Exploring Popular Music

Exploring Popular Music

What is popular music? Popular music is defined as “any genre of music having wide appeal but usually only for a short time.”(Popular music) My definition of popular music is music mostly by one hit wonders or well established artists appealing widely for a short time.

Popular music differs from other genres of music because with other genres of music they are constrained to that genre meaning that have to fit that group and really venture outside that box and still be called that genre. As for popular music, I believe it does just the opposite: it isn’t constrained, it doesn’t fit a model, it dares to be different, and it evokes all genres of music. One popular music genre is rock, rock music has gone though many changes in the recent years and has received countless backlash for those changes. I believe Richard Brookhiser said it best “Rock is a form of popular culture that aims downward instead of aiming up. Rather than aspiring, it despires” (Brookhiser, 385). I feel that Brookhiser said this because as that the century progresses and technology progresses we are no longer shocked. So popular rock artists try to push the limits of our society, but in doing so it brings the popular culture down. “If history repeats itself, and the unexpected always happens, how incapable must Man be of learning from experience”(Shaw). Popular rock music of today has had the same effect on older generations as it has had 50 year ago granted, the band names and styles of dress have changed, but the disapproval of the music hasn‘t. Michael Budds once said that “ It can be argued, however, that the passion and energy expended in attempts to alter or suppress rock and roll expression have only spurred rockers to flaunt “objectionable” aspects of their music and worldview in a spirit of defiant celebration”(Budds, Pg. 392, 2). Historical Rock music was seen as a defiant celebration that people believed promoted sex, violence, and drugs. In some cases this reign true some people did do drugs and had sex because of the music, but that slim number of people were just social followers. Even today we still have those some number of people who don’t have their own voice but for the most part people just listen to the music. One concern that I have for rock music today is that its going to far to push the envelope, one artist in particular is Marilyn Manson. His music is so controversial that it has been banded for being sold in many different stores because of graphic lyrics. To me his music is the ultimate taboo because when I listen to it for this project it freak me out I thought I was listening to the devil himself, but I digress historical and contemporary concerns for rock music are one in the same.

Most of the people who dislike popular rock have hopes that it would change to fit the norms of our society, and those who like popular rock music have hopes that it doesn’t change. As for me I feel that popular rock music is an area that I have little experience in. One hope that I do have for that genre of music is that in some ways it would tone down it radicalness, because some of the lengths that these artist go to be called taboo is ridiculous. I sometimes wonder to myself if they really need to be controversial to sell records or is that just a big hoax. Also for the people who dislike popular rock music I hope that they wouldn’t judge a book by its cover and not label all popular rock music garbage.

Technology has made many advances though out our lifetime from allowing us to go into outer space to giving us the ability to sustain life. In recent years technology has really allowed music to become ubiquitous because technology has given us the iPod, and P2P sharing servers that allow you to share all genres of music with others. The iPod‘s shuffle feature allows us to randomly hear songs that you have uploading on your iPod. To me the iPod shuffle feature and the P2P sharing servers have actually hindered popular rock music in some ways one being that it allows you to pick only the songs that you like instead of buy the actual CD. Another cultural implication of music ubiquity is in clothing more popular music artists are producing clothing lines. So young impressionable minds see these clothes and want them because their favorite artist has their name on them. My take on popular music artist clothing is “I like it” I have actually