Where Does the Term ‘Pop Music’ Come From?
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The term ‘pop music’ is a shortening of the popular music. It is a type 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 is a description of music which is popular (and can include any style).
Origins in the late 19th century
Although the genre “pop music” is most commonly used to refer to contemporary chart toppers, the term actually has a much longer history. “Pop music” first came into use in the late 19th century, when it was used to describe popular songs, specifically those that were light and catchy. The term was used again in the mid-20th century to describe a new type of music that was different from the traditional pop sound.
United States
In the late 19th century, a type of music called “popular music” started to become popular in the United States. This music was made for people to listen to and dance to, and it was different from the classical music that was popular at the time. It was also different from the folk music that was popular in rural areas.
People who listened to popular music were usually from urban areas, and they were mostly young people. They liked the new sound of this music, and they loved to dance to it. This new type of music soon became very popular in the United States.
Britain
The term “pop music” first appeared in Britain in the mid-1950s. At that time, “pop” referred to popular music generally, not just to specific genres such as rock and roll. The English journalist and musician Logan Pearsall Smith wrote in Mozart at 28 (1935) that “There was never a time when ‘ pop music’ sounded more natural than in 1810.” The British magazine Williams’ Mercurius (1690) noted an early use of the term: “We hear that Mr. Mossop has set several of Pope’s occasional verses to musick, which are said to take mightily.” In an article on the origin of the term, Poptimism co-founder Brian Boyd notes thatsmith’s use suggests that by the early 1830s,’ pop music’ had acquired some meaning beyond a general description for any kind of popular music.”
In 1904, the British newspaper The Guardian used the term to describe various genres including jungle music and Tin Pan Alley tunes. Boyd notes that thereafter pop music “became a standard shorthand for ‘popular'” and that by around 1920, it “had taken on perhaps its strongest meaning yet: commercial mainstream Recordings designed primarily for mass appeal.” He adds that prior to 1920, recorded commercial popular music “would have been far less likely to have been described as pop … because it would not have been intended for anything like mass appeal.”
The term in use in the 20th century
The term “pop music” came into common use in the 20th century, referring to a type of music that was different from traditional classical or jazz. Pop music was typically lighter and more upbeat than other genres, and it was easy to dance to. Today, the term “pop music” is used to describe a wide variety of genres, from rap and hip-hop to country and rock.
United States
The term “pop music” is first attested in 1909, in a review of Ted Browning’s film The Fugitive Kind by Variety magazine. The term was primarily used in the 1910s and 1920s to describe stylistically accessible music, especially that of fledgling recording artists trying to break into the mainstream market. By the 1930s, “pop” music had come to dominate American record sales, following a major marketing push by Edison Records.
Britain
The term “pop music” first came into use in Britain in the 1950s, when it was used to describe a new style of music that was influenced by American rock and roll. The term became popular in the 1960s, when it was used to describe a wide range of popular music styles, including rock, soul, pop, and funk. In the 1970s, the term was used to describe a type of popular music that was based on electronic instruments and synthesizers. The term is still used today to describe a wide range of popular music styles.
The term in use in the 21st century
The term “pop music” was first used in 1926, according to the Oxford English Dictionary. It is defined as “a type of popular music having a strongly sentimental or romantic character.” This meaning has been in use since the early 20th century.
United States
The term “pop music” first came into use in Britain in the mid-1950s, when it was used to describe the rock and roll and the new youth music styles that were emanating from America. The term was originally used in a derogatory way, but by the early 1960s it had been adopted by British teens to describe their own style of music.
In America, “pop music” is often used to describe any kind of popular music, including rock, soul, R&B, rap, and even country. However, in Britain and many other parts of the world, “pop music” specifically refers to chart-topping pop songs that are heavily influenced by pop and dance music.
So where does the term “pop music” come from? It’s actually derived from two different sources. The first is the abbreviation for “popular,” which was commonly used in advertising and early record sleeves to promote specific artists or songs. The second source is “popular culture,” which refers to anything that’s widely accepted or liked by the general public.
Britain
In the United Kingdom, “pop” music has been used since the early 1950s to describe a wide range of popular, commercial music, including rock, skiffle, and soul. The term “pop music” first appeared in British print in the late 1950s: PrincipalOSullivan describes it as “an abbreviated form of popular music … applied to records … since 1957”. By 1963 “pop” music had become a euphemism, referring to a type of rock music distinguished from traditional rock, or from more experimental or avant-garde genres.
