Pop rock

Pop rock is a subgenre of rock music that uses catchy pop style, with light lyrics over top of guitar-based songs. Scholars have noted that pop and rock are usually depicted as opposites; the detractors of pop often deride it as a slickly-commercial commodity, whereas rock is an authentic and sincere form of music.

Definitions

According to music reviewer George Starostin, pop rock is a subgenre of pop music that uses catchy pop songs that are mostly guitar-based. Starostin argues that most of what is traditionally called 'power pop' falls into the pop rock subgenre. He claims that the lyrical content of pop rock is normally secondary to the music. ^[1] Critic Philip Auslander argues that the distinction between pop and rock is more pronounced in the US than in the UK. He claims in the US, pop is the musical genre with its roots in white crooners such as Perry Como, whereas rock is rooted in African-American-influenced 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 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, anti-commercial form of music, which emphasizes songwriting by the singers and bands, instrumental virtuosity, and a real connection with the audience. ^[2]

Examples

Examples of pop-rock acts or songs are numerous, and so only a few are listed here. From the '50s, acts such as Ricky Nelson helped popularize rock'n roll but were not deemed as authentic, thus creating the sub-genre. In the 60s, most rock acts were bringing new and innovative sounds, and so not many can be considered pop-rock. Exceptions included “manufactured” acts like the Monkees, which now enjoy some modicum of respect from rock’n roll purists. The 70s brought an explosion of pop-rock acts from the bubblegum sounds of the Bay City Rollers, to the adult contemporary later hits of Chicago and the Doobie Brothers, to the interpretations of Three Dog Night, to the beginnings of the hair bands like KISS. The 80s were the peak decade for pop-rock, with the sound fully ingrained in the sound of Top 40. Popular acts from Toto, Loverboy, Night Ranger, and Huey Lewis & the News, to the new wave sound of the Bangles, The Romantics, and the Motels, to the hair band giants Bon Jovi, Def Leppard, and Motley Crue helped define the era and produce countless hits. The 90s saw a counter-act to pop-rock excess of the 80s with grunge’s emergence in rock. The effect on pop-rock was the more alternative sound of Hootie & the Blowfish, the Gin Blossoms, and Toad the Wet Sprocket. The effect was to lift pop-rock to a level of respect unseen in especially the previous decade. This continues somewhat to this day and makes the pop-rock label hard to assign to most acts. More Modern would be the Artist/actor Drake Bell. Having songs that, in one way or another, give a better message than some other artists today.

Further reading

• Birrer F.A.J. -"Definitions and research orientation: do we need a definition for popular music?" in D. Horn (ed), - "Popular Music Perspectives - 1985 - Gothenburg - pg 99-105.
• Chambers I - "Urban Rhythms, Pop Music and Popular Culture," - 1985 - OUP
• Fiske J, - "Understanding Popular Culture," - 1989 - Routledge
• Frith S - "The Sociology of Rock," - 1978 - Constable
• Frith S - "Sound Effects: Youth, Leisure and the Politics of Rock'n'Roll," - 1983 - Constable
• Hamm C - "Yesterdays: Popular Song in America," - 1979 - New York
• Harker D - "One For the Money: Politics and Popular Song," - 1980 - Hutchinson
• Harron M - "Pop as Commodity," cited in S Frith - "Facing The Music: Essays on Pop, Rock and Culture," -1988 - Mandarin - pg 173-220
• Hill D - "Designer Boys and Material Girls: Manufacturing the '80's Pop Dream," - 1986 - Blandford Press
• Middleton R - "Studying Popular Music," - 1990 - OUP
• Moore A.F - "Rock: The Primary Text," - 1993 - OUP
• Shuker R - "Understanding Popular Music," - 1994 - Routledge

External links

• Server about alternative rock music
• Analysis of Pop & Rock