Rock and Roll Is Dead
Encyclopedia
"Rock and Roll Is Dead" is the first single released from the 1995 Lenny Kravitz
album Circus.
The guitar riffs in this song are very similar to the ones in "Heartbreaker
" by Led Zeppelin
.
Kravitz on the meaning of "Rock and Roll Is Dead":
The same year that "Rock and Roll Is Dead" was released, Prince
released a B-side called "Rock 'N' Roll Is Alive (And It Lives in Minneapolis)" for the single "Gold
" from The Gold Experience
album.
The song was covered by Mitsuki Aira on her debut album Copy
.
Following its release, other artists have released songs of similar titles criticizing the demise of specific musical genres led by reckless artists, namely Marilyn Manson
's 1999
"Rock Is Dead
" and Nas
' 2006
album and single Hip Hop Is Dead
.
However, a song with same title in Russian ("Рок-н-ролл мёртв") was issued on 1982
album Radio Africa
by Aquarium.
and #22 on the UK Singles Chart
.
for this song in 1996, becoming Kravitz's third nomination in the mentioned category.
Lenny Kravitz
Leonard Albert "Lenny" Kravitz is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and arranger, whose "retro" style incorporates elements of rock, soul, R&B, funk, reggae, hard rock, psychedelic, folk and ballads...
album Circus.
Song information
"Rock and Roll Is Dead" is an uptempo rock song.The guitar riffs in this song are very similar to the ones in "Heartbreaker
Heartbreaker (Led Zeppelin song)
"Heartbreaker" is a song from English rock band Led Zeppelin's 1969 album, Led Zeppelin II. It was credited to all four members of the band, having been recorded at A&R Studios, New York, during the band's second concert tour of the United States, and was engineered by Eddie Kramer."Heartbreaker"...
" by Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
.
Kravitz on the meaning of "Rock and Roll Is Dead":
The same year that "Rock and Roll Is Dead" was released, Prince
Prince (musician)
Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...
released a B-side called "Rock 'N' Roll Is Alive (And It Lives in Minneapolis)" for the single "Gold
Gold (Prince song)
"Gold" is a song by Prince from his 1995 album The Gold Experience. Obviously proud of the number, Prince was touting the song as the next "Purple Rain" to reporters before the album's release....
" from The Gold Experience
The Gold Experience
The Gold Experience is the seventeenth studio album by Prince . It was released on September 26, 1995...
album.
The song was covered by Mitsuki Aira on her debut album Copy
Copy (album)
C.O.P.Y， , is the debut album by the Japanese electronic artist Mitsuki Aira. It was released on September 8, 2008 as a CD, in two editions, both containing the singles "Colorful Tokyo Sounds No. 9", "China Discotica" and "Darling Wondering Staring"...
.
Following its release, other artists have released songs of similar titles criticizing the demise of specific musical genres led by reckless artists, namely Marilyn Manson
Marilyn Manson (band)
Marilyn Manson is an American metal band from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Formed in 1989 by Brian Warner and Scott Putesky, the group was originally named Marilyn Manson & the Spooky Kids with their uniquely theatrical performances gathering a local cult following in the early '90s. This attention...
's 1999
1999 in music
-Events:*January 7**After eight years of marriage, Rod Stewart and supermodel wife Rachel Hunter announce their separation.**Paul McCartney attends the first of his stepdaughter Heather's first housewares collection in Georgia....
"Rock Is Dead
Rock Is Dead
"Rock Is Dead" is a single from Marilyn Manson's third studio album, Mechanical Animals. It is also featured on The Matrix Soundtrack and Midnight Club 3.-Concept:...
" and Nas
Nas
Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones, who performs under the name Nas , formerly Nasty Nas, is an American rapper and actor. He is regarded as one of the most important figures in hip hop and one of the most skilled and influential rappers of all-time...
' 2006
2006 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 2006.-January:*January 10 – Eric Burdon releases his album Soul of a Man and begins touring with a new band....
album and single Hip Hop Is Dead
Hip Hop Is Dead
Hip Hop Is Dead is the eighth studio album by American rapper Nas, released December 15, 2006 on Def Jam Recordings. His first album for the label, it was co-financed by Nas's previous label, Columbia Records, which once distributed for Def Jam...
.
However, a song with same title in Russian ("Рок-н-ролл мёртв") was issued on 1982
1982 in music
This is a list of notable events in music from 1982. 1982 was a big year in music with Madonna making her debut as well as the year that Michael Jackson released Thriller which became the world's best selling album and it still holds that title today....
album Radio Africa
Radio Africa
Radio Africa is an album by the Russian rock band Aquarium.The album's style presents an eclectic mix of influences: 60's Rock 'n Roll, hard rock, art rock, jazz, honky tonk and others....
by Aquarium.
Chart performance
The song reached #75 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
and #22 on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
.
Music video
The music video for "Rock and Roll Is Dead" was directed by Ruven Afanador. The video shows Kravitz performing the song with his band, as well as Kravitz with visual artistic related backgrounds.Tracklisting
- "Rock and Roll Is Dead" – 3:22
- "Another Life" – 3:59
- "Are You Gonna Go My Way" (Live performance) – 4:00
Awards
Kravitz was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal PerformanceGrammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance was an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to male recording artists for works containing quality vocal performances in the rock music genre...
for this song in 1996, becoming Kravitz's third nomination in the mentioned category.