Remember pop music in the '80s:
Madonna, Bananarama, Wham!, Blondie, Duran Duran, Go-Gos, Human
League, The Bangles, The Pointer Sisters.
Or the unforgettable pop music of the '90s/early '00s:
Mariah Carey, Janet Jackson, Alanis Morrisette, Madonna (again),
Britney Spears, Backtreet Boys, 'N Sync, Spice Girls, Christina
Aguilera.
And now? Um, who are our pop artists now?
Pop music has always incorporated current elements into the music
of the time, whether it's new wave, punk, R&B, alternative
rock, hip-hop, electronic or dance. This blurring of genres
increased in the '90s when artists like TLC and Destiny's
Child, Tupac, Notorious B.I.G. and Jay-Z began dominating the
airways.
Nowadays we still have our bubblegum artists for youngsters like
The Jonas Brothers and Miley Cyrus, but even she tries to take on a
rock edge. Our mainstream "pop" artists are Beyonce,
Rihanna, Justin Timberlake, The p----cat Dolls, Danity Kane, Lady
Gaga, Lily Allen and these acts all incorporate one or several
other musical styles into their sound. What once was considered rap
or electro, is now dominating airwaves and iTunes sales and might
get muddled into the "pop" category. Not that is a bad
thing... but "pop" has just become a confusing tag to
throw on music lately. Thankfully (?) browsing for CDs in a store
has become a thing of the past, because we're not sure where
we'd have to look to find a Beyonce CD. (Truthfully, the last
time I was in VIrgin Megastore I looked and couldn't find it
anywhere other than the New Releases area.)
This brings me to what spawned this
post: new "pop" singles by Jennifer Lopez and Ciara feat.
Justin Timberlake. Give these songs a listen, and you'll see
that they sound somewhat dated. Especially J.Lo's. If you
didn't know better, you might think her new single,
"Hooked On You," was released in the '90s. It's
unoriginal, unimaginative and just plain bad. Ciara's song,
"Love Sex Magic" could have easily appeared on one of her
last albums, or even Timberlake's for that matter.
Where is pop music at? And where is it going? Only time will tell.
In the meantime, do you keep up with current music and do you like
it?
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Is pop music dead or just in a rut?
editor
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From the Community…
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Posted by Tue Feb 24, 2009 12:44pm PST
Report AbuseThis is a really sore topic for me because I happen to love good music and believe in real art. For the past 15 years, I have not been able to identify or really enjoy a complete album by any artist or band. I just really hate turning on the radio and listening to R&B/Hip-Hop 24 hours a day! There are only so many times that I can listen to a Rihanna, Beyonce or Chris Brown song in any given day. I am really sick of it. I actually found myself at target the other day literally buying a Journey video DVD!
I admit that I was what people refered to in the late 80's and early 90's a "newwaver" or "goth". I was listening to Morrisey, U2, Depeche Mode, The Cure. So alternative rock and punk are my favorite music genres. Right now I still find myself listening to bands like NIN, Primus and I recently discovered The Killers, Placebo and Brandi Carlisle. I dont like all their music just certain songs but I would love to see Brandi Carlisle live.
I guess I have to come to realize that there will never be another era like the 80's and 90's and that I will have to continue to listen to my old U2 albums, and that is ok with me.
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Posted by Tue Feb 24, 2009 3:11pm PST
Report AbuseI think music in general is dead. I have to agree w/ EW, there is only so much music nowadays that I can handle. Every song sounds the same to me. Sampling music killed the creativity of today's artists. It cracks me up to hear Kanye say that he is the voice of a generation, but every hit he has ever had was a hit from someone else first. At this point, I'd rather listen to the originals.
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Posted by Tue Feb 24, 2009 5:53pm PST
Report AbuseI'm with MikeD and EW. Pop music is ridiculously bad right now. Just like today's movies and tv, music today is simply a mish-mosh of old ideas or clones of the latest number one. Shows like American Idol don't help any either when they choose 12 women who all sound a like and 12 men who all sound alike to compete. All that show does is perpetuate bad music.
