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Pop music
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Pop music is an ample and imprecise category of modern music not defined by artistic considerations but by its potential audience or prospective market. Pop is music composed with deliberate intent to appeal to the majority of its contemporaries.[1][2][3]
In opposition to music that requires education or formation to appreciate, a defining characteristic of pop music is that anyone is able to enjoy it. Artistic concepts such as complex musical form and aesthetics are not a concern in the writing of pop songs, the primary objectives being audience enjoyment and commercial success.[4]
Although pop music is produced with a view to sell records and do well in the charts, it does not necessitate wide acclaim or commercial success: there are bad or failed pop songs.[5]
Initially the term was an abbreviation of, and synonymous to, popular music, but evolved circa 1954 to describe a specific musical category.[6]
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The standard format of pop music is the song, customarily less than five minutes in duration, and with an instrumentation that can range from an orchestra to a lone singer. Despite this wide scope, a typical lineup in a pop band includes a lead guitarist, a bassist, a drummer (or an electronic drum machine), a keyboardist and one or more singers, ordinarily not themselves instrumentalists.
Pop songs are generally marked by a heavy rhythmic element, a mainstream style and traditional structure. The most common variant is strophic in form and focuses on memorable melodies, catchy hooks and the appeal of the verse-chorus-verse arrangement, with the chorus sharply contrasting the verse melodically, rhythmically and harmonically.[7]
Lyrics in pop compositions are usually simple and speak of universal experiences and feelings, shying away from obscure or controversial issues.
The origins of pop music can be traced to post-Second World War United States, where a succession of events made commercial sound recordings accessible to the population at large for the first time.
The chain began with the end of the Speed War, a battle between the labels of the day to enforce their own standard. The dominating format, the 10 inches (25 cm) 78 revolutions per minute (rpm) disc, was challenged in 1948 by the new 33 ⅓ rpm 12 inches (30 cm), and then in 1949 by the 45 rpm 7 inches (18 cm).[8][9] Next came the switch in the material records were made of, from shellac to vinyl;[10] the new component, combined with the slow 33 ⅓ rpm playing speed, allowed recordings to extend their duration further than was previously possible, and gave birth to the long playing record (LP).[11] Changes continued with the invention of the multitrack tape recorder, permitting completely electronic studio recordings for the first time, and the advent of stereophonic sound in 1958.[12][13]
These technical advances brought about a recorded music that was standardised, of better quality than ever before, and most importantly, easier and less costly to produce, which meant it could be offered to the public at consistently lower prices. In just one year, 1954 to 1955, the average selling price of an LP in the US dropped from US$5.95 to $3.98.[14][15] Cheaper records led to greater demand for record players, that in turn became less expensive and continued to boost sales.
These changes in sound recording, coupled with the improved economic circumstances of the era, led the general public to purchase records like never before. Music ceased to be a minority ware with limited following and became a mass-market commodity with an enormous audience. The new financial prospects and opportunities for secure investment attracted capital, which began applying commercial merchandising techniques to music: advertising, tie-ins, cross-media marketing and others. The most infamous of these is the payola, whereby record labels pay radio stations or disc jockeys to play particular songs, artificially influencing their popularity.
The emerging role of investors in the music industry was to lead to tensions between the creative and the productive sides of the business, with the former accusing the latter of excessive concern with commercial success. In many cases the artists won and retained the idiosyncrasies of their style; those battles the musicians lost to the producers resulted in what we call pop music today.
In contrast to genres with clear origins and a traceable evolution, pop developed, and continues to expand, as a haphazard merging of styles. Pop is an amalgam of successive fashions, of elements of many differing styles that have been successful over the years and have ended up incorporated into the genre. This section introduces the most significant tunes of each decade, and shows the progression of pop to its current form. Because performers of all varieties have released tracks that can be classified as pop, this article analyses songs, and does not list names of acts, bands, musicians or singers. For these please see the List of artists who reached number one on the Hot 100 (U.S.), List of artists who reached number one on the UK Singles Chart and List of artists by total number of U.S. number-one singles.
The first songs to belong to the new category were crossover styles from the standard formats of the day. In country music, instrumental soloing was de-emphasised and more prominent vocals added, commonly backed by a string section and vocal chorus, as exemplified in "(How Much Is) That Doggie In The Window", which became a hit in 1953. Two years later American folk music entered the pop spectrum with a modern version of a traditional tune, "The Yellow Rose of Texas" (1955).
Vocal performers of the great American songbook classics, crooners and big band singers, incorporated elements of other styles and orchestral enhancements to their repertoire, giving them greater formal complexity than their traditional antecedents. The 1954 Marc Blitzstein arrangement of "Mack the Knife" is an emblematic example.
