The correlation between "popular" and "music" is instantly recognizable. After all, there is a genre of music that dominates the airwaves and iPods of adolescent teenagers. It is a genre that is, interestingly enough, labeled "pop" music. I found it intriguing how the genre of pop claimed its name, as it is the only genre of music that is labelled as an adjective that already has an established definition, and is not self-describing such as jazz, blues, or rock and roll. Pop music clearly derives its name from "popular," but I struggled with this concept, being an avid listener of music and an even greater critic of pop due to the genre's musically limiting characteristics. I thought to myself, how could the likes of Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, and Nikki Minaj define the popular music of my generation? This cannot be so! Alas, this is so. One only needs to go on Youtube and compare the number of views between a catchy Taylor Swift pop single and Herbie Hancock's masterfully crafted and musically intricate jazz work to realize that, yes, pop music is truly quite popular.
Katy Perry; popular music artist
I hate on pop music, but I get the appeal. Pop music is so successful and, for lack of a better term, popular, because the music focuses completely on the catchy. I agree that pop music is easy to listen to compared to more complex genres such as classical music and jazz, but I find the simplistic instrumentation of popular music to be boring. I don't like being bored when I listen to music; it's a paradoxical mistake to listen to boring music because I believe that music should be musically engaging. Nevertheless, I wanted to dig deeper on what is and has been deemed popular music from a strictly instrumental perspective. How has the instrumentation of popular music evolved over time? Has the genre followed a specific trend?
The Beatles; popular music circa. 1960
And the answers to both of those questions are: a lot and a little. The origin of modern pop music is the emergence of popular rock and roll in the 1950's, with up and coming bands such as the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and ABBA winning the hearts of an entire population of young adults. In terms of instrumentation, there are no similarities whatsoever between the pop music of young and old. The standard implementation of the electric guitar, the electric bass, and drums in the instrumentation of rock and roll are completely absent from today's pop music, which has leaned more heavily towards electronic compositions accompanied by strong and clear vocals. So, it is clear that the only trend that popular music has followed over the years is just that the music has always been popular.
Ultimately, pop music is a genre that will continue to change as long as music continues to be consumed. After all, mindsets do not last decades, and I'm sure that the popular music of today will not be considered "pop" music in another half-century. Although popular music has continued to define youth culture and sentiments since its conception, just look at how much popular music has drastically changed since the 1950's, at least in a strictly musical sense. So, the question to ask is this: is this unstable, "popular," definition of music worth it? What's the point of characterizing music based on it popularity?
I have mixed opinions on the matter. First of all, I believe that popularity has no place in determining the quality of music. I realize that personal preference is ultimately the deciding factor on a persons musical taste and his or her value of the quality of music, but the popularity of a song should never be discussed when analyzing its musical qualities and attributes. In this sense, popularity simply has no place in music. However, I also realize that music can be a very community-oriented experience. Being a fan of the Grateful Dead and Phish, two bands that have intensely devoted and almost cult-like following, I understand that there is a huge appeal in being a part of musically extended family. The concert experience in itself is a testimony to the power of this experience; whether you are at a Justin Bieber show or a Grateful Dead show, you will undoubtedly hear the roar of the fans singing along to the tune. So, to provide an answer to the previous answer, I'll say that yes, the "popular" definition of music is worth it. It was an definitely interesting experience researching how the community of the popular has defined its own genre of music over the years. Although I may not be a fan of what popular music has become, I am reassured that it is ever-changing. Who knows, one day I might enjoying pop music on my balcony as an old man, finally thinking, what a good time it is to be alive.