Within each major music genre, very few artists truly sound different from one another. If I hear one more Three Doors Down clone, I might scream. And three doors down was a Creed clone and Creed was a pop-wanna be of Pearl Jam. The radio today is filled with clones of Britney, Celine, Faith Hill, and all the hip-hop pop quasi-rappers. And none of them were very original in the first place.
While I am the first to admit that some 80s pop was downright bad, there was real decent alternative music out there. Today, the closet thing we get to that today is Green Day and even Green Day is a mix of old school punk, new wave and 90s alternative.
I only listen to alternative rock or classic rock stations anymore. And I cringe every time some new alternative group remakes a classic song. Leave that stuff alone and come up with your own ideas. If I wanted to see a cover band, I'd go to the bar.
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Posted by Tue Feb 24, 2009 6:45pm PST
Report AbuseI also agree with everyones' comment on the music of today. It SUCKS, and not even good at that.
They all try to emulate each other, rather than create their own style.
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Posted by Tue Feb 24, 2009 8:37pm PST
Report AbuseI dont get the difference between any music styles except for 'pop' from rock or country any more.
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Posted by Tue Feb 24, 2009 10:04pm PST
Report AbuseI think it is in a rut alright!
an unoriginal,unimaginative one, just like you said Joanna, there is no creativity anymore!
even in rap!
There are a few exeptions out there but everyone is STEALING everyone else's style and sound so I don't listen that much anymore.
even the music in my phone is old school rap and 80's jams! lol
give my blog a scour, you'll see a couple 80's vids stashed in there somewhere! lol
peace
Valinat
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Posted by Wed Feb 25, 2009 6:28am PST
Report AbuseEW, I'm so with you! I'm a huge Depeche fan (new album coming out in April, btw) and I've also recently discovered the Killers. I think current pop music is in a horrible rut - even today's "pop-stars" can't keep up with it and it seems like a HUGE effort to be/stay popular. The stars of our day - Madonna, Depeche, Cure, etc, - laughed in the face of critics and were determined to do their own thing no matter what, without selling out. Music today just seems to have such a "formula" or something...
Personally, I still listen to the cure, madonna, Depeche, the Smiths, etc...and have added The Killers to my repritoire. I just really don't even bother with today's wannnabes. It's not worth the effort of getting into the music today...considering tomorrow, they'll be has-beens.
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Posted by Wed Feb 25, 2009 7:48am PST
Report AbuseBlah forget about pop, what about good rock music! I listen to the 60's and 70's radio stations to get good rock music. Rock today is really bad.
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Posted by Wed Feb 25, 2009 7:57am PST
Report AbuseI haven't been able to listen to the radio since 2003. Everything now sounds like it's been wrung through a computer. So much so more now than in the 90's. I used to love old Mariah Carey, Boyz II Men, etc., but now they're a thing of the past. Now we get raunchy, digital-sounding junk.
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Posted by Wed Feb 25, 2009 8:14am PST
Report AbuseWow. You guys sound so old.
TURN OFF YOUR RADIOS! There is something out there for everyone but sometimes you need to find it. Don’t just listen to the music they force down your throat. Radio and tv play is all about making money. Big record companies have never been in it for the true music lover and that really should be no surprise. I love anything from rock, reggae, R&B, blues, pop, jazz, dance, rap, folk, and etc. Anything with soul. Get out there and find what you like. You could support your local bands and go to local shows. Or, you are posting on this site so you obviously know how to use the internet which happens to be one of the most useful tools in finding music. Go to a concert. Go to a music festival. Experience it and see what you like. Music is NOT dead. It is ever-changing and always reinventing itself. Perhaps you are the one stuck in a rut?
It may not be for everyone but here is some current music in my rotation Kings of Leon, MIA, Santogold, Matisyahu, Adele, The Silent Years, Gym Class Heroes, John Butler Trio, Lil Wayne, Duffy, TV on the Radio, The Silent Years, Mars Volta, Ben Harper, MGMT, Jenny Lewis, Okkervil River, Beirut and etc. The list could go on endlessly. I am always excited to hear new things and give something else a try. Open your minds people.
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