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There seems to be some kind of connection between rock bands and sunglasses. In fact this connection seems to run so deep that some rock musicians never seem take their sunglasses off. A famous rock star is perhaps the only type of person who is able to get away with wearing their shades at night; its like the glasses are performing some other kind of function highly unrelated to their normal job of filtering the sun. There is a definite air of cool that accompanies someone wearing a nice pair of sunglasses, and it is rock musicians maybe more than anyone else who depend on this type of attitude and presence for their success. Many rock bands throughout the decades have worn sunglasses to boost their image and keep their cool.

Ever since the early jazz and blues days at the beginning of the 20th century there has been musicians wearing sunglasses, both on stage and off stage. The sunglasses phenomena really took off with the advent of rock and roll in the late 50s and early 60s. Some bands are more tied to the sunglasses image than others, with some bands like The Ramones and some artists such as Bono from U2 rarely being seen without their shades on. ZZ Top are another band who always seemed to have their glasses well and truly on. As rock music has evolved into a more commercial and competitive beast, artists are now often wearing designer sunglasses in order to make sure they are projecting the best image they possibly can.

Some rock bands today seem to have to be seen with the right kind of designer shades that are matched perfectly with the rest of their outfit. This might seem a long way from the care free punk attitude of the 70s, but all eras of rock have had an associated image to adhere to. In the 50s and 60s crooners like Elvis Presley wore shades that matched the cool attitude and aloofness given off by their dark suits. In the 60s and early 70s the hippies wore sunglasses too, with Jimi Hendrix and John Lennon each having their own recognizable sunglasses style. The punk music of the late 70s and early 80s and the glam metal of the 80s all had a healthy relationship to sunglasses as well. The Ramones, Axl Rose and Slash from Guns n Roses and stars like David Bowie all produced an image that was at times reliant on the use of sun glasses.

Rock bands and musicians like sunglasses for a number of reasons. Firstly, they make you look cool. By not being able to achieve eye contact with a star, a kind of cool aloofness has been created that distances the spectator from the spectacle. Sunglasses also give a star a sense of privacy, as with a pair of shades at least their eyes can be free to wander without scrutiny.