Old-Time Rock ‘n’ Roll:
How The 1980s Embraced 1950s and 1960s Oldies Music
Introduction
Although a sound progression occurred between 1979 and 1991, eighties music had periods of nostalgia, especially towards rock ‘n’ roll music of the 1950s and 1960s. That sentimentality carried over from the 1970s. Movies, such as American Graffiti, Grease, The Buddy Holly Story, Animal House, and TV shows like Happy Days, looked back to the rock ‘n’ roll era’s teen/young adult life. Oldies radio stations and popular disc jockey Wolfman Jack played 50s and 60s hits. Throughout the 1980s, baby boomers clung to the sounds of their youth and introduced those sounds to a new generation.
Baby Boomers
Baby boomers, born between 1946 and 1964, sought to be different from their parents. Boomers, known to be rebellious during their adolescent years, slammed the door on their parent’s music and had their own with rock ‘n’ roll. Rock ‘n’ roll came to fruition during the 1950s with elements of country, rhythm and blues, and popular music combined. The music catered to young people. Teens rebelled against those calling rock ‘n’ roll music anti-authority, anti-Christian, the devil’s music, overtly sexual, and jungle music, a racist criticism stemming from white conservatives fears of a desegregated society.
As they aged, baby boomers became reluctant to change. Boomers longed for the past, which could be a happy time, but also sad. Nostalgia preserves one’s social identity by reliving the past. Baby boomers shared a generational identity
and remembered what they considered to be the good old days. They all held a communal association with popular culture of their youth but also had their personal associations. Boomers hearkened back to the past. It made them feel young.
Rock ‘n’ roll acts were young in the 1950s and 1960s, and had a young boomer audience. Before the entertainment industry became big in the Twentieth Century, people looked to their elders for wisdom and guidance. Since the 1920s, people have looked to popular culture and youth. Young entertainers on the movie/television screens and the stage have been the rage.
Singer/songwriter John Mellencamp stated in the concert film John Mellencamp: Plain Spoken that he and others his age idolized rock ‘n’ roll musicians during his youth.
However, because boomers were a large demographic in the 1980s, the advertising and entertainment industry shock off the youth shackles somewhat. In 1980, 16.4% of the 227,020,000 people residing in the United States of America were 25-34 years old. The country’s median age was 30.
During the mid-eighties, baby boomers made up half of all U.S.A.’s personal income. Boomers spent money, splurging themselves into debt. As Boomers sought ways to reminisce, the entertainment industry cashed in on nostalgia to get their business.
Definition of Oldies and Hits
My definition of oldies rock ‘n’ roll stretches from 1952 to a gray area between 1965 and 1968. It was the era of 45 rpm vinyl records, also known as singles; an era before rock ‘n’ roll musicians focused on creating eight to ten song albums with a few songs released as singles. It doesn’t include bands like Credence Clearwater Revival, the Doors, The Kinks, The Rolling Stones, The Who, psychedelic bands, and later Beatles and Beach Boys albums enhanced by studio technology. I define those groups as classic rock.
I also don’t include Ike and Tina Turner in this work. Tina Turner’s 1980s comeback is a great story, but most people of the 1980s remembered Proud Mary
and Nutbush City Limits
as the Turners’ legacy, which are both 1970s hits. Many weren’t aware of Ike Turner’s role in Rocket 88,
a tune that set the stage for rock ‘n’ roll, nor of the Turners’ 1960s songs and performances.
I do include Motown sound up to Marvin Gaye’s 1968 version of I Heard It Through the Grapevine,
as oldies before The Jacksons made it big and funk began to dominate rhythm and blues (R&B) charts. My definition of hits focuses on the Billboard Top 100 charts.
I’m not including the television shows China Beach, The Monkees, or Wonder Years in this review, for these shows take place in the late sixties and early seventies.
Usage of Rock and Roll
and Rock ‘n’ Roll
For the most part, I use the term rock ‘n’ roll
instead of rock and roll
throughout this work. The title of this work is a slight misquote of Bob Seger’s Old Time Rock and Roll.
Spoiler Alert!
Numerous movies and television series are mentioned in this work. Scene descriptions are provided.
About This Site
Photo: Captain William Smith House, at Minuteman National Park, Lincoln, Massachusetts, taken by the author August 2017.
I created this website to share various papers I have authored. This site has not been peer-reviewed. All are for your review. Should you find that I have made any mistakes, please feel free to contact me via e-mail. I assure you that I have made every effort to properly cite my sources.
The contents of this site first appeared through 2015 on historynut.info (link goes to saved versions on The Interent Archive Wayback Machine). From 2016 to 2018, my works were hosted on timthehistorynut.com (another link to the Interent Archive Wayback Machine). In October 2018, I decided to rebrand, and created timsheehan.info.