| pop music |
| noun |
| music of general appeal to teenagers; a bland watered-down version of rock’n'roll with more rhythm and harmony and an emphasis on romantic love. |
I’m sitting in the car, listening to my local golden-oldies station. The Four Seasons. Petula Clark. That one song that’s all “Don’t pour your love out on me baby! If you do I think that maybe I’ll just lay me down and cry for a hundred yeaaarrrs!” The usual.
Everyone in the car is rather enjoying this music. This music really doesn’t have a message for us. This music has very few points to prove other than some harmonies are always lovely, and downtown cures all loneliness with simple tools like bossa-novas. This music isn’t doing anything but providing, however brief, a beat for us to groove on. This was the pop music of the ’50s, and (I’m sure, with a few exceptions) many people look upon it fondly and with a certain amount of admiration. You knew Petula Clark really did believe in the magic of downtown. Many agree that this music was just… good.
Let’s fast forward from the ’50s to the ’90s. The Backstreet Boys. N’SYNC. You know what I’m talking about: the pop music of the ’90s. You knew it, you loved it, you still know it, and maybe you don’t still love it, but there is a certain amount of nostalgia associated with hearing “I Want It That Way”. This music, too, (for those who liked it) was just plain good. It didn’t teach us anything besides the meaning of being lonely and that there were no strings attached. Much like in the ’50s, few fans of ’90s pop ever doubted the integrity or sincerity of those singing it (even though we in the ’90s probably should have).
Let’s fast-forward to a scary time: the present. Pop music- a form of entertainment throughout the ages, the object of much nostalgia and happiness- is a terrible, awful thing.
Wait… what?
It’s true. Since the ’90s I haven’t heard anybody say “pop music” without a condescending and spiteful tone in their voice. Rock and roll continually evolves. Rap and hip hop have risen to popularity. But for some reason, in the eyes of many, pop music just keeps going around in an endless circle of like the energizer bunny. The most annoying version of the energizer bunny EVER.
I don’t think that’s fair.
Being in the field of rock ‘n’ roll, most people would vote me among the least likely to acknowledge or *gulp* ENJOY pop music, but I think that is completely unfair. Pop music, as a genre, NEVER promised you an apple orchard, Charlie Brown. It NEVER promised you that it would give you complex, deep and symbolic lyrics about political occurrences. It never promised you anything but a groovy beat and a few rhyming words (or almost rhyming, in some cases). So why are we expecting SO MUCH from today’s pop stars that NOTHING they do is good enough? It’s like a movie reviewer giving a bad review to a romantic comedy for being unrealistic. Going into a romantic comedy, were you really expecting ‘Schindler’s List’?
Big kudos to Rolling Stone for not only reviewing the Jonas Brothers, but for not immediately tearing them to pieces simply for playing what they do. (The review can be read here: http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/22115892/review/22187330/a_little_bit_longer .)
To close it out, here’s a list of some of the reasons I don’t hate the Jonas Brothers:
1. They’re religious- and I mean that in the best way possible. They don’t hide their faith at all, and they don’t preach to their fans. How nice!
2. They do write… a lot of their own songs.
3. They’re catchy! Have you actually listened to any of their music? Not bad.
4. They’re smart. I read their interview in Rolling Stone, and they just seem like normal folks.
5. They keep in touch with their fans! Some bands blog, this band makes YouTube videos for their fans. They’re actually pretty funny, too.
6. The following lyric:
“Get some class and kiss the past!”
‘The past’? Really? I thought you were gonna say…