This was also the decade of the advent of rock and roll, a massively influential genre that spawned innumerable changes in the social and cultural fabric of the US, and subsequently the World. The convulsion began when "Rock Around the Clock" crowned the charts in the spring and summer of 1955, and continued with "Heartbreak Hotel" in 1956 and "All Shook Up" in 1957.
Previously regional or niche formats became mainstream for the first time, some going on to become genres in their own right. Latin music entered the general consciousness with "Cherry Pink (and Apple Blossom White)" in 1955, as did Italian popular music with "Nel blu dipinto di blu" in 1958.
| 1960s | ||
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The decade kicked off a style that continues to be recorded today, the novelty song, combining humorous or parodic lyrics and simple, catchy melodies: "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini" (1960). In 1961 a new format arose around close vocal harmonies and lyrics reflecting the Californian relationship with surfing, girls and cars: Surf pop. This very successful style is epitomised by tunes like "Surfin' USA" (1963), "California Girls" (1965) and "Good Vibrations" (1966). An unusual combination of minor chords and an unexpected synthesizer formed the basis of one of the greatest hits of the first half of the decade, "Runaway" (1961), whilst in the second half a four-note electric bass riff offsetting a simple melodic arrangement brought commercial and critical success to "Windy" (1967).
The music that had radiated from the US to the rest of the World in the previous decade bounced back in this one, bringing with it nuances, variations and completely new styles. In the United Kingdom teens developed a feel for rock and roll and the blues, blending them with local traditions and giving rise to music they could relate to and perform with conviction. Youths with electric guitars began playing and writing up-tempo melodic pop, fiery rock and roll and electric blues. The British invasion (1964 to 1967) delivered a whole new range of influences to the pop world with songs like "I Want to Hold Your Hand" (1964), "Downtown" (1964) and "To Sir, with Love" (1967).
African American music broke into popular culture in a big way in this decade, bringing with it a myriad grooves and tempos, such as doo-wop, a style giving prevalence to melody-dominated homophony and vocal-based harmonies; rhythm and blues, a combination of jazz, gospel and blues; Motown, soul music with a prominent and melodic bass line, a distinctive chord structure and a call-and-response singing style:
| "Tossin' and Turnin'" (1961) "I Can't Stop Loving You" (1962) "He's So Fine" (1963) "Hello Dolly" (1964) "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)" (1965) |
"Reach Out I'll Be There" (1966) "(Sittin' on) the Dock of the Bay" (1968) "Everyday People" (1968) "I Can't Get Next to You" (1969) |
Producers' involvement in the business reached new levels in 1965 when Raybert Productions set out to create a pop band from scratch, selecting the members by their looks, dancing ability and appeal to different personalities of fan, rather than musical prowess. The company controlled every aspect of the group, from choice of music to individual behaviours, and guided them to extraordinary success in music, television and cinema. This type of prefabricated band was termed manufactured pop and is the precursor of boy bands and girl groups. The greatest hit by the original act was "I'm a Believer" (1967), followed shortly after by a number one from the second of these manufactured groups, "Sugar, Sugar" in 1969.
| 1970s | ||
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Singer-songwriters and other folk-based artists were the biggest contributors to the pop genre in the first half of this decade, from 1970's "Bridge over Troubled Water" and "(They Long to Be) Close to You", through 1971's "It's Too Late", to 1972's "American Pie", "Alone Again (Naturally)" and "Without You".
The main influence to the genre in the second half of the decade came from disco, a dance-oriented style with soaring, reverberated vocals, a steady beat and prominent, syncopated electric bass lines: "Disco Lady" and "Play That Funky Music" (both 1976), "I Just Want to Be Your Everything" (1977), "Night Fever" and "Stayin' Alive" (both 1978), "Bad Girls", "Le Freak" and "YMCA" (all three 1979).
The country music that had been a founding influence re-entered pop in 1973 with "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree", and then again in 1975 with "Rhinestone Cowboy".
Sounds from the UK continued to cross the Atlantic and influence American music, with pop rock songs like "Maggie May" (1971), "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?" (1978) and "My Sharona" (1979); and simple pop tunes such as "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" and "Silly Love Songs", both from 1979.
The African American rhythms that had so affected pop in the previous decade were still producing hits and expanding the limits of the genre in this one. Disco, an almost entirely African American creation, was joined in the charts by protest songs ("War" (1970)), soulful ballads ("The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" (1972), "Killing Me Softly with His Song" and "Let's Get It On" (both 1973)), and by more upbeat compositions ("Best of My Love" (1977)).
