What Is Pop Music? 10 Examples of Pop Music

Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form in the United States and United Kingdom during the mid-1950s. The terms “popular music” and “pop music” are often used interchangeably, although the former describes all music that is popular and includes many diverse styles.

Introduction

Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form in the United States and United Kingdom during the mid-1950s. The terms “popular music” and “pop music” are often used interchangeably, although the former describes all music that is popular and includes many disparate styles. During the 1950s and 1960s, pop encompassed rock and roll and the youth-oriented styles it influenced. Since the 1970s, pop has had a wide variety of different definitions that include everything from conventional rock music to electronic dance music.

Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music with the goal of having mass appeal, containing elements of separate genres such as hip hop, R&B, funk, rock, and country. For example, in 1961 Bill Haley’s “Rock Around the Clock” became the first pop record to top Billboard’s main singles chart, the Hot 100. According to Rolling Stone magazine, “Rock Around the Clock” is “widely regarded as one of the first (and best-known) rock anthems”. Other early pop hits included Bobby Darin’s “Mack the Knife” (1959), which reached number one in Billboard’s main singles chart; Del Shannon’s “Runaway” (1961); Roy Orbison’s “Oh, Pretty Woman” (1964); The Beatles’ “I Want To Hold Your Hand” (1964) which was their first U.S. number one hit; The Beach Boys’ “I Get Around” (1964); The Animals’ “The House of the Rising Sun” (1964); The Supremes’ “Where Did Our Love Go?” (1964); Marvin Gaye’s “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” (1968); and Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Bad Moon Rising” (1969).

What Is Pop Music?

Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form in the United States and United Kingdom during the mid-1950s. The terms “popular music” and “pop music” are often used interchangeably, although the former describes all music that is popular and includes many diverse styles.

A Brief History of Pop Music

Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form in the United States and United Kingdom during the mid-1950s. The terms “popular music” and “pop music” are often used interchangeably, although the former describes all music that is popular and includes many diverse styles. “Pop” and “rock” were roughly synonymous terms until the late 1960s, when they became increasingly differentiated from each other.

In the early 1950s in the US, rock and roll, which had been developing for some time, was quickly adopted by young people as a defining style of popular music. These talents were soon followed by others such as Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis and many others. By 1955, rockabilly, a fusion of country music and rhythm and blues (R&B), was developed by artists such as Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash and Bill Haley & His Comets.

In Britain, meanwhile, a parallel development was taking place with the emergence of home-grown popular stars such as Cliff Richard and Adam Faith. In the late 1950s, a new wave of American teenagers brought with them a new style of music known as surf rock, which combined elements of rock and roll with the sounds of surfing. This was followed in the early 1960s by what became known as the British Invasion, when a number of British bands including The Beatles and The Rolling Stones achieved massive success in America.

From these beginnings, pop music has continued to evolve into a wide variety of subgenres and styles that reflect both changes in society and in musical taste. In the 1970s disco became one of the most popular genres with artists like ABBA achieving international fame. In subsequent decades pop music has been dominated by huge superstars like Madonna, Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston among many others. More recently, pop music has incorporated elements of dance music, hip hop and even electronic dance music (EDM).

The Characteristics of Pop Music

Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form in the United States and United Kingdom during the mid-1950s. The terms “popular music” and “pop music” are often used interchangeably, although the former describes all music that is popular (and can include any style).

Pop music is eclectic, and often borrows elements from other styles such as urban, dance, rock, Latin, and country. An identification of primary characteristics of pop music includes:
-It is produced for mass consumption and mass media.
-It is accessible to everyone regardless of age, race, or class.
-It uses a simple musical structure and limited musical instruments.
-Its lyrics are about love, relationships, and everyday life.
-It has a catchy melody that is easy to remember.

10 Examples of Pop Music

Pop music is a genre of music that is typically characterized by a catchy tune, simple lyrics, and a strong beat. It is often associated with the mainstream music industry and can be found on the radio, in movies, and on television. Some well-known examples of pop music include “I Want it That Way” by the Backstreet Boys, “Bye Bye Bye” by *NSYNC, and “Hit Me Baby One More Time” by Britney Spears.

