Pop music is the most significant art form in the world
In Tom Stoppard's play The Real Thing, there is a hilarious
scene where Henry, a smart playwright, is asked to choose his favorite songs
for the Desert Island Discs show on BBC Radio 4. Henry struggles with the
decision of whether to be honest and play the pop music he enjoys or to play
the genre of music he believes his audience would appreciate him for. I adore
Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders performing "Um, Um, Um, Um, Um,"
Henry says, "but you can have a bit of Pink Floyd shoved in between your
symphonies and your Dame Janet Baker. That shows a refreshing breadth of taste,
or at least a refreshing candors."
Pop music itself has an image issue, which is unusual for a
field where image is so important. Many reviewers look down on it, and even
some lovers of one kind of pop music think other styles of pop music are
worthless and unfit to be called music, much less art. This, however, is
nothing new. In actuality, this issue is as ancient as popular music itself.
Poor old pop music has endured bullying, denigration, and sneers for as long as
you care to remember: "It's not art, it's just pop."
Understanding pop music's real composition is a prerequisite
to deciding whether it qualifies as art. And the majority of disputes start at
here, the most basic of beginnings. Pop music is viewed as throwaway by some.
They perceive it as being driven by business and marketed at teenagers (or
younger) who, in their opinion, don't know any better. Pop music, in their
opinion, is music that lacks the legitimacy to be categorised as
"rock," "folk," "jazz," "indie," or any
one of a thousand other categories. They view pop as the dregs of music that no
self-respecting music lover would ever be caught dead listening to. Pop is
essentially its own genre. However, to others, pop cite any number of musical
movements throughout the decades, including those of Frank Sinatra, Elvis
Presley, The Beatles, Madonna, and numerous more well-known (and obscure)
artists. Some people may define pop music even more broadly, viewing it as a
catch-all term for everything modern and non-classical. There are however many
who don't even consider "pop" music to be music at all. At which
point, in order to avoid travelling in circles, it is worthwhile to investigate
the origins of the term "pop music."
Describe pop music
Since humans have existed, and maybe even longer, they have
created music. The age of a flute discovered in a cave in northwest Solvenia in
1995 is estimated to be approximately 40,000 years. It is still up for question
as to whether it was created by Neanderthals or Cro-Magnons, but it does
demonstrate just how long we, or our predecessors, have been appreciating
music. Of course, as humans have grown more sophisticated throughout the years,
the genre of music has changed immensely, and new instruments are continually
being created and produced along with new methods of performing them.
However, the majority of musicologists concur that the birth
of the recording business marked the beginning of pop music as we know it
today. Record labels would color-code songs of various genres to assist buyers
make simpler decisions. For instance, RCA Victor offered classical music on red
vinyl, country and polka on green, children's music on yellow, and so on.
Ordinary pop, a category that encompassed a wide range of styles but
essentially meant "anything else," was only available on black vinyl
during this time.
Of all, a lot of the musical genres that were categorised
under other names—jazz, blues, country, and so on—were just variations on the
mainstream music of the eras and locations in which they were created. It is
now commonly acknowledged that bebop and early jazz greats John Coltrane and
Sonny Rollins, as well as Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald, were among the
best musicians ever. However, many reviewers at the period disapproved of these
renegades for rushing about with their booming horns and making up songs on the
spot rather than sitting down and playing notes that had been meticulously
transcribed on the page.
Similarly, in the racially divided United States, blues
performers like Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, and Sonny Boy Williamson were not
only regarded unequally musically but also as persons. Their work is now
preserved at the Library of Congress and Smithsonian institutions.
The eruption of rock and roll
It wasn't until the middle of the 1950s that pop music
started to have its own independent meaning. Rock and roll music's growth
helped the pop industry establish an empire. Three-minute pop symphonies as
rich and multi-timbered as Wagner at his peak were produced by producers led by
Phil Spector at New York's famed Brill Building, where composers created their
art. (In the decade that followed, Brian Wilson built on Spector's model in his
production and composition; in 1966, Pet Sounds represented a creative zenith
for both Wilson and The Beach Boys.)
