POP

As a young nation, America began to develop its own distinctive style of Classical and Folk music, first starting by altering familiar songs brought overseas from European immigrants, and slowly evolving a unique sound. Prior to the widespread production of printed sheet music and phonographic recordings, popular folk songs and classical works were shared amongst music consumers through live performance and aural (by ear) transmission. The advent of printed and recorded music did two things to develop pop music: make more music available and consumable and give production control to publishers and producers who could begin to create and market music for the pure goal of commercial success. It was in this climate that American Popular Music was born.

Popular music is, by definition, music with a broad appeal. In America, this has come to mean lyric-focused songs that are highly relatable in content - either because artists sing about universal experiences or about aspirational experiences (things typical Americans would dream or hope for). The tone of these songs tend to provoke more positive moods (though Pop music is not lacking in sad songs), and promote a sense of feeling good - where even the sad songs tend to be cathartic. In addition, with the direct connection to consumers through record and sheet music sales, music producers and publishing houses began to focus on the marketability of music as never before.

THE TURN OF THE 20th CENTURY: PARLOR MUSIC & TIN PAN ALLEY

In addition to increasing the availability of music to the average American, the development of mass-produced sheet music and phonographic records did something else for American music: it made music a direct-to-consumer product that could be tracked and predicted. In this environment, music producers and record companies began to influence public musical tastes like never before. The trend of amateur music-making in American households at the turn of the 20th century meant that the American parlor was in demand of new, memorable, and easily-performable music. Tin Pan Alley - the hub of music publishers in New York City that began to build starting in the mid-1880’s - was quick to fill this need. A formulaic song “product” was developed for mass consumption that usually included a verse and chorus in song form with a singable and memorable melody, and lyrics with mass appeal. These songs were composed by hired songwriters working as individuals, pairs, or teams who might be contracted with a specific publisher or work as freelance songwriters.¹

The close proximity of these publishers and songwriters resulted in a consistent style of American Popular Music and gave the industry the opportunity to develop ideas, policies (especially copyright law!), and other cultural practices by intermingling their work.

The powerful influence of Tin Pan Alley continued to around 1910 when most of the music publishers went out of business or left the area for newer buildings around New York City. Even though the collective scattered, most that stayed in operation still published out of New York City which would remain the main source of Popular Music influences in the United States until the development of Rock’n’Roll in the South during the 1930’s and 40’s. Despite popular culture continuing to progress, songs from the Tin Pan Alley era continued to make appearances in Pop music venues decades in the future due to their positioning as Pop standards in the American music scene.²

THE 1950’s: CLINGING TO TRADITION

It wasn’t until the 1950’s when Pop Music was classified as its own entity. At this time, music critics used the term to distinguish the type of ~3’ lyric-driven songs on the radio from the genre of Classical music. In this ear, a “pop” song could have been anything from the Rock, Jazz, or R&B genres, as well as is evident with the type of songs on Billboard’s Hot 100 Chart starting in 1958 (prior to 1958, Billboard ratings were divided by sales, radio play, and jukebox play). As Rock’n’Roll rose to popularity and made its way to no. 1 on the charts, other songs that were distinctly not-Rock filled in the top slot prior to 1956, including:

• “Goodnight Irene” (1950) - Gordon Jenkins and The Weavers - Pop/Country

• “Too Young” (1951) - Nat King Cole - Pop

• “Blue Tango” (1952) - Leroy Anderson - Pop (instrumental)

• “The Song from Moulin Rouge (Where Is Your Heart)” (1953) - Percy Faith - Pop (instrumental)

• “Little Things Mean a Lot” (1954) - Kitty Kallen - Pop

• “Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White” (1955) - Pérez Prado - Salsa/Latin

• “Heartbreak Hotel” (1956) - Elvis Presley - Rock’n’Roll

• “All Shook Up” (1957) - Elvis Presley - Rock’n’Roll

• “Volare” (1958) - Domenico Modugno - Pop (in Italian language)

• “The Battle of New Orleans” (1959) - Johnny Horton - Country

The Pop songs on this list generally have a Classical feel to them with richly orchestrated strings, waltz-like, danceable tempi, and a dramatic singer (or a whole chorus!) - when the song is not an instrumental. Jazz harmonies had made their way into popular music by this decade and pop songs often had full string sections or symphonies backing up the singer. Through the 1950’s, the ideal pop song still carried the aesthetic of earlier Parlor and Tin Pan Alley songs and was marketed to an older crowd than in the later, teen-driven decades.