“All About That Bass” by Meghan Trainor

“All About That Bass” by Meghan Trainor was a massive pop hit in 2014. The song is a good example of pop music because it has a catchy hook, simple lyrics, and a danceable beat. The song is about body confidence and self-acceptance, themes that are common in pop music.

“Can’t Feel My Face” by The Weeknd

The Weeknd’s “Can’t Feel My Face” perfectly embodies pop music in the 21st century: it’s catchy, commercial, and appealingly empty. The lyrics are mostly gibberish, and the melody is built on a simple chord progression that anyone with a basic understanding of music theory could play. But somehow, it all comes together to create a song that’s irresistible. It’s the perfect example of how pop music doesn’t have to be deep or complicated to be enjoyable.

“I Really Like You” by Carly Rae Jepsen

“I Really Like You” is a song by Carly Rae Jepsen released in 2015. The song was written by Jepsen and produced by Greg Kurstin. It is a pop song with influences of new wave music. The song’s subject matter is about being in love with someone and not being able to suppress those feelings.

“I Really Like You” was met with positive reviews from music critics. Many praised its catchiness and radio-friendly sound. The song was a commercial success, reaching the top ten in several countries including Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. In the United States, the song peaked at number 16 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

“Shake It Off” by Taylor Swift

“Shake It Off” is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift for her fifth studio album, 1989 (2014). Written by Swift, Max Martin and Shellback, the track serves as the lead single from the album. “Shake It Off” is a departure from Swift’s earlier country pop musical style and employs a disco beat. As of 2019, “Shake It Off” is one of the best-selling singles of all time with over 10 million copies sold worldwide.

“Uptown Funk” by Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars

“Uptown Funk” is a song by English record producer Mark Ronson from his fourth studio album, Uptown Special (2015), featuring American singer and songwriter Bruno Mars. The song was released as the album’s lead single on 10 November 2014. Columbia Records released the song to contemporary hit and rhythmic radio on 10 November 2014 as a single in the United States. It has since peaked at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 and topped the charts in Australia, Canada, France, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.As of June 2015, “Uptown Funk” has sold 6.9 million copies in the US. The song won two Grammy Awards: Record of the Year and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance.

“Uptown Funk” is an uptempo soul and funk-pop track with influences of 1980s boogie, contemporary hip hop, Latin freestyle and horn-based sampled music. Lyrically, it is an ode to up town Manhattan and its Harlem neighborhood; according to Ronson in Rolling Stone, Mars wrote most of its lyrics while they were riding around Lower Manhattan in Ronson’s car one day.”Uptown Funk” was well received by critics upon release; many commented on its sound being revitalizing and praised Mars for his vocal performance. It has been ranked among the best-selling singles of all time worldwide, with sales of over 14 million copies as of December 2014. The single debuted at number two on the UK Singles Chart despite stiff competition from Ed Sheeran’s “Thinking Out Loud”, which entered at number one that week; it eventually peaked at number one in its third week on 25 January 2015 after selling 222,000 copies that week. In early 2015, “Uptown Funk” achieved significant airplay exposure across top 40 radio stations in both France and the United Kingdom; this resulted into commercial success in these territories where it peaked at numbers one for several weeks.”

“See You Again” by Wiz Khalifa featuring Charlie Puth

“See You Again” is a song recorded by American rapper Wiz Khalifa, featuring American singer Charlie Puth. The track was commissioned for the soundtrack of the 2015 action film Furious 7 as a tribute to actor Paul Walker, who died in a single-vehicle accident on November 30, 2013. The artists co-wrote the song with its co-producers, DJ Frank E and Andrew Cedar, with additional production from Mike Willow. “See You Again” peaked at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 for twelve weeks. The song held the record for being the shortest to reach one billion streams on Spotify and also currently holds the record as the longest running rap song at number one on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart.

“Sugar” by Maroon 5

Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form in the United States and United Kingdom during the mid-1950s. The terms “popular music” and “pop music” are often used interchangeably, although the former describes all music that is popular and includes many diverse styles.

