Rock the bop

Posted by ESC on April 10, 2003

In Reply to: Rock the bop posted by TheFallen on April 09, 2003

: : : What's the meaning "rock the bop"?

: : : Thanks

: : I don't know. You're Bob, you tell me! :-) Could it be to do with musical genres? Rock music influencing or taking the place of Bop, which of course is some sort of Jazz. If not, then maybe a more general meaning of "rock" is implied, as in "this thing rocks!" (i.e. is very good). Thirdly, there's the the "rock" of "rock me baby" or "if you won't rock me, somebody will." What "rock" means here exactly is anyone's guess. I'm guessing it's something that rhymes with rock...
: : Cheers
: : Anders

: Pure guesswork, given the fact that no context is provided, but I'd say that it's clearly musical. I think that the verb "rock" here means to play music loud and excitingly and the noun "bop" is referring to the music being played. Anders is right in that "bop" originally strictly meant a type of complex jazz, but I think that it evolved in more general usage to mean any type of music with a danceable beat - cf the verb "to bop" that just means to dance.

This was all before my time. So I'm not sure how this all fits together. Enjoy:

BEBOP, BOP -- "After World War II, a new, innovative and experimental style of jazz began to emerge in the small clubs of Harlem, and to its practitioners and fans it - bebop - was musical freedom.The importance of bop does not lie in its contribution to the language, although the movement did popularize the term hipster and it gives us early use of 'cool' and early overuse of 'dig.' Its mark was as musical movement and as a cultural bridge from the swing and jive era of 1937-1945 to the hipsters of the 1950s, who in turn gave way to the Beats." "Bebop" was originally used in jazz lyrics as a "nonsense word." (This same reference says "bop" in hip-hop and rap means "to walk in an arrogant manner.") "Flappers 2 Rappers: American Youth Slang" by Tom Dalzell (Merriam-Webster Inc., Springfield, Md., 1996).

Then there's a dance, the bop. And a song, which, according to one site, was a Brenda Lee song (BRENDA LEE, Brenda Mae Tarpley, Born: Dec 11, 1944, Atlanta, Georgia.) home.online.no/~smpeders/ind-roc.htm

ROCK THE BOP
Oh, well I'm old enough to kick
And old enough to rock a the bop
Oh, well I'm old enough to kick
And old enough to rock a the bop
I got on my swinging jeans and looking for a dream,
Cause I'm old enough to rock the bop