THE 1960’s: POP DIVERSIFIES

The early 1960’s felt shockwaves generated first by the arrival of Rock’n’Roll on the popular music scene, and the aftermath of the British Invasion (starting with The Beatles in 1964). Though the Beatles are often considered a Rock group, their influence over all types of popular music is undeniable. At this time, the music genre of Pop edged closer to the Rock aesthetic as Pop music producers pushed to pick up more of the teen market.

Also in this decade, MOTOWN made its first appearance, a Pop subgenre originating out of Detroit, Michigan similar to R&B and Soul. The sound of “Motown” was characterized by a bass-driven beat, vocal harmony, a medium-high energy, and often the inclusion of strings or horns. This mostly Black-driven popular music style gained national attention due, in large part, to the highly produced and commercial nature of the genre. Song writing teams with connections to record companies would write songs for single gender “girl-groups” and “boy-groups” like THE SUPREMES, THE TEMPTATIONS, and the JACKSON 5 (where Michael Jackson got his start) to perform. Solo acts like STEVIE WONDER, MARVIN GAYE, and GLADYS KNIGHT also retained the public’s ear.³

In the late 1960’s, more mainstream Pop artists began to add characteristically Classical elements to their songs in a movement that came to be known as BAROQUE POP. The Beatles lead this charge with the infusion of instrumental interludes and traditional Classical vocal harmonies (listen for the Classical piccolo trumpet solo in “All You Need Is Love” at 1:12). Other Pop groups, especially in England, followed suit with Baroque Pop songs of their own (this trend still continues to this day with modern artists like Panic! At the Disco). As “The Summer of Love” (1969) approached and popular youth culture rejected their parents’ society, the Vietnam War, and the status quo, more Folk and world music elements crept into the Pop music genre as evident in the music of the Hippie movement of the late 1960’s and early 70’s.

THE 1970’s: ROCK BECOMES POP (& DISCO FOREVER)

In the 1970’s, Rock began to lean more Pop with the development of Arena Rock and the “power ballad” - groups like Queen, Elton John, and Journey bridged the gap between Rock and Pop music. In the pure-Pop arena, however, artists continued to flourish in the vein of mainstream Pop that continued to survive from the 1950’s. Olivia Newton John (originally from Australia), Barry Manilow, and The Carpenters captured this aesthetic in the 1970’s while other artists branched into new Pop subgenres entirely.

A renewed interest in the popular music of Europe brought Swedish band ABBA to the American market with commercial hits like “Dancing Queen”. Soul, R&B and Motown also continued to be popular with adjacent artists like MARVIN GAYE, STEVIE WONDER, and DIANA ROSS still releasing no. 1 singles on the Pop charts.

The biggest evolution to Pop music came in the form of Disco in the late 1970’s. DISCO music was a combination of Funk, Soul, and Pop music with a driving dance beat propelled by the drum kit’s hi-hat cymbal, syncopated bass, and often the inclusion of strings and winds for a more symphonic texture. This music developed in the nightclubs of New York from the mid to late 1970’s and peaked at the transition into the 1980’s. In addition to Disco imports like ABBA, American disco artists included DONNA SUMMER, the BEE GEES, and GLORIA GAYNOR. While Disco as a sub-genre waned in popularity rather quickly, it did pave the way for later dance-centered Pop subgenres such as Techno and Electronic Dance Music (EDM).⁴

In addition to Disco, a large portion of Pop at this time was categorized as LIGHT ROCK or SOFT ROCK with artists delivering the spirit of Rock tunes in a more commercial, mature, and somewhat low-key package. 1970’s artists in the Light Rock sub-genre include FLEETWOOD MAC, BILLY JOEL, and STEELY DAN. An even more specific sub-genre to develop at this time was that of YACHT ROCK - Light Rock music with the specific philosophy of a carefree Southern California lifestyle including songs like Christopher Cross’ “Sailing” and Captain & Tennille’s “Love Will Keep Us Together”.

