Time and Rock n’ Roll

Time and Rock n’ Roll

We all take a beating from time. Each day, over a lifetime. We can’t beat time. But we can beat to time. Rock n’ roll is our attempt to master time, to fight time back. It’s not about sex, it’s about the need to dominate time. That’s why the drums are so important to rock n’ roll music (any old time you use it): we beat the drum so that we can beat time—we beat it hard. The modern drum kit is the heart of rock n’ roll, particularly the snare drum and the bass drum; their alternation is the foundation of the whole sound. Even the guitars are percussive, especially rhythm guitar. Melody is less important than rhythm, the segmentation of time into explosive beats. When time is oppressive or tedious or downright dreary, we can always use it to beat out a rhythm. Then time is on our side, our sidekick, our partner. It isn’t our enemy; it’s our friend. But it has to be kept in line. It has to be bossed around. Many rock songs start with the drums alone, just so time knows who is boss; then the guitars and vocals kick in, taking time for a ride. Timing is everything. The exhilaration of rock n’ roll is the feeling of being on top of time, calling the shots, not its slave or victim. Not for nothing do the lyrics often refer to time (Rock Around the Clock). Rock n’ roll is about not taking time lying down.