A few other successes, difficult to classify outside mainstream pop but that impacted the genre, were "Love Will Keep Us Together" (1975) and "December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night)" (1976).
| 1980s | ||
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The mutual benefits the film and music industries could afford each other were evidenced in this decade by the songs from movie soundtracks that became chart-toppers: "Eye of the Tiger", from 1982's Rocky III; "Flashdance... What a Feeling", from Flashdance (1983); "Footloose" from the eponymous 1983 film; "Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)" from 1984's Against All Odds; and "Say You, Say Me", out of the 1985 blockbuster White Nights.
The return influences of pop were having a greater impact in this decade than ever before. Hits in the US charts came from the UK, "Careless Whisper", "Wake Me Up Before You Go Go" (both 1984), "Faith" (1987), "Got My Mind Set on You" and "Never Gonna Give You Up" (both 1988); and from Australia, "Need You Tonight" (1987).
The rock genre delivered a good number of pop hits this decade, with bands otherwise protective of their roots delving briefly into commercialism. See "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" (1982), "Centerfold", "Every Breath You Take" (both 1983), "Down under" (1983, also from Australia), "I Want to Know What Love Is" (1985) and "Sweet Child o' Mine" (1988).
Producers wishing to multiply their markets tried bringing two accomplished acts together, aggregating the fans of one to those of the other. The concept worked, and the following combinations became hits: "Endless Love" (1981), "Ebony and Ivory" (1982), "Say Say Say" (1983) and "On My Own" (1986).
Pop music came of age in this decade, crowning its own King and Queen of the genre, artists that left behind them histories with other styles and devoted themselves wholeheartedly to, or began whole careers in, pop. Primary examples are "Rock with You" (1980), "Billie Jean", "Beat It" (both 1983), "Like a Virgin" (1984 and 1985) and "Straight Up" (1989).
The African American influence on the genre reached new heights with songs like "What's Love Got to Do with It?" and "I Feel for You" in 1984, "Shake You Down" and "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)" in 1987, "My Prerogative" in 1988 and "Miss You Much" in 1989.
A new kind of release debuted in this decade, the charity record, aimed at raising funds for a particular cause held dear by the performer(s). The first of these came from the British Isles in 1984, "Do They Know It's Christmas?", followed in 1985 by "We Are the World", and by "That's What Friends Are For" in 1986.
| 1990s | ||
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The nineties were clearly the decade of the female pop artist, their successful singles greatly outnumbering those of male performers. A few of the most significant are "Hold On", "Nothing Compares 2 U" and "Vogue" (all 1990), "Rush Rush" (1991), "Save the Best for Last" (1992), "That's the Way Love Goes", "The Power of Love" and "Hero" (all 1993), "Creep" (1994), "Waterfalls" (1995), "Always Be My Baby" (1996), "You Were Meant for Me" and "Un-Break My Heart" (both late 1996 and early 1997), "How Do I Live" (1997), "You're Still the One" and "Believe" (both 1998), and "...Baby One More Time" (late 1998 and early 1999), and "No Scrubs" (1999).
Following-up on the very positive results of the eighties, the music and film industries continued to scratch each other's backs in this decade, including pop songs in soundtracks and releasing them as singles. Defining hits of the genre include "It Must Have Been Love" from 1990's Pretty Woman; from New Jack City "I Wanna Sex You Up" and from Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" (both 1991); "End of the Road" from Boomerang, and "I Will Always Love You" from The Bodyguard (both 1992); "Can't Help Falling in Love" from 1993's Sliver; "Gangsta's Paradise" from Dangerous Minds and "Kiss from a Rose" from Batman Forever (both 1995); and "Because You Loved Me" from 1996's Up Close & Personal.
Dance music broke out of a specialised section of the market into pop in this decade, with hits such as "Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)" (1991), "The Sign" (1993) and "Macarena" (1996).
African American influences continued to permeate pop music in the nineties, with hip hop-inspired tunes becoming mainstream for the first time. Indicative examples are "Baby Got Back" and "Jump" (both 1992), "On Bended Knee" and "I'll Make Love to You" (both 1994), and "I'll Be Missing You" and "Can't Nobody Hold Me Down" (both 1997).
From outside the US came two massive hits, one of the best selling singles of all time came from the UK, "Candle in the Wind 1997", while from Australia came "Truly Madly Deeply" (1998).
| 2000s | ||
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In a similar vein to the previous decade, female singers had a big influence on the pop genre in the noughties, with soulful ballads, hip hop pieces and dance tracks: "Fallin'" and "All for You" (both 2001), "Foolish" (2002), "Crazy in Love" (2003), "If I Ain't Got You" and "1, 2 Step" (both 2004), "We Belong Together", "Hollaback Girl" and "Since U Been Gone" (all 2005).
Pop rock made forays into the realms of pop with consecrated artists and newcomers both introducing songs to the genre: "Smooth" and "Maria Maria" (both 2000), "Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me)" (2001) and "This Love" (2003).