Pop Art
Pop culture embraced art more than ever during the following
two or three years. Remember that many of the greatest pop artists, like The
Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who, David Bowie, Queen, REM, Blur, Pulp, Lady
Gaga, and too numerous more to list, had their roots at art colleges? The lines
of war were being formed as a result. You were either for or against the pop
elite in the middle of the 1960s. Fans were upset by what they perceived as Bob
Dylan "selling out" when he switched from an acoustic to an electric
guitar. Dylan was beloved by educated students who adored his political and
protest songs. Keith Butler, an irate fan, is infamous for yelling
"Judas" at him during a performance at the Manchester May 1966, Free
Trade Hall. Dylan said mockingly, "I don't believe you." Butler
scoffed during the post-show interview, saying, "Any bloody pop group can
do this rubbish!" It was implied that rather than commercial music, they
had come to witness something of artistic significance. However, times were
changing.
Groups were considering every part of their work, and the
album cover had evolved from being merely attractive packaging to a recognized
type of pop art in and of itself. The greatest photographers and graphic
designers would be employed by bands and singers to create their album covers,
and they would collaborate with filmmakers to create creative marketing videos.
Perhaps the clearest illustration of this acceptance of the art world is Sgt.
Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, whose cover The Beatles enlisted renowned pop
artist Peter Blake for, but it's important to note that McCartney and another
renowned pop artist, Richard Hamilton, who created the poster inserted into the
finished package, discussed ideas for their "White Album" cover.
Raising the bar for pop
music
Another intriguing case study is Swedish Eurovision
champions ABBA. This yearly songwriting contest that takes place across Europe
must be the furthest thing from art in the pop world, right? Additionally,
ABBA's music recordings sold like hotcakes. Any prospect of the Swedish great
four having any remaining credibility should have been eliminated by the fact
that individuals who wouldn't typically pay attention to the pop charts were
falling in love with their expertly made pop pieces. However, they are praised
today for elevating mainstream music.
Many young pop fans made snobbish claims during the 1970s,
particularly in reference to the prog rock camp's more intellectual noodlings.
These cries turned into a scream in 1976 when punk rock burst onto the scene. Pop
music had been lost in a rush of intellectualised virtuosity, and punks were
resolved to restore it for the general public. No of your level of ability, pop
was for you. Punk was about a look, an attitude, and expression in a way that
harked back to the skiffle groups that had appeared all across the country in
the late 1950s and given rise to a wave of bands that included The Beatles and
the Stones, The Animals, the Kinks, and numerous more.
The secret to success is image
The success of pop has always depended on its image. How an
artist portrays themselves is part of the package, from Sinatra's blue eyes to
Elvis' seductively seductive charm to David Bowie's androgynous appeal. While
the music is undoubtedly important, the visual effect also plays a significant
role in pop, adding another "Yes" to the age-old question "Is pop
art?" The pop art movement helped the art world accept this concept, but
despite the high quality of these artists' work, they were never able to
capture the whole pop experience. in a gallery. Pop art, according to The Who's
Pete Townsend, was defined as: "I bang my guitar on my speaker because
of" the appearance. It's pretty creative. The result is fantastic, and
there is a nice sound.
In the early 1980s, the post-punk pop scene adopted this
concept. Pop groups were more extravagant than ever, with each act presenting
itself in a unique way. Whether it was Boy George's at-the-time scandalous
appearance in clothes and makeup, Adam Ant's mini-movie pop videos and
characters, or ABC's Martin Fry, who appeared in Sheffield on the dole wearing
a gold lame suit. By utilizing the power of image to complement their music,
new romantics and new wave artists like The Human League, Soft Cell, and Duran
Duran helped to create a widely variegated pop landscape that would support
them for decades to come.
Regardless of the name, the music is still the same
Pop music has undergone far too many definitional changes
throughout the years to list them all. Everyone wants to be connected with it
when things are in bad health, but artists go to tremendous lengths to avoid it
when things are well. Pop, as we all know, is short for "popular,"
but it also refers to a certain type of popular music. The phrase is frequently
used to characterise music that is meant to be commercially successful, has
broad appeal, and was created on a large scale. And many people feel that this
component of the music industry distances itself from the purists who view
their work as art for its own sake because of its financial success. Music
lovers would Distinguish yourself from what they viewed as throwaway pop in the
1980s, despite the fact that the bands they adored often employed the same
strategies as their alleged rivals, such as image, flamboyance, and so on.
Each person will have a distinct definition of what pop is.
Although many people mistake Motown for soul, soul purists consider Motown to
be pop rather than soul. Due to head honcho Berry Gordy's businesslike approach
to creating a conveyor belt of hits, they perceive Motown as being somehow
inferior. However, by the early 1970s, Motown singers like Stevie Wonder and
Marvin Gaye had taken full control of their own production, and albums like
Wonder's Music Of My Mind and Gaye's What's Going On were as soulful as
anything coming out at the time.
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