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Pop rock

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(Redirected from Pop-rock)
Not to be confused with Pop Rocks.
For other uses, see Pop rock (disambiguation).
Pop rock
Stylistic origins
Cultural originsLate 1950s[1]
Derivative forms
Subgenres
Fusion genres
Other topics

Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock[4]) is a fusion genre and form of rock music[5] characterized by a strong commercial appeal,[6] with more emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than standard rock music.[1][5][7] Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, early pop rock was influenced by the beat, arrangements, and original style of rock and roll (and sometimes doo-wop).[1] It may be viewed as a distinct genre field rather than music that overlaps with pop and rock.[4] The detractors of pop rock often deride it as a slick, commercial product and less authentic than rock music.[8]

Characteristics and etymology

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See also: Power pop
Further information: Pop music § Etymology
Paul McCartney and Wings performing in 1976 (Paul and Linda McCartney pictured)
The Monkees in 1966

Much pop and rock music has been very similar in sound, instrumentation and even lyrical content. The terms "pop rock" and "power pop" have been used to describe more commercially successful music that uses elements from, or the form of, rock music.[9] Writer Johan Fornas views pop/rock as "one single, continuous genre field", rather than distinct categories.[4] To the authors Larry Starr and Christopher Waterman, it is defined as an "upbeat variety of rock music" represented by artists and bands such as Andy Kim, the Bells, Paul McCartney, Lighthouse, and Peter Frampton.[10]

The term "pop" has been used since the early 1940s to refer to popular music in general, but in the mid-1950s, it began to be used for a distinct genre, aimed at a youth market, often characterized as a softer alternative to rock and roll.[11][1] In the aftermath of the British Invasion, from about 1967, it was increasingly used in opposition to the term rock, to describe a form that was more commercial, ephemeral and accessible.[12]

As of the 2010s, "guitar pop rock" and "indie rock" are roughly synonymous terms.[13] "Jangle" is a noun-adjective that music critics often use in reference to guitar pop with a bright mood.[14]

Panic! at the Disco performing in 2008

Debates

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See also: Rockism and poptimism

Critic Philip Auslander argues that the distinction between pop and rock is more pronounced in the US than in the UK. He claims that in the US, pop has roots in white crooners such as Perry Como, whereas rock is rooted in African-American music influenced by forms such as rock and roll. Auslander points out that the concept of pop rock, which blends pop and rock, is at odds with the typical conception of pop and rock as opposites. Auslander and several other scholars, such as Simon Frith and Grossberg, argue that pop music is often depicted as an inauthentic, cynical, "slickly commercial", and formulaic form of entertainment. In contrast, rock music is often heralded as an authentic, sincere, and anti-commercial form of music, which emphasizes songwriting by the singers and bands, instrumental virtuosity, and a "real connection with the audience".[15]

Frith's analysis of the history of popular music from the 1950s to the 1980s has been criticized by B. J. Moore-Gilbert, who argues that Frith and other scholars have overemphasized the role of rock in the history of popular music by naming every new genre using the "rock" suffix. Thus, when a folk-oriented style of music developed in the 1960s, Frith termed it "folk rock", and the pop-infused styles of the 1970s were called "pop rock". Moore-Gilbert claims that this approach unfairly puts rock at the apex and makes every other influence become an add-on to the central core of rock.[16]

In Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies (1981), Robert Christgau discussed the term "pop-rock" in the context of popular music's fragmentation along stylistic lines in the 1970s; he regarded "pop-rock" as a "monolith" that "straddled" all burgeoning movements and subgenres in the popular and semipopular music marketplace at the time, including singer-songwriter music, art rock, heavy metal, boogie, country rock, jazz fusion, funk, disco, urban contemporary, and new wave, but not punk rock.[17]

History

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1950s - Pre-Pop Rock

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In the mid-to-late 1950s, the music scenes in the United States and the United Kingdom were both similar and different. Similar genres of music were present, in the forms of pop and rock, but different artists were present, accounting for the lack of a 'universal style of music'. Artists may have had hits in both countries, such as Elvis Presley[18], but that was in the minority of instances.

In the United States, artists that gained popularity often came from blues influences, such as Chuck Berry[19], or Little Richard, or country influences in the forms of rock and roll or rockabilly, such as Presley[20].

In Britain, these influences often extended to the music scene there, with artists such as Cliff Richard having had rock and roll hits such as Move It[21] or Tommy Steele having been a teen idol influenced by Presley. These were a form of rock which eventually, through a build-up of influences, led to the advent of pop rock as the next decade rolled in.

Early 1960s - I Want To Hold Your Hand and the British Invasion

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By the time the early 1960s had rolled around, rock music was falling in prominence. Pop artists continued gaining province with dance crazes, and rock artists began to lose prominence with Presley being drafted to the army.[22] However, rock music was soon to regain province due to an up-and-coming music science based out of England, merseybeat. Merseybeat was influenced by the genres of skiffle and rock and roll, and artists began to take up the genre.