Once more, African Americans contributed heartily to pop, with diverse influences. Some hits were hip hop-based, such as "Hot in Herre" and "Dilemma" (both 2002), "In da Club" and "Ignition" (both 2003), and "Yeah!" (2004). Other chart-toppers were variations on reggae beats ("Get Busy" (2003)) or more traditional rap compositions ("The Way You Move" (2003)).
Entirely digital productions have integrated new technology and sounds in recent years. As electronic dance music entered the mainstream, pop artists started using producers and remixers from electronic dance, who in turn have contributed to the pop genre.
- ^ Collins English Language Dictionary: pop (html). Retrieved on 2007-12-01.
- ^ Shuker, Roy (1994). Understanding Popular Music. Routledge. “Commercially mass produced music for a mass market, and including the variety of genres variously subsumed by terms such as rock and roll, rock, dance, hip hop and R&B.”
- ^ Rimmer, D. (1985). Like Punk Never Happened: Culture Club and the New Pop. Faber. “The new pop isn't rebellious. It embraces the star system. It conflates art, business and entertainment. It cares more about sales and royalties and the strength of the dollar than anything else and to make matters worse, it isn't in the least bit guilty about it.”
- ^ Hill, D. (1986). Designer Boys and Material Girls: Manufacturing the 80's Pop Dream. Blandford Press. “Pop implies a very different set of values to rock. Pop makes no bones about being mainstream. It accepts and embraces the requirement to be instantly pleasing and to make a pretty picture of itself. Rock, on the other hand, has liked to think it was somehow more profound, non-conformist, self-directed and intelligent.”
- ^ United Kingdom Broadcasting Act 1990 — Part III, chapter I, article 85, point 6 (html). Retrieved on 2007-12-01. “Pop music includes rock music and other kinds of modern popular music which are characterised by a strong rhythmic element and a reliance on electronic amplification for their performance (whether or not, in the case of any particular piece of rock or other such music, the music in question enjoys a current popularity as measured by the number of recordings sold)”
- ^ Online Etymology Dictionary: pop (html). Retrieved on 2007-12-01.
- ^ All Music Guide genres: pop (html). Retrieved on 2007-12-01.
- ^ Billboard history — War of the speeds (html). Retrieved on 2007-12-01.
- ^ Gramophone records — Speeds (html). Retrieved on 2007-12-01.
- ^ Gramophone records — Materials (html). Retrieved on 2007-12-01.
- ^ LP album (html). Retrieved on 2007-12-01.
- ^ History of multitrack recording (html). Retrieved on 2007-12-01.
- ^ Stereophonic sound (html). Retrieved on 2007-12-01.
- ^ Chronomedia, 1954 (html). Retrieved on 2007-12-01.
- ^ Chronomedia, 1955 (html). Retrieved on 2007-12-01.
- Adorno, Theodor W (1942) "On Popular Music". Institute of Social Research.
- Pleasants, Henry (1969) "Serious Music and All That Jazz". Simon & Schuster.
- Roxon, Lillian (1969) "Rock Encyclopedia". Grosset & Dunlap.
- Gillet, Charlie (1970) "The Sound of the City. The Rise of Rock and Roll." Outerbridge & Dienstfrey.
- Middleton, Richard (1990) "Studying Popular Music". Open University Press.
- Bindas, Kenneth J (1992) "America's Musical Pulse: Popular Music in Twentieth-Century Society". Praeger.
- Clarke, Donald (1995) "The Rise and Fall of Popular Music". St Martin's Press. [1]
- Maultsby, Portia K (1996) "Intra- and International Identities in American Popular Music." Trading Culture.
- Dolfsma, Wilfred (1999) "Valuing Pop Music: Institutions, Values and Economics". Eburon.
- Starr, Larry & Waterman, Christopher (2002) "American Popular Music: From Minstrelsy to MTV". Oxford University Press.
- Frith, Simon (2004) "Popular Music: Critical Concepts in Media and Cultural Studies". Routledge.
- Dolfsma, Wilfred. (2004) "Institutional Economics and the Formation of Preferences: The Advent of Pop Music". Edward Elgar Publishing.
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| By style | Arabesque pop - Baroque pop - Bubblegum pop - Country pop - Futurepop - Glam rock - Pop rock - Pop punk Pop rap - Power pop - Synthpop/Electropop - Indie pop - Teen pop - Traditional pop - Glam metal - Glam punk - Sunshine pop - Modern Laika - Pop folk - Balkan Pop |
| By region | American pop -Arabic Pop - C-pop (Cantopop, Mandopop) - Taiwanese pop - HK English pop - Europop (Austropop, Nederpop) Indian pop (Bhangra, Filmi) - J-pop - K-pop - SFR Yugoslavia pop- Persian Pop |
| Other topics | Boy band - Girl group - Pop icon - Popular music - Pop culture |