Race relations and civil rights impact on rock and roll music, 1955-1966

Roof Politics

Social Commentary in Rock: The View from "Up on the Roof"

Music is always a reflection of the society that produces it, in one way or another, and over the twentieth century as technology made listening to popular music far more possible on a much broader scale this reflection has often become much more direct and explicit. Rock 'n' Roll music specifically seemed right from its beginnings to be largely given over to overt or very thinly veiled comments on the state of affairs in society, from the specific actions of world governments to larger trends in social awareness and thinking. Certain events, perhaps most memorably Woodstock, became major social movements in and of themselves, further cementing the connection between Rock 'n' Roll and social commentary. Such connections were not limited to the type of acts that headlined, Woodstock, however.

The Need for Remove

If there were only a handful of identifiable trends in the developed world during the twentieth century, the increasing pace of life would definitely be one of them. All of the social issues and military conflicts that were the subject of much musical commentary in and of themselves combined with the increased pace of business, a continuation of the move away from agriculture and increasing urbanization of American society that began earlier in the century, and the ever-present nature of the Cold War all created a sense of hurry, frenzy and worry that seemed to permeate the minds of everyone (Lindinger 2010). This did not go unnoticed by the musicians of the era, even those that were less socially conscious.

The Drifters can be and often are classified as both a Rock 'n' Roll and an R & B. group, as they were one of the first groups to start bridging from the latter genre to the former, and even helping to define early Rock 'n' Roll (Eder 2011). Indeed, the group's 1953 single "Money Honey" is considered by some to be the first Rock 'n' Roll album ever (Eder 2011). The internal politics and infighting that occurs in many groups was a problem that plagued The Drifters for some time after the departure of their founding member and front man in 1954, and in many ways this limited the group both purely in terms of music and in its focus -- the vocal group was a money-making vehicle for its owner, George Treadwell, with a "revolving door" of different faces and voices a part of the group (Eder 2011). Such groups are not typically the places one would look to for social commentary, and yet in 1963 The Drifters released a signal with a very significant and relevant message.

"Up on the Roof," like much of the music recorded by The Drifters, is on the border between R & B. And Rock 'n' Roll. Quite distant from the sounds of Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, and other groups that are firmly a part of the Rock 'n' Roll from the era, there is nonetheless a certain rhythm and feel to this song that makes it a peripheral form of Rock 'n' Roll, and of the more popular songs of the style and the era (Eder 2011). It is also somewhat unusual in its message, not simply because it reflects on a rather laid back and relaxed position rather than a specific event, emotion, interest, etc. -- other songs have accomplished this feat as well -- but because of the particular angle from which this position is presented.