THE 1980’s: POP IS KING

The 1980’s saw bigger changes in Pop music than previous decades and most of these changes came about due to technology. The rise of popularity of the synthesizer allowed for new and interesting sounds to find their way on Pop records and more advanced recording technologies allowed for sampling and computer-generated beats. SAMPLING is the concept of pre-recording a sound (either a single sound or several seconds of music, spoken voice, or sound). Learn more about sampling and its complications in the included video!

Speaking of sampling, the video below by Vox highlights a particularly famous sample to emerge from the 1980’s (though the sample is taken from a Classical work composed in 1910) and how it still finds its way onto recent songs.

MICHAEL JACKSON

MICHAEL JACKSON is known as the King of Pop and enjoyed commercial success from the time he was a child until his death in 2009 due to a prescription drug overdose at the age of 50. When he was 5 years old, Michael joined his older siblings in a Motown group known as The Jackson 5 and became their lead singer. By the age of 13, Michael was also producing solo albums. His sixth album, Thriller, that he released at the age of 23 was a smash success, holding the no. 1 album title for 37 consecutive weeks and netting Jackson eight Grammy awards.

Jackson brought a fresh, highly precise quality to Pop music that launched the genre into the highly-produced and newly digitized era of the 1980’s. His vocal control and intimate, often breathy delivery was another unique addition to the genre. On top of his incredible musicality, Jackson’s visual aesthetic and fashion sense were equally iconic. He popularized the moonwalk and often performed with a single crystal-studded white glove.

In all, Jackson produced 30 songs to make it in the Billboard Top 10 as a solo artist - 13 of which hit no. 1 including “Billy Jean” (1983), “Beat It” (1983), “Thriller” (1984), and “The Way You Make Me Feel” (1988).

Michael Jackson led a complicated life that included a marriage to Elvis Presley’s daughter, Lisa Marie, strained relationships with his family and three children, and an alleged addiction to plastic surgery and skin lightening procedures following a burn injury he sustained while filming a commercial in 1984. In addition, accusations of sexual abuse from young men and boys peppered his career. ⁵

NEW WAVE, SYNTH POP & TECHNO

More big trends to develop in the 1980’s included New Wave, Synth Pop, House, and Techno. NEW WAVE was a genre that emerged in the late 1970’s with a Pop aesthetic and heavy use of electronics but included the philosophical energy and the rejection of establishment of the Punk Rock sub-genre. New Wave artists were often English but American artists included BLONDIE, TALKING HEADS, and OINGO BOINGO. Within New Wave, SYNTH POP was a subgenre of the New Wave trend that also exploded in popularity in the 1980’s - again, lead by English artists like DURAN DURAN, DEPECHE MODE, and EURYTHMICS, the Synth Pop sub-genre was characterized by the domination of the synthesizer as the generator of most, if not all, non-vocal music on a track. A synthesizer could deliver keyboard-like sounds as well as fill in electronic drum, electronic wind and string instrument patches, sound effects, and computer produced noises.

In Detroit and Chicago, even more electronically-influenced Pop sub-genres were beginning to emerge, filling the hole that Disco left in the dance music scene. In fact, Chicago’s early HOUSE music was developed by DJs (“Disc Jockeys”) spinning Disco records and adding more electronic elements and a more insistent beat and bass line. In Detroit, TECHNO, was evolving parallel to the Techno music being developed in Germany by artists like Kraftwerk. Techno is another DJ-driven genre that focuses on a straightforward, danceable beat (usually around 120 bpm) and the DJ’s skill in blending various samples or songs to create a sort of danceable medley or blend.

