Rock and roll is a form of music that evolved in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s, and quickly spread to the rest of the world.

Classic rock and roll is played with one or two electric guitars (one lead, one rhythm), a string bass or (after the mid-1950s) an electric bass guitar, and a drum kit. In the earliest rock and roll styles of the late 1940s and early 1950s, either the piano or saxophone was often the lead instrument, but these were generally replaced or supplemented by guitar in the mid to late 1950s. The beat is essentially a boogie woogie blues rhythm with an accentuated backbeat, the latter almost always provided by a snare drum.

The massive popularity and eventual worldwide view of rock and roll gave it an unprecedented social impact. Far beyond simply a musical style, rock and roll, as seen in movies and in the new medium of television, influenced lifestyles, fashion, attitudes, and language. It later spawned the various sub-genres of what is now called simply 'rock music'.

"Rock and Roll" is a song by English rock band Led Zeppelin, which was first released as the second track of their untitled fourth album in 1971. As the title suggests, the song is based on one of the most popular structures in rock and roll, the 12 bar blues progression (in A). "Rock and Roll" stands as one of the best-known songs in the band's catalogue.

Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page has said that this song came to be written as a spontaneous jam session, whilst the band were trying (and failing) to finish the track "Four Sticks". The tapes were rolling and fifteen minutes later the basis of the song was down.

The beginning drum beat was possibly inspired by "Keep A-Knockin'" by Little Richard, or by the identical drum line from "Something Else" by Eddie Cochran. The lyrics by singer Robert Plant reference a number of 1950s and 1960s early rock hits, including "The Stroll," "The Book of Love," and "Walk in the Moonlight."

"Rock and Roll Music" is a song written and originally recorded by Chuck Berry which became a hit single in 1957, and was later covered by many artists, notably The Beatles.

The lyrics of the song extoll the virtues of rock and roll in comparison to other musical styles, and express the singer's resolve to dance only to this style of music.

The song has subsequently been recorded by a number of other well-known artists, including The Beatles, The Beach Boys, Humble Pie, Manic Street Preachers, Bill Haley & His Comets, REO Speedwagon and Australian new wave band Mental As Anything.

Berry's version is ranked number 128 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

"Rock and Roll", also known as "The Hey Song," is a song performed by British glam rocker Gary Glitter that was released in 1972 as a single and on the album Glitter. Co-written by Glitter and Mike Leander, the song is in two parts: Part 1 is a vocal track reflecting on the history of the genre, and Part 2 is a mostly instrumental piece. Both parts were popular in Britain, and the single went to #2 on the British charts. In concert, Glitter merges both into one performance.

In the US, the instrumental portion (Part 2) attracted most of the attention; it hit #7 on the Billboard Hot 100. In the years since, Part 2 of the song has often been played at various sporting events in Canada and the United States, particularly when the home teams scores (or wins). It was played first in a sport setting at Colorado Rockies hockey games in the late 1970s, and it is believed that the Denver Broncos are the first NFL team to play the song during games.

The nickname "the Hey Song" refers to fact that the only intelligible word in Part 2 is the exclamation of "hey," punctuating the end of several instrumental phrases and repeated three times at the song's chorus. At sporting events, fans often insert their own "hey," or sometimes other chanted syllables.

"Rock and Roll" was one of over 20 UK hit singles for the now incarcerated Glitter. Part 2 of this song has been used in the soundtrack to many movies, including Reality Bites (1994), Happy Gilmore (1996), The Full Monty (1997), Small Soldiers (1998), Any Given Sunday (1999), Bedazzled (2000), The Replacements (2000), Sugar & Spice (2001), Moonlight Mile (2002), Meet the Fockers (2004), The Longest Yard (2005) and The Departed (2006).