Amer
22 426-01
The
stylish America prevailed culturally and socially all around the world during
1950s. Like many countries, Turkey was open to the newness and modernity of
America. American Rock ‘N’ Roll and its leader Elvis Presley were the two
elements that were spread around the world via the globalization of US. Turkey
welcomed these two cultural elements with a strong desire during the late
fifties. This project aims to analyze the rapid spread of Rock ‘N’ Roll in
Turkey, the effect of this music style on Turkish youth, the lacking points of
Turkey in its period of Americanization, the transformation of American Rock
‘N’ Roll into the ‘Anatolian Rock’, the influence of Elvis Presley on
Turkish youth, his effect on Turkish old generation, and some of the Turkish
musicians who were inspired by Elvis.
Mainly,
what I would like to examine briefly is the diffusion of American culture in
Turkey during the middle fifties. As we have learned throughout this course,
American culture was being imitated by most of the countries. No doubt, one of
these countries that copied American culture and life style was Turkey. From my
point of view, the most significant reason for imitating American culture was
that American life style became an icon that symbolized modernity, beauty,
practicality, and felicity. For instance, in weekly Turkish magazines such as SES
and 7 Gun that were published during 1950s,
American life and American movie-music stars are being mentioned rather than
Turkish life style and Turkish starts. Due to my research in ‘Milli
Kutuphane’ about American culture in 1950s, I have realized that there are
American models at the cover pages in all
the publications of 7 Gun. In addition
to these, neither Yesilcam nor Turkish
music stars were being mentioned in these weekly magazines. The Turkish
magazines during the fifties mostly consist of Hollywood and American music
stars. Moreover, both Turkish men and women aimed to seem like American people
by styling their clothing, hair, life style, and dancing in an American way.
Therefore, a great deal of Americanization was going on all around Turkey.
That era was a significant period for the intense spread of Rock ’N’ Roll in Turkey. It is not necessary to think about its rapid diffusion in Turkey, because it was inevitable to espouse Rock ’N’ Roll at a period when ‘Americanization’ became inescapable. Like the youth of most of the countries, Turkish youth was ready to espouse a new culture from America. The Turkish youth began to be more American after they were affected by Rock ‘N’ Roll.
The second photograph
that I have taken from my uncle’s scrapbook may clarify the condition of
Turkish youth during fifties. I asked my uncle that if these boys were poor or
rich, and he replied that they were all from poor families. For me, this detail
is very significant to understand the spread of Americanization in Turkey during
1950s. They were poor, but Americanized. I told this issue to my uncle also, and
he said that, that was why they were Americanized, and he added that American
culture was richness for them.
This
handwriting is the back note of the 2nd photograph that is given
above. My uncle had written the sentence of “Arkadaslarla birlikte bir rok and rol sahnesi” at
the back of the photograph in 1958. From my point of view, this sentence is the
other crucial detail that reflects the Turkish youth during the same era. They
even do not know how to write Rock ‘N’ Roll, but they love and perform it.
To me, the two wrong written words; ‘rok
and rol’ clarify many
problematic issues of Turkey. This
may be the problem of that era, because to imitate something without ignoring
its details is a problematic issue. In other words, to internalize something in
a sketchy way is not enough. As it is mentioned in the second paragraph, for
instance, Turkey tried to imitate stylish America by its cultural and physical
appearance. However, Turkey ignored to focus on America’s more stylish views,
such as its advanced industry, technology, and education. That was why some
lacking points and gaps were existed during the period of Turkish
internalization of American life. When you form a detail thinking, the funny
words ‘rok and rol’ may be
interpreted as that Turkey had an incomplete path while it was taking its place
in a globalizing world.
The newborn American Rock ‘N’ Roll was also very effective in Turkish
music industry during the late 50s. Many Turkish musicians were inspired by Rock
‘N’ Roll. Some of the Turkish groups and musicians followed the path of Rock
‘N’ Roll by adding Anatolian tunes in it. 3
Hürel, Moğollar, Cem Karaca and Erkin
Koray were some of them who were created ‘Anatolian Rock’ during the
same era. The reception of American Rock ‘N’ Roll in Turkish music industry
was not hard that much, because ‘music’ could be modified easily. The
creation of compromise between Turkish lyric and American sound revealed
‘Anatolian Rock’.
An
interesting argument can be made as an outcome of a detailed thinking about the
combination of Turkish lyric and American sound. Nobody can argue that
‘Anatolian Rock’ is either American or Anatolian. It is a mixture of two
different cultural elements. That is why ‘Anatolian Rock’ does not have an identity.
Therefore, I feel free about arguing that the Turkish young generation in
50s did not have an identity, because like ‘Anatolian Rock’, they were the
mixture of Turkish and American cultural elements. For instance, our instructor
in one of the class hours showed a picture from a magazine which, was published
in the same era, reflected two models who smoke ‘hookah’. However, there was
something very interesting in that picture. The models were like American women.
Their hair styles, their make up, and even their smiling were the exact
reflection of imitated American woman. However, they were smoking ‘hookah’
that was completely belonged to Turkish culture. What a great combination! A
hookah that was smoked by bogus American women.
