A 70 Year Evolution of Contemporary Pop Music
An Evolution Of Pop Music - 1950s - Now
The term "pop music" originally referred to the music that was simply popular at the time, regardless of the genre that the individual songs were classified under. However, as time went on popular music genres and styles intermingled, creating a unique blend of influences that characterizes modern pop music as its own genre. The pop genre was distinguished by its largely teen and young adult fan base who were typically more open to radical changes that go against the current of more traditional genres.
The 1950s
The '50s marked the infancy of true pop music as this was a time that artists began playing with stylistic choices and deviating from the confines of a single genre. An influential player in the blurring of genre lines was Mitch Miller, a producer working with Columbia Records, who was known for combining country, blues, and folk music with mainstream rock'n'roll to create a new element that was unique to the market (Myers). The '50s can be characterized by artists such as Ray Charles and Chuck Berry, but the decade is most remembered for the rise of Elvis Presley. "Hound Dog" was originally recorded by Big Mama Thornton in 1953 but Elvis released his version of the song in 1956. Elvis' version was an instant sensation and was one of his best-selling singles of all time. There was a lot of controversy regarding the release including disputes over authorship and copyright infringement (Wikipedia).
The 1960s
With the introduction of the portable radio, pop music was traveling and picking up influences at a more rapid pace. From the beaches of California rose the Beach Boys, who combined pop harmonies with their signature "surf rock" rhythm. The '60s were characterized by the British Invasion into American pop charts. It was at this time that the Beatles wildly gained popularity in the U.S. and were the driving force behind the pop genre for the decade. Pop was no longer focused on solo-pop artists, but was branching out into multiple members and served as the rise for the boy bands (Myers). The Beatles' song "Hey Jude" was released in August of 1968 as a non-album single and was monumentally successful (Wikipedia).
The 1970s
Pop in the '70s was really dynamic as subgenres began to gain popularity. Some examples include power pop which had influences of punk rock, and country pop which came from country artists' attempts to break into the mainstream market. However, the pop-rock sound was the most characteristic product of the '70s. This decade saw the rise of the Jackson 5, Elton John, and Queen, all of whom to some extent, are still extremely popular today (Myers). Elton John's "Bennie and the Jets" really exemplifies the rock aspect with a prominent electric guitar and drumset accompaniment and Elton John almost yelling the lyrics. You can view a live performance of the song here. With similar accompaniment, Queen's "We Are The Champions" was released in October 1977 as part of their album, News of the World, and is considered one of rock's most recognizable anthems (Wikipedia).
The 1980s
Digital recording was another technological advancement that had a significant impact on the growth of the pop genre. This decade was characterized by the integration of synthesizers and electronic sounds which resulted in the dance-pop subgenre. Michael Jackson made his debut as a solo artist at this time and became the biggest pop star of the decade. His album Thriller is still the best-selling album of all time in which he merged pop, rock, and funk into a distinct sound. Female pop artists such as Whitney Houston and Madonna had a rise in stardom as well, with Madonna becoming the most successful female artist of the decade (Myers). Michael Jackson's song "Thriller" was released in the U.S. in 1984 as a nod to Jackson's love of film and was regarded as a pop culture phenomenon (Wikipedia).
The 1990s
The 2000s
The '00s were a mixed bag of pop subgenres with unique influences on traditional pop music. There was teen pop in the form of music by Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera. Blink 182 brought back the pop rock and power pop style which opened a door for artists within the pop-punk genre to emerge, such as Fall Out Boy and Simple Plan. R&B and Hip Hop influences were heard in Rihanna's work as well as Destiney's Child and continued with Beyonce after she left the band in 2000. Electronic sounds were brought back in Lady Gaga's album Poker Face which was awarded two Grammys (Myers). "Poker Face" was released in 2008 and was extremely influential in the pop scene (Wikipedia).
The 2010s - Today
The 2010s was also a melting pot of pop genres as artists attempted to break into the market. A characteristic of the decade is that it possessed a lack of singular identity and evolved quickly, largely as a result of internet fan culture. Artists had to pay close attention to the ever-shifting trends to gain and retain popularity. To stand out in an oversaturated market, artists were required to push the envelope to generate a hit song. There was a short burst of EDM in the pure form of Skrillex and Avicii while having influences on other artists such as Justin Bieber and The Chainsmokers. There was also another rise in alt-pop that utilized vocal style choices that emotes a more raspy and grungy feel. This can be heard in artists like Billie Eilish, Halsey, and Lorde. At this point, it is difficult to define what pop music is because of the unlimited influences that have changed the genre into its own unique set of subgenres that span widely (Martoccio et al).
As usual, very thorough post, great work. I just want to add a couple of my favorites from those some of the decades:
ReplyDelete1950's - Tutti Frutti by Little Richard: great upbeat song, gets me going every time I hear it.
1970's - Crocodile Rock by Elton John: great song.
1980's - Born in the U.S.A. by Bruce Springsteen: the whole album is great. It is more rock than pop but still worth checking out.
Great work.
I had never really considered music produced in the 50s-90s as "pop", but your definition of pop definitely cleared that up for me. I appreciated your definition of pop as well, because it provided some general framework for what the genre meant, but it left the true, specific definition up to the generation of listeners. The definition of pop really changed throughout the years, and your post provided great insight on the specific changes from decade to decade. As always, your post was incredibly thorough, and I really appreciated learning about the evolutions of pop music throughout the decades. Looking forward to your post next week !!
ReplyDelete