MTV

One of the most major events in American Pop Music history occurred at midnight on August 1st, 1981 when MTV (the Music Television network) launched on cable television with a video of English Synth-Pop band THE BUGGLES and their aptly-titled Pop song, “Video Killed the Radio Star”. The channel became the nexus of popular music and adolescent culture in the United States for the next decade, bringing Pop music stars closer to average fans than ever before with video play, live performances, and interviews. In addition, the channel also connected with teens outside of music by launching public service announcement campaigns that included anti-drug and safe sex messages. By 1985, the channel began to air non-music shows that were still geared toward teen culture. Today, the channel consists of mostly original programming and gone are the days of the music video - but its influence on popular music for the first several decades of broadcast are undeniable.⁶

THE 1990’s: R&B

The 1990’s saw a renewed popularity of R&B which had been developing parallel to Pop in previous decades but had not garnered as much commercial success since the 1950’s. R&B artists of this time included MARIAH CAREY, BOYS II MEN, TONI BRAXTON, and WHITNEY HOUSTON. A challenge in this era is distinguishing Pop from R&B in the first place as most songs making it to no. 1 on the Pop charts are from the R&B idiom. In the 1990’s “R&B” was often used to categorize Pop music by Black artists. The 90’s were a time of solo artists and dramatic, emotional singles that Pop music had not seen the likes of since the crooners of the 1950’s. Pop/R&B artist Mariah Carey captured America’s attention with her staggering 5-octave range. In her music career, Carey has peaked 19 songs at no. 1 on the Billboard charts - including her 1994 Christmas Pop hit, “All I Want for Christmas Is You” that regularly makes it to no. 1 during the holiday season (including in 2020 and potentially again in 2021). Soft Rock, once again, gained popularity after a dip in interest in the 1980’s. Soft Rock artists of the 1990’s included Bryan Adams and Eric Clapton (as a solo artist).

In the latter half of the 90’s, the US pop charts encountered a phenomenon later labeled the “LATIN EXPLOSION” in which popular music artists from Latin American countries and Latin American communities of the United States rose to prominence on the Pop charts. Artists including Ricky Martin (Puerto Rico), Enrique Iglesias (Spain), Shakira (Colombia), Juanes (Colombia), and Carlos Santana (Mexico) - who had enjoyed popularity in the 1970’s but saw a resurgence in interest after several collaborations with modern artists in the 1990’s. Popular song releases included both English and Spanish versions of singles as well as Latin rhythms and percussion that gave this trend a distinctive style.

THE 2000’s:

The 2000’s saw another focus on teens as consumers with the biggest stars of the era delivered in the form of manufactured “boy bands” or Disney child stars launching solo careers as young adults.

While Boy Bands had been around since the 1960’s (many label The Beatles as the first “boy band”), the formula did not begin to replicate in rapid succession until the 1990’s with groups like NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK. Boy bands of this period were generally produced by a record company combining the talents of several solo artist hopefuls to deliver a package greater than the sum of its parts. Boy bands were stylized, well-choreographed operations with each member fulfilling musical and emotional niches (there was usually at least a high voice, a low voice, a lead voice, and a rapper - and a “fun boy”, a “sensitive boy”, a “serious boy”, and a “bad boy”). Boy bands like BACKSTREET BOYS and *NSYNC (lead by JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE who enjoyed a successful solo artist career following the group’s breakup) were marketed to consumers in the late 90’s and through the 2000’s - especially to teen girls who would become diehard fans of one band and one or two members in particular. This trend continues in modern Pop acts like One Direction and the dozens of all-boy K-Pop groups that have recently surged in popularity.

On the other end of the spectrum, the 2000’s saw an explosion of solo Pop Divas including Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, and Beyoncé. BRITNEY SPEARS and CHRISTINA AGUILERA both started their music careers as child stars on the Disney channel show The Mickey Mouse Club (check out THIS VIDEO for clips of young Spears, Aguilera, and Justin Timberlake) which was a variety and music show for kids. Britney Spears pushed sexuality in Pop music in a way that hadn’t seen pressure since 1980’s Madonna and did so with an iconic vocal fry technique in her singing style.

BEYONCÉ KNOWLES has been hailed the “Queen of Pop” for her career spanning three decades including a collaboration in the trio DESTINY’S CHILD from 1990-2006 that overlapped her solo career. Beyoncé has had 7 no. 1 singles as a solo artist and 65 songs appear on the Billboard Top 100 and another 4 no. 1 hits with Destiny’s Child. “Queen Bey”s popular appeal has been rooted in her powerful feminine message and the strength and determination reflected in her work.

