Michael Sova

MUS 317

Term Paper Proposal

7 October 2019

For my paper, I would like to focus on the influence of politics in rock music. I plan on

analyzing this throughout the history of rock (starting around the 1950s) as opposed to focusing

on just one time period. This will give me a chance to discuss: 1) The reaction to rock and roll

when it was created, especially how the public responded to Elvis. 2) An analysis of the Beatles’

song “Revolution,” including the multiple versions released and the public’s divided response to

it. 3) A look at Billy Joel’s tour in the Soviet Union which ultimately helped bring an end to the

Cold War. 4) Tipper Gore’s heading of the PMRC, the hearings which resulted in Parental

Advisory Labels, the music industry and public response to these events. If I have time and space

in my paper, I might include analyses of other specific politically inspired songs, such as Green

Day’s “American Idiot,” which is a comment on the Bush administration (and other similar

situations), and The Killer’s “Land of the Free,” which satirically mocks the stances of

conservatives in today’s America.

As of right now, the sources I have include:

Book: Let’s Rock! How 1950s America Created Elvis and the Rock & Roll Craze by Richard

Aquila

Article: “John Lennon, 'Revolution,' and the politics of musical reception” by John Platoff

Video: “Billy Joel – A Matter of Trust: The Bridge to Russia”

Book: Bleep! Censoring Rock and Rap Music by Betty Houchin Winfield and Sandra Davidson

Dissertation: “Parental Advisory, Explicit Content: Music Censorship and the American Culture

Wars” by Gavin M Ratcliffe (I will be using this as a source and also to find further sources)

Web Article: “You Ask, We Answer: 'Parental Advisory' Labels – The Criteria And The

History” from NPR

Newspaper Article: “Spotlight on explicit lyrics warning” from BBC Worldwide

Book: Running with the Devil: Power, Gender, and Madness in Heavy Metal Music by Robert

Walser