7. Between Elvis and Alice, rock critics say, a number of rock stars have helped our society define its beliefs and attitudes. Bob Dylan touched a nerve of disaffection. He spoke of civil rights, nuclear fallout, and loneliness. He spoke of change and of the bewilderment of an older generation. “Something’s happening here,” he sang. “You don't know what it is, do you, Mr. Jones?”
     8. Others entered the debate. The Beatles, Horowitz said, urged peace and piety, with humor and maybe a little help from drugs. The Rolling Stones, arrogant street-fighting men, demanded revolution. The Jefferson Airplane's “We Can Be Together” and “Volunteers ( Got a Revolution )” were two further statements of radical youth.
     9. But politics wasn't the only subject debated in the hard rock of the sixties. Feelings, always a part of any musical statement, were a major subject. Janis Joplin sang of her sadness. The Beatles showed there was a range of emotions between love and hate. Then came The Band, mixing the more traditional ideas of country and western music into the more radical “city” ideas of hard rock. This country element, Horowitz feels, helped its audience express an urge to “get away from it all,” to “go back to the old days.” One of the best current examples of what Horowitz is talking about is John Denver. His most notable songs –“Sunshine on My Shoulders,” “Rocky Mountain High,” and “Country Road” – combine the musical drive and power of folk rock, while the lyrics celebrate the simple joys of “the good old days.”