Music becomes powerful because it attaches itself to memory.
A song does not merely remind us of its melody.
It can remind us of who we were when we first heard it.
## The Beginning of a Musical Revolution
1955 did not finish the transformation of popular music.
It began something much larger.
Within a few years, Elvis Presley would become a global superstar.
Chuck Berry’s guitar style would influence generations of musicians.
Little Richard’s performance energy would become legendary.
The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Beach Boys, and countless other artists would later build upon the foundations laid by the pioneers of the 1950s.
The musical revolution that began gathering momentum in 1955 would eventually reshape fashion, youth culture, television, film, advertising, and even ideas about personal identity.
That is why the songs of the year deserve to be remembered.
They were not simply hits.
They were pieces of a cultural transformation.
## A Time We Can Still Hear
