3 Rock Songs From the 1950s That Were Way Ahead of Their Time

The 1950s saw rock music explode on a global scale. The genre was just starting to take shape, and artists were figuring out where they fit in those confines. While many simply followed the leader, there were several musicians who dared to go where no one had gone before. Revisit three rock songs from the ’50s that were ahead of their time, below.

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“Jailhouse Rock” (Elvis Presley)

Elvis Presley‘s “Jailhouse Rock” wasn’t the norm at the time of its release. On top of him being on the crest of what was to come musically, his penchant for being a little edgier than his peers put him ahead of them. Audiences craved something that would come in and shake up their expectations. At least, that’s what the fervor behind Presley pointed to.

Presley has many songs that could be considered ahead of their time, but we’ve chosen to highlight “Jailhouse Rock”. From the inherent irreverence of singing in a prison ward to Presley’s famous movements in the movie of the same name, listeners weren’t ready for what Presley was dishing out back in 1957.

Let’s rock
Everybody, let’s rock
Everybody in the whole cell block
Was dancin’ to the Jailhouse Rock

[RELATED: 4 Innovative Classic Rock Songs From the 1960s That Were Ahead of Their Time]

“Johnny B. Goode” (Chuck Berry)

While Presley is considered The King of Rock & Roll, there were many other musicians that helped pave the way for the genre. One such artist was Chuck Berry.

Berry’s guitar riff in “Johnny B. Goode” was the building block for rock as we know it. Countless subsequent songs made use of a Berry-esque riff after he established what the genre should sound like back in 1958. Guitar slingers of every generation have Berry to thank for setting the standard.

Deep down in Louisiana close to New Orleans
Way back up in the woods among the evergreens
There stood a log cabin made of earth and wood
Where lived a country boy named Johnny B. Goode

“I Put A Spell On You” (Screamin’ Jay Hawkins)

There are no musicians who measure up to Screamin’ Jay Hawkins. His vocals were the stuff of mystery. Even today, they seem larger than life. While rock would become more experimental as the years went on, early rock followed a distinctive formula. Good guitar melody. Simple lyrics. Powerful, but digestible vocals. Hawkins challenged all of those conventions superbly.

“I Put A Spell On You” is unarguably Hawkins’ most famous song. This haunting and off-kilter track was years ahead of its time. Moreover, his uniqueness makes him timeless, wowing audiences decades after the release of this spooky staple.

I put a spell on you
Because you’re mine
Stop the things you do
Watch out
I ain’t lyin’

(Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)