Lesson 2: Defining Pop Music

Popular music is any music since industrialization in the mid-1800s that is in line
with the tastes and preferences of the middle class.
Pop music is music produced for a mass audience with typically shorter songs about
love and other existing themes.
The music appeals to a broad audience, rather than to a niche group or
to a particular ideology.
The music tends to reflect trends in society rather than producing the
trends. What people want to hear rather than trying to produce a new sound.
Pop music is often intended to encourage dancing or movement.
Catchy, dance beats and rhythm.
In the past, more emphasis was placed on recording and producing the
music than on live performances. To some degree, this is changing as popular
artists and groups now tour and perform live. This change has been driven, in
large part, by the increasing revenues found in concerts and merchandise.
Usually has verse-chorus structure alternates verses with a repeating chorus. Some
have thirty-two bar or AABA form.
Drew heavily on the musical influences of the past, including the blues, and often
continued to use the same instruments within the music. Indeed, pop music drew on
the earlier sentimental ballads in the structure of the music. Gospel music helped to
give pop music some of its vocal harmonies, while classical music contributed ideas
of composition to the music.
- 1940s, developments in microphone technology allowed singers to develop a more
intimate style with their audience.
- radio = musicians started to produce music for the radio.
- Mass-produced music in the form of 45 rpm records (and later with 8-track tapes,
cassette tapes, and CDs) also put more music into the hands of individuals
- 1950s and 1960s, television and the advent of portable transistor radios were also
influencing the development of pop music.
- 1950s use of the electric guitar = development of rock
Pop music grew out of the rock and roll genre of music, which began in the 1950s.
Some came from country singers adopting and adapting aspects of rhythm and
blues.
Early rock and roll encouraged the idea that the music crossed racial and ethnic
lines
Elvis Presley: talented musically, but charisma and presence that rocketed him to
stardom and popularity.
1955, Billboard published The Top 100 for the first time. This chart was later
renamed The Hot 100 and it provided a way for not only the music industry, but
also individuals to see what music was popular each week.
Song lyrics during the 1960s reflected the social and political issues.
Bob Dylan is one example of an artist who infused his music with protest. As one of
the most influential artists of the 1960s, Dylan blurred the lines between rock and
folk music with his use of the electric guitar and folk music structures.
British invasion: Some of the British bands of the 1960s were modeled on the
successful American bands
1973-1978; music industry doubled in size genres of music became increasingly
separated.
1970s: Mixing soaring vocals with a beat that encouraged dancing, disco became
the dance music of the decade.
1980s: Musical instruments such as the synthesizer and drum machines became
more common. In addition, with the growing accessibility of personal computers and
samplers, musicians and aspiring musicians were able to create a wider range of
sounds much more easily
MTV began broadcasting music videos.
- Youth copied the fashions and styles that they saw from artists.
- Record companies also increasingly tied music to popular films.
1990s: boybands - choreographed dance, image

1. What is pop music? How is pop music related to popular music?

a. Pop music is created for the masses and is usually short
songs (around 3-and-a-half minutes) about love or other pre-existing
themes. Pop music stemmed from popular music which aimed to suit
the middle class and usually created for the profit, much like pop music
is today and for decades past.
2. What are the characteristics of pop music? What sets this genre apart
from other popular music?
a. The music appeals to the masses.
b. The music appeals to what people like in the moment
(trends).
c. The music is catchy and has dance rhythms.
d. The music usually aims to bring in profit. Currently live
performances provide that, but in the past, focusing on recording was
more profitable.
3. How has technology influenced the development of pop music?
a. Technology provided a farther reach. For example, radio,
records (later tapes, cassettes and CDs), and TV allowed artists to get
more listeners and profit. Technology also added new sounds to the
music. To illustrate, the electric guitar in the 50s and the synthesizer
and drum machines in the 80s were new additions to music at the
time.
4. What have been some of the developments and changes in pop music?
a. Pop music sounded very different through the decades.
Rock and roll rebellious anthems were popular starting from the 50s,
upbeat disco dance songs were the pop of the 70s, and the 90s hosted
boybands, groups of young men who sang but didnt play instruments
and whose image was very important.
5. What is pop music like today?
 a. Today, pop music usually has a lot of electronic music in
the background and recently there arent any boybands. Themes often
include love but many times in a more ambiguous way.

