Pop Music

The themes of pop music also help to characterize this genre of USIA. Typically, pop music centers on themes such as love and relationships. For example, â€Å"Am I Wrong† by â€Å"Nice & Vine† is a pop song that explains a longing for a relationship he thought was more than it was. This theme is so popular because everyone can relate to it. At a point in every persons life, they will experience love; those who have not experienced it, long for it, and thus relate to the theme of love as well. 3. What is disco? What are the characteristics of this music? I.Developed in 1 970, disco began outside of mainstream America, but t ended up crossing over into mainstream pop music. Mixing â€Å"soaring† vocals with a beat that encouraged dancing, disco became the dance music of the decade. The music often had 100 to 130 beats per minute (a relatively fast tempo) and the pulse of the rhythm was often emphasized. 4. What was the British Invasion? Which famous group was a pa rt of this movement? What impact did the group have on pop music? In the 1 9605, some of these British groups became influential in North America as well.The biggest group of the British Invasion was, of course, the Beetles. While the Beetles sometimes sang about social issues, they also had songs with catchy lyrics and melodies. This would be the centerpiece of pop music through the next several decades. 5. What is a boy band? What are some characteristics off boy band? I. Boy bands, such as New Kids on the Block, Boozy II Men, Backstreet Boys, and ‘N Sync, featured between three and six young adult males who typically sang, but did not play instruments. Critical Thinking Questions 1 .Some of the music in the 1 sass was used to protest social and political issues. Is music still used as a form of protest? Why or why not? I. Music is used, and will always be used, as a form of speech. It gets ideas and concepts out to the public in an appealing, and passionate way. However, it is less politically influenced nowadays. I believe this is because the public shows much more interest in love songs rather than politics; therefore, music composers aim to please the public. 2. One of the changes in the music industry during the twentieth century was the increasing centralization of music.Has music become too commercial? Why or why not? Do you think that artists are creating music for money or for other reasons today? I. Although big stars make a significant amount of money, all pantomimic artists are financially struggling. It is such a rough patch to make it to fame that if that artist is in it for the money, they will never make it in order to endure the hard times, they must really love what they do. Music has become highly commercialese, but will continue to evolve just like everything else. 3. How has technology impacted pop music?Describe at least three genealogical changes that impacted and shaped pop music today or in the past. I. The Beat Machine elimina tes the need for a real drummer. The internet allows for promotion and exposure that was not possible before. Finally, music videos are now a â€Å"must† when it comes to pop music. It increases the need for â€Å"the look† of the artist. 4. Pop music has often been seen as youth music. Why do you think pop music appeals to younger individuals? How has the industry promoted this idea? I. Pop music appeals to you anger generations because it is upbeat and easy to dance to. Pop Music ? The Center for Popular Music For information on specific research collections: Sheet music and Broadsides Rare books Sound recordings Periodicals Reading room collection Archives Music Trade Catalogs Posters Playbills and Programs Photographs Background: The Center's collection documents the diversity of American music. We take as our starting point the European and African origins of American culture, selecting items which document the music of our national vernacular culture. From the 18th to early 20th century music was disseminated largely in printed form: sheet music, songsters, broadsides, instrumental instruction books and song anthologies. After 1920 recorded sound gained dominance. The Center's collection reflects this change in the commodification of music. The Center recognizes the interplay between musical styles in American culture by providing study-level collections in all genres. Rather than duplicating the collection depth in specialized archives, the Center strives to support local research needs in all genres while providing research-level collections in specific areas: rock & roll and its roots, the various forms of vernacular religious music, and music of Tennessee and the Southeast. The key element supporting the study of rock is a sound recordings collection strong in blues, rhythm and blues, early rock, mainstream rock from the 1960s to the present, and alternative rock. The Center also has extensive holdings of rock periodicals as well as biographical, historical and critical books. Research in vernacular religious music is supported through a collection of approximately 2600 scores, including southern gospel songbooks, 19th century oblong songbooks, New England hymnody, shape note music, Sunday school songs, Negro spirituals, African-American gospel and denominational hymnals. Our collection of southern gospel songbooks is thought to be the largest institutional collection held by a non-religious repository. The Center's sound recording collections is also deep in various African-American traditions, contemporary Christian music and southern gospel. In addition to commercial issues, the Center has approximately 100 hours of original field recordings of African-American religious music. The Center's collection of Tennessee and southeastern materials recognizes that Tennessee provides a marvelous laboratory in which to study popular music. Ragtime, jazz, blues, Anglo- and African-American folk music, country, gospel and rock have all flourished within Tennessee. The music business of Tennessee has long been an important segment of Tennessee's economy. In addition to Nashville, the cities of Memphis, Knoxville, Bristol, Chattanooga, Cleveland and Lawrenceburg have played significant roles in music publishing, broadcasting and recording. The Center's collection documents these business activities as well as musical ones.