If I had to describe rock and roll in one word, I'd use versatile. With such a deep history and so many subgenres, everyone can find at least one rock and roll song they like.
I grew up playing video games, and whether it was the Guitar Hero franchise, or the older Madden soundtracks, rock and roll always had a presence. I have some fond memories of loading Madden 2004 and being flooded with the sounds of AFI and Blink-182. The only other music I listened to at the time was VeggieTales and songs from SpongeBob, so hearing the energy of rock music always stuck out to me.
As I grew older, Hip-Hop started to take a more prominent role. Not only did sports video game soundtracks turn their attention towards rap, but Vine created a new way for me to discover popular hip-hop artists. The hilarious trends featuring songs from Bobby Shmurda and O.T. Genasis kickstarted my love for hip-hop music and made me leave my previous music experience in the past.
A notable shift occurred when I decided to revisit a favorite of mine from Guitar Hero: World Tour, which was Paramore's "Misery Business." I can never forget the first time I saw an animated, vibrant orange-haired Hayley Williams appear on my screen. I added the song to my playlist which led me to dive deeper into some of my favorites from the game franchise. Hits such as “No Sleep Till Brooklyn'' and “Bulls on Parade'' were notable additions to my playlist but still, the interest in rock music wasn’t there.
Like many others, the COVID-19 pandemic had a huge effect on me. Not only did I spend lots of time away from my friends, but I went into it while also going through a breakup. I did a lot of soul searching and deep thought, and one of my sources of comfort became artists like Clairo and Shawn Mendes. I connected to the vocals in these songs and understood the story being told much more than I could with looping 808 tracks.
August 16th, 2020 is a day that I can never forget. It was the day after my 17th birthday and my parents treated me to Sonic, one of my favorite fast-food restaurants. On the way there, I decided to listen to Panic! At The Disco’s entire catalog. A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out was a hot start for me, giving me hit after hit. Another album I really enjoyed was Death of a Bachelor. It was so shocking to me how much I enjoyed Panic! At The Disco. A band that I felt was "lame" and "emo" in middle school deeply connected with me all of a sudden.
My first year in college was also a big turning point both personally, and for my music taste. I went from being a “celebrity” from my high school news to only seeing a familiar face on campus a few times a week. “Mayonaise” by The Smashing Pumpkins was a song that I found myself frequenting. The soft guitar in the beginning complemented with the melodies of the electric guitar, as well as Billy Corgan’s gritty voice leaves me in a state of awe to this day.
I spent a while trying to find a song like “Mayonaise” and learned that it falls under the category of “shoegaze.” This subgenre is a combination of indie and alternative rock where distorted sounds and vocals are encouraged.
My rock and roll repertoire continued to grow by listening to songs like "Slow Chemical" when I wanted to get pumped up and songs like "1979" when I wanted to chill out. That brings me to today, where rock and roll is truly one of my favorite genres. It contains beautiful instrumentation and vocals that can bring songs to a whole new level. I love a variety of rock but surprisingly I find myself a fan of punk, both rock and pop.
To add to the overall discussion of rock and roll music, I’d like to include a list of my top 10 favorites in the genre. It was very hard to narrow down to this 10, but I feel that it shows how many great songs there are to choose from:
