Pop music

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]

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.^[3]

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.^[4]

Initially the term was an abbreviation of, and synonymous to, popular music, but evolved circa 1954 to describe a specific musical category.^[5]

Characteristics

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.^[6]

Lyrics in pop compositions are usually simple and speak of universal experiences and feelings, shying away from obscure or controversial issues.

History

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. In 1948 the dominating format, the Template:In to cm 78 revolutions per minute (rpm) disc, was challenged by the new 33 ⅓ rpm Template:In to cm, and then in 1949 by the 45 rpm Template:In to cm.^[7][8] Next came the switch in the material records were made of, from shellac to vinyl;^[9] 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).^[10] 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.^[11][12]

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.^[13][14] Cheaper records led to greater demand for record players, that in turn became less expensive and continued to boost sales.

These changes in the music industry, coupled with the improved economic circumstances of the time, were to make music accessible to the general public in a way never seen before.

Evolution

For reasons of succinctness this article does not list names of pop music acts, bands, musicians or singers. For these, please see the List of pop music performers, 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.

1950s

In the middle of the decade the term pop music evolved from a synonym of popular music to identify a specific musical style. 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.

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

The decade kicked off with a style that continues to be recorded today, and that had considerable weight in the establishment of pop as a successful genre, 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 came about, built 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).

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).

An unusual combination of minor chords and an unexpected synthesizer formed the basis of one of the greatest hits of the early decade, "Runaway" (1961), whilst one of the second half was built around a four-note electric bass riff offsetting a simple melodic arrangement, "Windy" (1967).

1970s

Bee Gees, ABBA, the piano-based pop of Billy Joel and Elton John become famous in these years. Other important musicians included Carole King, The Jackson Five, Olivia Newton-John, Michael Jackson with his 20 million selling album Off the Wall and Donna Summer.

During the 1970s in Britain, New Wave and Punk brought bands like Siouxsie and the Banshees, Blondie, Talking Heads, Ian Dury, Elvis Costello, The Police and The Stranglers into the pop charts. A mod revival spearheaded by The Jam and Madness followed and opened the way for The Specials, UB40 and Dexys Midnight Runners.

1980s

1980s

Highlights for pop music in the 1980s are Michael Jackson's second Epic label release, Thriller, which went on to become the best-selling album of all time, with sales of 104 million. Jackson was the most successful artist of the 80s, spanning nine #1 singles in the United States alone during that decade, and selling over 136 million copies with only two albums — Thriller, and its follow-up Bad. Since the late eighties/early nineties, Jackson has been often referred to and regarded as the "King of Pop".

Another important artist in the 1980s was Madonna. Considered the "Queen of Pop", Madonna had a unique mix of pop music with other musical genres, including electronic, Dance and R&B.

Prince also made a popular impact in the 1980s, and he was particularly adored by music critics. A large number of his albums and singles topped or held prominent positions on the yearly Village Voice Jazz and Pop Poll including albums 1999, Purple Rain, and Sign "o" the Times. Songs like "When Doves Cry" and "U Got the Look" were hits for Prince, as were songs he penned for others such as "Manic Monday" (performed by the Bangles) or "I Feel for You" (performed by Chaka Kahn).

Other top-selling artists included Cher, Tiffany, Janet Jackson, Huey Lewis & The News, Cyndi Lauper, U2, Simply Red, Whitney Houston, and George Michael (and Wham). Pop music in the 1980s was heavily influenced by an electronic sound with synthesizers and drum machines, and dance type music.

1990s

Among the most successful pop acts of the 1990s were Pop-influenced Hip Hop/Dance acts such as Salt N Pepa, No Doubt, MC Hammer, and C+C Music Factory. Non-R&B artists such as Cher , Jewel, pop country singer Shania Twain, and Alanis Morissette were also successful. Mariah Carey and TLC became popular artists of the 1990s, with many hits.

Boy bands and girl groups such as New Kids on the Block and the Backstreet Boys ,TLC, Hanson, *NSYNC, and the Spice Girls. The late 90s saw a resurgence of female bubble gum divas, most noticeably Christina Aguilera, Jessica Simpson and Britney Spears.

Australia had Savage Garden and Kylie Minogue. The Latin pop explosion with Ricky Martin, Jennifer Lopez, and Shakira. The 1990s also saw the beginnings of a surgence in pop into the Asian market, known as J-pop, as originated from Japan.

Furthermore, a lot of successful singers such as Michael Jackson, Madonna, Janet Jackson, Whitney Houston and others continued producing hits. For most of these singers, the 90's were their most successful decade.

2000s

In the 2000s, pop music chart-toppers included Black Eyed Peas, Fergie, Gwen Stefani, Justin Timberlake, Jennifer Lopez, Hilary Duff, Jessica Simpson and Ashlee Simpson. Robbie Williams recorded the biggest sales worldwide for a male artist. Well established artists who continued to have success include Madonna, , Mariah Carey, Usher Raymond, Kylie Minogue and Michael Jackson.

Other trends included Teen pop singers such as Disney Channel stars like The Cheetah Girls and Ashley Tisdale. Pop punk acts such as Simple Plan and Fall Out Boy have become increasingly popular, as well as pop rock, with acts such as P!nk, Avril Lavigne. A new present star that is selling out of tickets is Hannah Montana, otherwise known as Miley Cyrus.

The popular American reality program American Idol has produced many successful Pop artists, most notably Kelly Clarkson, Clay Aiken, Katharine McPhee, Chris Daughtry, Elliott Yamin, Jordin Sparks, and country pop artists Carrie Underwood and Kellie Pickler. In Latin America, multi-platinum pop group RBD has achieved a great commercial success becoming the best-selling Latin act on the 2000s. R&B and pop music blended in music from Nelly Furtado, Rihanna, JoJo and the Pussycat Dolls.

References

See also