The music scenes between the United States and United Kingdom truly became close in 1964. The Beatles, a group from the Merseybeat scene, had already gained success in the United Kingdom with hit singles like Love Me Do.[23] However, they did not gain popularity in the United States until the release of the song I Want to Hold Your Hand. The song gained over a million advance orders in the United Kingdom, and in early 1964 entered the United States billboard charts.

The British Invasion then started shortly after, with the Beatles' appearance on the The Ed Sullivan Show, which only proceeded to solidify their popularity. An era known as Beatlemania then started.[24] This was among the first times that the United States and United Kingdom's music scenes had a similar mega-hit, and rock music re-broke into the mainstream.

Other artists continued to follow after the Beatles in the British Invasion. Non-Pop Rock oriented bands gained success, such as The Rolling Stones, the The Animals, and Manfred Mann, but other similarly styled Merseybeat bands continued to gain success during the British Invasion, such as The Dave Clark Five[25], who followed the Beatles, and had almost equal American success to that they had in Britain.

Over in the United States, less pop rock artists gained major success, with the former surf music scene which had much popularity in the earlier 1960s losing all major prominence with the Beatles gaining success. The only artist from that genre to make a continuous mainstream impact was The Beach Boys, who successfully incorporated elements of pop rock into their music [26].

Mid-Late 1960s - Shift to Counterculture

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As the middle and late 1960s came along, a shift to counterculture music gained momentum. Popular artists like the Beatles shifted to sounds inspired by folk rock, and later psychedelic rock. The Beatles later returned to pop rock before breaking up, all while having major hits. The Beach Boys followed a similar path, eventually opting for a more symphonic path and having the critically acclaimed Pet Sounds[27].

Younger audiences, especially teenagers, felt a longing for the pop rock artists and style of the past with the artists which were popular having had major stylistic shifts. Out of the artists who emerged in this void, The Monkees gained the most success. They were a made-for-TV band[28], who had major success with a number of hits. They later underwent similar stylistic shifts to the Beatles before breaking up.

Other artists pursued pop rock related sounds in the form of fusion genres, combining those sounds with other genres. These artists included the Turtles, the Mamas and the Papas, who pursued a folk-rock related sound[29], and the Zombies, who opted for symphonic rock.

As the decade came to a close, pop rock was no longer as dominant, but still an important genre. However, as hard rock and heavy metal[30] gained success, and progressive rock gained respect as an underground genre, the genre gradually would begin a shift into soft rock-related territory.

Early-Mid 1970s

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As the decade rolled in, the most major event was the breakup of the Beatles. Despite continuing commercial success, internal tensions caused a breakup. All four members continued to have successful careers. Ringo Starr was the least successful of them, but still topped charts.[31]. George Harrison pursued a more spiritual-inspired pop rock genre, yet had multiple hits for over a decade and had extreme influence.

John Lennon also had a large amount of success. With his work with his wife Yoko Ono, solo work, and work with his band, the Plastic Ono Band, Lennon continued to have chart-topping hits in both the United States and United Kingdom.[32]. Lennon's career was cut short due to his death due to murder in 1980, but his memory and influence lives on.

However, out of all the Beatles, the member who pursued the purest pop rock sound and became one of the defining artists of the genre was Paul McCartney. Despite starting off his solo career with the lo-fi album McCartney, he soon formed the band Wings with his wife Linda McCartney and former symphonic rock and Moody Blues guitarist Denny Laine. The band had a number of major hits such as Live and Let Die, Mull of Kintyre, and Band on the Run. Wings continued its success for slightly under a decade before breaking up.

As well, pop rock and soft rock continued to have artists falling under both genres. One of the most prominent artists to do this was Elton John, a British singer and pianist. He had a string of chart-topping albums[33] combining influences from both genres, along with others such as glam rock. John's success was so big that he is amongst the most streamed rock artists of all time. Another major artist with a similar level of success, albeit slightly less so, than Elton John is Billy Joel. While Elton John was British, Joel was an American pianist and singer-songwriter. He first experienced success with his hit Piano Man, and skyrocketed to success with The Stranger, a 1977 album. Both artists have had continuous long lasting success to modern times.

Arguably one of the most influential albums of all time, and of the pop rock genre, was Rumours by British rock group Fleetwood Mac.[34] Fleetwood Mac started off as a blues rock group but found their footing in the pop rock genre and became a major artist due to a string of songs such as Dreams, Go Your Own Way, and Don't Stop.

