The Rock Songs That Took Over The 1950’s Generation

The music world was passing through the road of innovation in the ’50s and was evolving at a pace. In order to recapture what happened in this era, we’ve rounded up five of the best rock songs to give a little bit of the sound from this time. Here are the songs that took over the rock scene in the ’50s.

1. “Jailhouse Rock” by Elvis Presley (1957)
The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll, no other than Elvis Presley, recorded “Jailhouse Rock” for the film of the same name. Written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, Presley’s performance of this song has been hailed as one of the King’s finest. It includes lyrics that could be interpreted as sly references to same-sex relationships which were, undoubtedly, ahead of its time.

2. “Wake Up Little Susie” by The Everly Brothers (1957)
The song “Wake Up Little Susie” is basically about an innocent outing with scandalous implications. It was written by the songwriting husband and wife team, Felice and Boudleaux Bryant. It became a number-one hit for The Everly Brothers.

3. “Tutti Frutti” by Little Richard (1955)
If Elvis Presley was referred to as the “King of Rock ‘n’ Roll,” Little Richard was known as the “Architect of Rock ‘n’ Roll” since he helped to build the new style of rock music that was emerging in the ’50s. Together with Dorothy LaBostrie, Little Richard wrote “Tutti Frutti” and it became his first major hit.

4. “Great Balls of Fire” by Jerry Lee Lewis (1957)
This Jerry Lee Lewis’ most recognizable rock ‘n’ roll hit, appeared in Top Gun: Maverick movie. The song with remarkable lines as:

“You shake my nerves and you rattle my brain / Too much love drives a man insane / You broke my will, oh what a thrill / Goodness gracious, great balls of fire!”

5. “Shake, Rattle and Roll” by Big Joe Turner (1954)
The up-tempo song “Shake, Rattle and Roll” was written by Jesse Stone for Big Joe Turner in 1954. The song’s lyrics include sexual innuendos that were considered “exceptionally scandalous” at that time.