Pop music is eclectic, and often borrows elements from other styles such as urban, dance, rock, Latin, and country. A distinguishing characteristic of pop music is an aim to appeal to a general audience, rather than to a particular sub-culture or ideology. It usually consists of relatively short and simple songs utilizing a verse–chorus form.

The most popular form of pop music is currently dance-pop, while other prominent forms are power pop and punk pop. Pop music has drawn influence from a vast variety of musical styles throughout the 20th century. Some early pop songs such as “That’ll Be the Day” (1957) and “Rock Around the Clock” (1955) drew direct influence from rhythm and blues artists like Little Richardand Bo Diddley.

Later on in the 1960s, The Beatles became a distinguished pop act with their towerload of hits including “Drive My Car”, “Yesterday”, and “Eleanor Rigby”. In many ways they defined what pop music would become with their unending string of number one records on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. As their career progressed into the 1970s, they experimented with different genres including folk rock (“Don’t Let Me Down”), art rock (“Strawberry Fields Forever”), hard rock (“Helter Skelter”), and even disco (“The Long And Winding Road”).

“Thinking Out Loud” by Ed Sheeran

“Thinking Out Loud” is a song by English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran, released as the third single from his second studio album, × (2014). It was written by Sheeran and Amy Wadge and produced by frequent collaborator Jake Gosling. Rolling Stone ranked “Thinking Out Loud” at number 69 on their list of the 100 Greatest Pop Songs of All Time. The song spent 33 weeks in the top 10 of the UK Singles Chart, marking the longest run for a song in that position since Wet Wet Wet’s “Love Is All Around” which topped the chart for 15 weeks in 1994; as well as consolidating his status as one of Britain’s most successful singer-songwriters. In September 2015, Billboard announced that “Thinking Out Loud” had been certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), with sales surpassing 2 million copies.

The music video for “Thinking Out Loud” was directed by Emil Nava and released on 7 October 2014. Since its release, the video has received over 1.03 billion views on YouTube, becoming one of Sheeran’s most watched videos on his channel. In it, Sheeran plays a 1950s style crooner performing in a small jazz club with Rupert Grint playing a bartender at said club.

The lyrics are about how falling in love can make you feel nostalgic about previous loves: “”And, baby, now / Take me into your loving arms / Kiss me under the light of a thousand stars / Oh darling, place your head on my beating heart / I’m thinking out loud / That maybe we found love right where we are.”

“Work” by Rihanna featuring Drake

“Work” is a song recorded by Barbadian singer Rihanna for her eighth studio album, Anti (2016). The song was released as the lead single from the album on January 27, 2016. “Work” is a dancehall-influenced track that samples the drum pattern of “Found Out About You”, written by Gunnar Peterson and Tom keifer and performed by American rock band Gin Blossoms. Lyrically, the song features sexually suggestive lyrics.

The song received generally positive reviews from music critics, with some praising its production and others calling it a return to form for Rihanna. It peaked at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and number two on the Canadian Hot 100 chart, becoming Rihanna’s fourteenth and fifteenth chart toppers in each country. In Australia, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, New Zealand, Sweden and the United Kingdom, “Work” also reached number one on their respective singles charts. An accompanying music video for the song was directed by Melina Matsoukas and premiered through Vevo on February 22, 2016; it featured cameo appearances from Drake and had received over 150 million views as of December 2020.

“Hello” by Adele

Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form in the United States and United Kingdom during the mid-1950s. The terms “popular music” and “pop music” are often used interchangeably, although the former describes all music that is popular and includes many diverse styles. “Pop” and “rock” were roughly synonymous terms until the late 1960s, when they became increasingly differentiated from each other.

While pop music sometimes is seen as a combination of rock and roll, rock, or rhythm and blues, there are distinct styles within pop music that are categorized by common musical characteristics. Pop music is eclectic, and often borrows elements from other styles such as urban, dance, rock, Latin, and country.

The most popular form of pop music is currently rap or hip-hop. Other popular forms include:
– jazz
– rock
– rhythm and blues (R&B)
– soul
– funk
– disco