ABSTRACT
Rock and roll, in all of its various forms from alternative to pop, has long been a cultural barometer in the United States, especially as regards the concerns of teens of all races and regions. Rock was particularly well suited to express the complex ideas and emotions of the Vietnam era. Especially early in the war, rock and roll captured the generational feeling that a new time in the world’s history had dawned in which anything was possible. As the war went on, though, the mood of both the nation and its music began to change. Especially in the period after the Tet Offensive of 1968, rock and roll became more reflective of a country that was alienated from and confused by its distant war.