THE 2010’s AND THE PRESENT:

As genres continue to blur in the 21st century, the Pop category becomes more of a catch-all for everything that doesn’t quite fit into another genre’s niche. Divas like LADY GAGA and ADELE continue to thrive a decade and more into their artistic career, relying on bold vocal stylings and emotional performances.

Another strong trend is the inclusion of Pop songs from other world traditions outside the United States on American Top 100 charts. 2017 saw the release and success of Puerto Rican artists Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee’s “Despacito” - a Latin Pop song in both Spanish and English featuring Justin Bieber in the American release. The Bieber version of the song made it to the Billboard Hot 100 chart where it held no. 1 for 16 weeks - tying for the all-time record of longest song at no. 1 before it was dethroned by Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road”. J-Pop (Japanese Pop) and K-Pop (Korean Pop) have also enjoyed commercial success in the United States in recent years with groups like BTS that have already had six no. 1 hits on the Billboard Top 100 since 2020. Based on current trends, it is likely that more global Pop genres will continue to seep into American ears in the years to come.

MUSIC ELEMENTS OF POP

An enormous generalization …

ACOUSTICNESS

Over the 20th century, Pop music has evolved more electronic than acoustic with a huge emphasis on synthesizer and electronic elements starting in the 1980’s that has not let up. Prior to the 80’s, more acoustic elements were in style including live string and wind instrumentalists. The human voice has always been the focus of most Pop music.

DANCEABILITY

Most Pop music tends to be highly danceable and in most decades, Pop music was specifically designed to be danced to with faster songs staying in a range to promote quick dancing and slower songs still at a regular interval as to be slow-danced to.

ENERGY

The typical Pop song is medium to high energy as this also tends to promote the positive mood a Pop song is usually eliciting. However, many Pop songs are written with a relaxed, contented energy or a sorrowful, depressed energy, depending on the universal human emotion or experience the artist attempts to convey.

INSTRUMENTALNESS

While there are quite a few instrument-only Pop songs (especially considering many sub-genres like Disco and EDM), in general, most Pop songs maintain a balance between voice and instruments where the voice and the lyrics are the main attraction of the song and the instruments play supporting roles.

LIVENESS

Due to the produced nature of Pop music’s aesthetic, it tends to register low on the liveness scale. Because Pop music is going for a clean, manufactured sound, most tracks are recorded individually in studios and mixed in post-production. After the invention of synthesizers and digital music, Pop relied less and less on human-generated sound and more on that produced by computers.

SPEECHINESS

Most Pop songs register low on the speechiness scale. While earlier songs in the genre were almost entirely sung (or instrumental), the “talk breakdown” where the singer would talk over a part of the music rather than sing started to gain more popularity in the 1960’s. By the 1990’s, Rap elements had begun to enter mainstream Pop songs and today it is not uncommon to hear rappers on Pop songs rapping fills or whole choruses.

TEMPO

The tempo of Pop songs is similar to that of Country and Rock in that it ranges in speed for what is comfortable for amateur dancers to move to. The faster songs tend to range from 92-120 bpm while the slower songs may be from approx. 60-76 bpm but with a triplet subdivision.

VALANCE

Valance of the American Pop genre as a whole is high. Pop music is meant to be easily consumable and reflect the lived experiences of the “typical” American delivered in a positive mood package. A great deal of pop songs are about love and having fun. While there are plenty of sad songs in the Pop music genre (mostly about breakups or unrequited love), they are they exception, not the rule.

REFERENCES

1. Wooley, Nate. “The History of Tin Pan Alley.” Sound American. https://www.soundamerican.org/issues/big-band/history-tin-pan-alley
2. Minn, Michael. “About Tin Pan Alley.” Tin Pan Alley. https://www.tinpanalleyny.org/about-1
3. Early, Gerald. (2020). "Motown". Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Motown
4. Garofalo, Reebee. (2014) "Disco". Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/art/disco
5. “Michael Jackson.” Biography. https://www.biography.com/musician/michael-jackson
6. “MTV History.” MTV Press. https://www.mtvpress.com/networks/mtv-history