the baby boomers, the results of the massive
population spike after World War Two. These new young adults inherited a world they saw as
overly strict and full of problems1, and it was from there that they developed a pop culture based
on their new music2. This is roughly from where the music of the era got its rebellious base. This
new music was called rock-and-roll, something in which society is very well-versed today.
Rock-and-roll drew most of its inspiration from African-American blues musicians3. These
musicians were constantly struggling against the stringent racism against them4. This is where
rock-and-roll learned how to rebel. This rock-and-roll would soon after split into a rather more
radical splinter called punk rock, which took the rebellious theme of music and really
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concentrated it. Punk rock was basically a more radical form of rock-and-roll, which held on to
its root idea of rebellion. Music was a rebellious form of expression.
This new music was greatly created and shaped by the youth of the time, as more mature
audiences found the music crude, revolting, and vulgar5. The baby boom generation’s teenagers
created a whole new kind of music that the world had never seen before. It was different and
radical at the time. This music grew and evolved as the youth evolved; as its creators grew, so
did it. When the youth decided to go from simply rebelling against their parents and their society
to world-wide problems6, their music followed them and protest rock at huge concerts became
popular7. These huge concerts were a testament to the fact that it was the youth that created this
music, as even though the more mature world rejected such music, it still became highly popular
and boomed. It was one of the central characteristics of this music: under suppression, it only
grew faster. The music was youth-influenced.
Although rock-and-roll would evolve into an uncountable amount of different genres,
there were three very early ones that would go on to split into all the others: original American
rock, protest rock, and British punk rock. Original American rock first began in the 1950’s8 and
rebelled against the societal limits placed on the people of the time period. Protest rock
originated when musicians wanted to express their opinions on current world events9, such as the
war in Vietnam and other problems going on in the world. British punk rock began when the
youth of the country was faced with harsh economic times, and could not find jobs10. They were
shunned and separated from the rest of society, and thus they created their new form of music to
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rebel against their situation11. All brought together it is clear that all rock music shared a common
theme of rebellion. The music was rebelling against something.
Now, what exactly was it that music was rebelling against? First, original American rock
was a rebellion against societal limits and the strict rules that people had to follow. The music
was a rebellion against the borders or limits that society attempted to apply to youth12. Protest
rock was a rebellion against serious worldwide problems that placed barriers between entire
peoples and countries. These problems could only really be solved when people could learn to
see past the borders they placed around each other and themselves, and looked to see a world
without borders. The music was a rebellion between world-wide borders. British punk rock was a
rebellion against the fiscal limits which were placed around the youth of the country13. The
people could not find jobs or money and were thus isolated from the rest of society. The music
was a rebellion against fiscal and societal limits. All of those music genres were rebellions
against limits or borders.
In previous paragraphs, it has been outlined that music is a youth-influenced form of
expression, it is rebellious, and its rebellion is targeted toward borders and limits. Therefore, we
can join all those ideas into a single sentence: music from the 1950’s to the present is a
rebellious, youth-influenced form of expression against borders and limits.
As the music grew and splintered off, society changed along with it. There is no denying
that as music slowly became more and more radical and rebellious, society became more liberal
and tolerant along with it14. Much has changed from the 1950s. The adults who feared and
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suppressed the music have now slowly grown to accept and enjoy it. From 1990 – 2000; adults
over 45 more than doubled their share in buying rock music 15. Their demographic now makes up
about 24% of the sales of rock music16. Also, musicians with post-secondary educations are
making an important creative impact, meaning rock music is no longer the sole purview of the
outsider17. Music has grown with society, and they have shaped each other greatly. The idea that
both shape and grow with each other means that both impact each other. And with the
acceptance of rock music into society, it may be concluded that music changed Canadian society
from a strictly conservative state to a far more liberal and tolerant society.
To conclude, the general theme of music is rebellion, the target of musical rebellion is
borders and limits, and impact of music is that is changed Canadian society from a strictly
conservative state to a far more liberal and tolerant society. When brought together, it sounds a
little something like: music from the 1950s to the present is a rebellious, youth-influenced form
of expression, which continues to be a Canadian form of expression against borders and limits
which changed Canadian society from a strictly conservative state to a far more liberal and
tolerant society.
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Bibliography/ Works Cited
Gladstone, Christoffer et al. Canada, face of a nation. Toronto: Gage Educational Publication
Company, 2000
Wade-Matthews, Max. Music, an illustrated history. London: Anness Publishing Limited, 2001
Bayton, Marvis et al. Rock and Roll. San Diego: Greenhaven Press Inc, 2002