A related genre to pop rock, dubbed arena rock, also began gaining prominence. Three of the major artists of the genre, Styx[35], Foreigner[36], and Boston[37] had large success with their albums The Grand Illusion, Foreigner, and Boston, with them being very well-selling.

However, as the decade came to a close, changes in the music scene such as the advent of punk rock and new wave would change pop rock and its style as it continued to adapt in order to survive.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Early Pop/Rock". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 2019-03-21. Retrieved 2016-11-01.
  2. ^ Borack, John M. (2007). Shake Some Action: The Ultimate Power Pop Guide. Not Lame Recordings. p. 7. ISBN 978-0-9797714-0-8. Archived from the original on 2019-08-16. Retrieved 2017-02-07.
  3. ^ "Entertainment". Archived from the original on 2017-02-19. Retrieved 2017-02-28.
  4. ^ a b c Steven L. Hamelman (2004). But is it Garbage?: On Rock and Trash. University of Georgia Press. p. 11. ISBN 978-0-8203-2587-3. Archived from the original on 2017-03-02. Retrieved 2017-03-01.
  5. ^ a b "What is Pop Rock Music? With 7 Top Examples & History". 8 June 2023.
  6. ^ "Pop Rock Music". Discogs.
  7. ^ "Pop/Rock". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 2018-04-11. Retrieved 2018-05-04.
  8. ^ S. Jones, Pop music and the press (Temple University Press, 2002), p. 109.
  9. ^ R. Shuker, Popular Music: the Key Concepts (Abingdon: Routledge, 2nd edn., 2005), ISBN 0-415-34770-X, p. 207.
  10. ^ L. Starr and C. Waterman, American Popular Music (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2nd ed., 2007), ISBN 0-19-530053-X, archived from the original on 17 February 2011.
  11. ^ S. Frith, "Pop music" in S. Frith, W. Stray and J. Street, eds, The Cambridge Companion to Pop and Rock (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2001), ISBN 0-521-55660-0, pp. 93–108.
  12. ^ T. Warner, Pop Music: Technology and Creativity: Trevor Horn and the Digital Revolution (Aldershot: Ashgate, 2003), ISBN 0-7546-3132-X, p. 3.
  13. ^ Plemenitas, Katja (2014). "The Complexity of Lyrics in Indie Music: The Example of Mumford & Sons". In Kennedy, Victor; Gadpaille, Michelle (eds.). Words and Music. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. p. 79. ISBN 978-1-4438-6438-1. Archived from the original on 2020-07-14. Retrieved 2017-06-07.
  14. ^ Kamp, David; Daly, Steven (2005). The Rock Snob's Dictionary: An Essential Lexicon Of Rockological Knowledge. Broadway Books. p. 54. ISBN 978-0-7679-1873-2.
  15. ^ P. Auslander, Liveness: Performance in a Mediatized Culture Archived 2018-09-10 at the Wayback Machine (London: Taylor & Francis, 1999), ISBN 0415196892.
  16. ^ B. J. Moore-Gilbert, The Arts in the 1970s: Cultural Closure? (London: Routledge, 1994), ISBN 0-415-09906-4, p. 240.
  17. ^ Christgau, Robert (1981). "The Decade". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 0899190251. Archived from the original on April 2, 2019. Retrieved April 6, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
  18. ^ https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/13107/elvis-presley/
  19. ^ https://www.chartsinfrance.net/Chuck-Berry/The-Original-Sound-Of-R-b-1959-a113847792.html
  20. ^ https://www.countrymusichalloffame.org/hall-of-fame/elvis-presley
  21. ^ https://www.skidmore.edu/music/courses/britsong/moveit.php
  22. ^ https://unwritten-record.blogs.archives.gov/2022/08/02/sergeant-presley-photographs-of-elvis-time-with-the-army/
  23. ^ https://www.officialcharts.com/songs/the-beatles-love-me-do/
  24. ^ https://www.museumofyouthculture.com/beatlemania/
  25. ^ https://chart-history.net/dave-clark/
  26. ^ https://utpress.utexas.edu/9781477318720/
  27. ^ https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/9371-pet-sounds-40th-anniversary/
  28. ^ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0060010/
  29. ^ https://www.themamasandthepapasofficial.com
  30. ^ https://www.britannica.com/topic/Led-Zeppelin
  31. ^ https://www.officialcharts.com/songs/ringo-starr-photograph/
  32. ^ https://www.officialcharts.com/songs/john-lennon-imagine/
  33. ^ https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c9w8g7jlkpwo
  34. ^ https://bestsellingalbums.org/overall/
  35. ^ https://styxworld.com/blogs/news/the-grand-illusion-turns-43-today
  36. ^ https://www.rhino.com/article/foreigner-detail-new-greatest-hits-collection-turning-back-the-time
  37. ^ https://ultimateclassicrock.com/boston-first-album/
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