Lab:
1. Who sang at the Grammys in spanish in the late 1990s? What was the
reaction?
a. Ricky Martin sang his song Cup of Life in spanish at the
Grammys of 1999. He made Latin music very popular again because all
the viewers really loved the performance.
2. When did Latin music burst back on the scene? What song brought it
back to the mainstream? What effect did it have?
a. Latin music burst back on the scene in 1984 because of
the popularity of the song Conga by Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound
Machine. The combination of English words and Latin music made it
very popular.
3. How did the sounds of salsa change?
a. It attracted a younger and wider audience after it was
toned down and combined with R&B and pop.
4. What was the influence of CBS Latin division on the explosion of Latin
music in the US?
a. CBS Latin division supported up-and-coming Latin artists,
launching their successful careers and making them popular.
5. Who were some of the artists who brought together Latin influenced
music with mainstream pop music?
a. Some influential artists include Jennifer Lopez, Ricky
Martin, Emilio Estefan, La India, and Marc Anthony.
6. Why did the Latin music influence decrease?
a. Latin music influence decreased as music became more
modern and Latin artists strayed form their latin roots to produce more
popular sound.
7. What was Reggaeton?
a. Reggaeton is a mix of Jamaican Reggae and Latin music,
mostly from Puerto Rico. Dem Bow was a popular rhythm for
Reggaeton and lyrics, which were usually rapped, sometimes reflected
life in Puerto Rico.
8. What other types of music are being influenced by "Latin" music?
a. Latin music influence can be found in most genres
including pop, rap, hip-hop, rock and roll, heavy metal, and more.

Apply:
1. What is popular music?
a. Popular music is a general category for music made since
mid-19th century that appeals to the middle class.
2. What theme does pop music typically use in the lyrics? Describe one
pop song that uses this theme. Why is this theme such a popular one?
 a. The most common theme in pop is love because
experiences centered around the theme (relationships, break-ups, etc.)
are all ones most people have gone through, making the lyrics
relatable, and, therefore, popular. Most songs on the current top hits
are about love, one being Symphony by Clean Bandit.
3. What is disco? What are the characteristics of this music?
a. Disco was the popular dance music of the 1970s. It was
upbeat and had soaring vocals. Disco was the music people could
dance to.
4. What was the British invasion? Which famous music group was part of
this movement? What impact did the group have on pop music?
a. The British Invasion was when bands and music suited
american tastes and became popular in the U.S. A famous music group
part of this movement was The Beatles who modeled pop music for
years to come.
5. What is a boyband? What are some characteristics of a boyband?
a. A boyband is group of 3 to 6 young men who sang as a
band but didn't play instruments. The boybands are usually put
together by talent agencies or record labels and its image is the most
important part of its success. Each member usually has an image and
fit into a stereotype that is reflected in their outfits and behavior.
Boybands usually have choreographed dance pieces in their
performances.

Critical thinking:
1.

a. Music is still used as a form of protest because it has a big

impact on its audience. People often memorize lyrics as they listen to a
song and memorize the message of the song. A good example of this
now is Same Love by Macklemore, Ryan Lewis, and Mary Lambert,
which, when released in 2012, was very popular and spoke about the
issue of law against same-sex marriage and bias against the LGBTQ+
community.
2.
 a. I dont think music has become too commercial because
a lot of artists still find music as a form of expression. It isnt usually
artists who are fueled by the profits, but the producers and recording
labels so the music is still what artists are passionate about.
3.

a. Technology has influenced pop music in sound and in how

it gains fans. For example, the invention of the radio meant music was
being produced especially for radio (meaning less live shows) to gain
an audience. Another example, is the electric guitar, which, when
created, found it way into rock and roll music. A last example is the
impact of the television, and later MTV, which made artists focus on
their image and music videos to reach a wider audience.
4.

a. Pop appeals to younger individuals because lyrics usually

apply to youth. Love and break-ups is something people experience
when they are younger. Moreover the record labels choose artists who
are usually quite young so a young can relate to them because they
are part of the same generation who generally are concerned with the
same trends, preferences, and issues.
5.

a. One Direction is the most popular and recent band who

were popular in the U.S. The boyband sung almost exclusively about
love and have million fans all over the world, most young girls. Their
image, especially in their earlier years, was very important in their
success and was a big part of their appeal starting with their start on
the X-Factor.