To what extent and in what ways did Elvis influence American pop culture?

Contents

Section A: Plan of Investigation....................................................................................................3

Section B: Summary of Evidence.................................................................................................4

Section C: Evaluation of Sources..................................................................................................6

Section D: Analysis........................................................................................................................8

Section E: Conclusion

Section F: List of Sources

Appendices

Plan of Investigation

This investigation will seek to answer the question of Elvis Presley’s influence on the rise of counterculture in American society starting in the 1950’s. This essay will look at the impact Elvis had on society and how his music and stage presence led to such an unprecedented influence on the young generation. During this era, Elvis was quickly becoming a national phenomenon, and began to personify teenage rebellion and newfound teenage sexuality. He forever changed both the world of music and the world of youth culture. To determine the spectrum of Elvis’ influence, a range of sources will be analyzed to help answer the scale of his impact. Ranging from magazine stories, to entire books dedicated to the matter, I will closely examine how culture was forever changed as Elvis rose to national prominence.

Word Count:136

B. Summary of Evidence

Elvis Presley was a rock n roll singer who rose to national prominence in the mid 20th century. His beautiful voice and his dominant stage presence changed the music industry forever, and created a newfound pop culture in American society. He “pushed and challenged American way of living and social boundaries”. Elvis did just that by integrating black music into white America. His music was mostly influenced by what was considered African American music, like R&B and gospel, and he would “publicly site his debt to blacks even in the times of segregation”. He opened the doors of “black” music into the white world, because he was able to introduce this style of music to a larger population, since he was a white male. This however led to some criticism by both the black and white population, and this criticism “often had a racist edge” It was basically a “rejection of integration... black music is for blacks and any white man playing is guilty of some terrible misappropriation” .

His musical style was hit with teenagers especially, with throngs of them coming to each one of his concerts. Elvis also influenced the pop culture by bringing a sexual element to music and performance that many prior musicians refrained from exhibiting. He was one of the first musicians to use sex to sell his music, setting the precedent for many musicians to come. On stage, Elvis would accompany his musical performances with hip moving gyrations and suggestive dancing, obscene gestures for the time. His movements would excite and “arouse” the crowd, especially the adoring teenage girls. The American public was still rather conservative, and the sexuality Elvis publicly displayed was considered too provocative for many. The Roman Catholic Church even denounced him and his rock and roll music as “devil music, and conservatives also thought he was a “threat to the moral well being of the youth”. The controversy that surrounded Elvis was what made him such a hit with the younger generation. He embodied the teenage desire to become independent from their parents, and he became the national symbol for this independence. He violated the taboos of “personal expression and physicality”, and many teens began to emulate his rebelling. Following the 2nd World War, America experienced a post war economic boom, which led to a rise in teenage allowances. Teenagers could now buy their own portable radios and listen to the hot rock and roll music and break from the boundaries restricted upon them by society. Elvis was trendsetter not only with his rebelliousness, but also with his eccentric style. His colorful jumpsuits, his open neck shirts and most prominently, his “duck – tailed” hair changed fashion in American society.

The influence Elvis had on pop culture can even be seen after his unfortunate death in August of 1977. He is still impacting music to this very day, and his own music is still very much alive in societies around the world, with over one billion records sold and counting. His influence was unprecedented, and even President Jimmy Carter issued a statement following his death, crediting him for creating American pop culture, and calling him irreplaceable. He forever changed both the music world, and American culture, and his legacy will remain with us forever.

Word Count: 552

...