No
doubt, when Rock ‘N’ Roll is pronounced, Elvis Presley enters people’s
minds. It is obvious that Elvis Presley is the outright icon of Rock ‘N’
Roll. It is not necessary to focus on his influence in Turkey during the
fifties, because it is foreseeable that his effect and diffusion was enormous in
Turkey. My curiosity about Elvis’ effects on Turkish youth during the 50s
ended after my interview with my uncle who belonged to Turkish youth of 50s. It
may be hard to believe in that, but during my interview with him about Presley,
I realized that there was still a great energy in him to make Rock ‘N’ Roll
with Elvis’ records. The first question that I asked to my uncle was that what
they had found in Presley. He replied that they had found everything in Elvis.
He told me that while they were listening to Presley’s songs, they were
feeling a great happiness that made them isolate themselves from the external
world. He also added that Presley was a symbol of independence for them. His new
dancing style, and new scene performance meant freedom for that generation.
Then, I asked him that if these reasons were the mere ones which made Elvis
influential in Turkey that much. He answered that they were not the major
factors that made Elvis very effective on Turkish youth. He said that in 50s
Turkey was a country that necessitated newness, and that was why it was open to
any kind of modernity and newness. He continued that Turkey’s openness to any
kind of innovation made it to take America as a base, because US was the only
country that could globalize its modernity and newness. He added that Rock
‘N’ Roll and Elvis were the two significant conjunctions of the chain of US
globalization.
The other question that I asked him is that if there was any star who
could substitute for Elvis in Turkey since 50s, and he replied that no, there
was not. Then, I wanted to learn that what he thought about Tarkan who might be
thought as Turkish Elvis of the late twentieth century. He told me that he could
not see many similarities between Tarkan and Elvis, but it was obvious that
there were a few similarities. For instance, their styles were new for their own
cultures, they both had make up, had an erotic dance style, they were both
appreciated and insulted in their own countries, both accused of being
homosexual, and both might be thought as globalized stars. However, Tarkan could
not compete with Elvis ‘globally’, because Tarkan had a fan mass just in
France and in his home town Turkey. On the other hand, Elvis had a fan mass all
around the world. Therefore, Tarkan did not globalize as much as Elvis. He also
added that Elvis created a new style that was not seen before. Unlike Elvis,
Tarkan had something that was ready-made in the society. He had earrings,
performed an erotic dance style which was accustomed by the society a long time
ago, and his music did not have diverse tones. After he told me these sentences,
he continued that even he was 62 now, still, he was a fan of Elvis. According to
him, Elvis was the God of Rock ‘N’ Roll, and nobody could take his place.
It may be significant to underline the attributions of Turkish families
toward Elvis during 50s. In Turkey, Elvis was a very different figure for both
young and old generation of 50s. My uncle told me that Turkish old generation
could not accept Elvis, because of his erotic style and feminine figure. He also
said that especially the parents who had sons felt that their sons were in
danger because of Elvis’ feminine figure. My grandfather, for instance, hated
Elvis and he did not let my uncle listened to him, and performed Elvis’ dance.
In addition to these, my uncle told me a very interesting and funny memory about
himself. He said that he was very keen on making rock ‘n’ roll with a chair
in his own room. One day, while he was dancing with a chair, my grandfather had
entered the room and had seen my uncle dancing with a chair wildly. My
grandfather had gone crazy and had told my uncle that he was going to shot at
him with a gun just because of his love to Elvis. My uncle concluded that nearly
all of the Turkish parents’ attributions toward Elvis were like that.
The last issue that I wanted him to explain is that if there was somebody
in Turkey in that period that imitated Elvis. He answered that Erol Büyükburç
was the major Turkish musician who was inspired by Elvis. He also added that
Erol Büyükburç composed the song Little
Lucy in 1958 after he inspired by Elvis. Moreover, in one of his televised
interviews, Asım
Can Gündüz said that Erol Büyükburç was the Turkish Elvis during the late fifties.
My
uncle told me that the other Turkish star who was inspired by Elvis during the
late fifties was Erkin Koray. He performed his first concert in Galatasaray College in
1957. His repertory consisted of five songs and two of them were Elvis songs; Hound
Dog and Don’t Be Cruel. It was argued that, that concert was the turning
point of Koray’s carrier. However, most of Koray’s songs do not fit American
Rock ‘N’ Roll, but the melodies that they have prove that Koray was inspired
by American Rock ‘N’ Roll in a great sense. His song Yalnızlar
Rıhtımı, for instance, fits American Rock ‘N’ Roll melodies very much.
To sum up, Rock ‘N’ Roll and its leader Elvis Presley have a significant part in the American Global context. One of the conjunctions of the chain of American globalization during the fifties was Turkey. Like the other countries, Turkey was ready to absorb every essence of Americanization. American Rock ‘N’ Roll and its famous star Elvis Presley was absorbed easily by Turkish youth, because although they were not aware of it, they were the citizens of a rapidly globalizing world that was being managing by America. However, it is moot that Turkey was absorbing America whether in a right way or not. For me, Turkey neglected some key points while it was being Americanized. During the period when Turkey was trying to be Americanized, they just internalized American life style and culture, instead of trying to learn about the ways of its systematic development. That was why gaps in Turkish culture existed.