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Save the "It means popular" comments. Try not to be anal.

Basically, pop music is either seen as a guilty pleasure or something to be hated with venom.

However, it's undeniable that there have been some incredible pop or pop orientated artists in music over all time, some of it ranking as arguably the best music ever (Prince sometimes, Jackson etc).

So what pop music do you like, if at all?

What pop music do you believe is responsible for the tag it's acquired as a damned genre?

What era do you think produced the best pop music? Modern or earlier days?

What, to you, constitutes pop music or a pop song?

-AC

Well, I had a conversation with VVD about that, and I guess they are not really that Pop but I like "The Smiths", who I guess considered themself Pop (at least Pop enough to perform on "Top of the Pops" and I like "Pulp" a lot, which argueably are Pop too. The thing is I can not pinpoint what Pop means really. As you said, "popular" would make things easy, but also make it pointless as a genre (and as I speak London Calling is playing on a Documentary which schocks me, ...back to topic). I also like "The Beatles" who might be considered "Pop" as well, besides them not being it. I think Pop is a very wide genre, and it usually means what actually is mainstream at the moment, although some artist consider themself Pop without being Mainstream.

I think The Beatles are very much pop also. They're more or less the first major popular boy band (this isn't meant as derogatory before people go mental).

To me, pop is the likes of Michael Jackson, some Prince, along the lines of Marvin Gaye and Diana Ross (pop-soul I guess you could say).

-AC

Originally posted by Alpha Centauri
I think The Beatles are very much pop also. They're more or less the first major popular boy band (this isn't meant as derogatory before people go mental).

To me, pop is the likes of Michael Jackson, some Prince, along the lines of Marvin Gaye and Diana Ross (pop-soul I guess you could say).

-AC

Not Marvin Gaye. Arguably Diana Ross.


I think pop is almost like 'default' music.

First test- does it fit into any other genre?

Second- is it popular/mainstream?

It's almost like a definition of exclusion: it is pop if it's nothing else.

I think Michael Jackson is always the classic pop archetype. Even then, though, you can see clear differences between that and other pop, IE George Michael, Elton John, Madonna.

would The Postal Service or The Shins be considered pop?

Not The Shins; I haven't heard anything by The Postal Service.

Pretty simple structure. Clear hooks. Catchy. Not too deep (not meant as a negative). Nothing truly heavy. Doesn't take a million spins to "get".

Id consider that pop.

Hmmmmm....I like Black eyed peas, Nelly sometimes, Sean Paul, Weezer, Linkin Park and the Neptunes.

Weezer and Linkin Park aren't pop bands. Linkin Park are a shit rock band and Weezer are an excellent one.

Weezer do very much have pop sensibilities though.

-AC

pop is something that everyone can get into. i guess someone like beyonce could be considered pop because all age groups can listen to her songs and there's really nothing threatening or experimental with her music. it's music that's easy to swallow, i guess.

Originally posted by Alpha Centauri
Weezer and Linkin Park aren't pop bands. Linkin Park are a shit rock band and Weezer are an excellent one.

Weezer do very much have pop sensibilities though.

-AC
hear hear! goddam right.

Pop sucks.......Britney Spears, Nsync, Backstreet Boys, etc...

J-Pop is the only pop I can tolerate.

Originally posted by Alpha Centauri

What, to you, constitutes pop music or a pop song?



A fast electronic beat with NO bass, and cheesy lyrics about love by either a chick or a group of phaggots.

Originally posted by Alpha Centauri
Weezer and Linkin Park aren't pop bands. Linkin Park are a shit rock band and Weezer are an excellent one.

Weezer do very much have pop sensibilities though.

-AC

LP is a metal band with a rapper.

Mike Shinoda is a good MC, he should leave LP and pursue a solo career.

I classify 'pop' as music that has a good melody, a catchy chorus and lasts around the three-minute mark.

The best pop music is from the 60s/70s...Jackson 5, ABBA, the Bee Gees, The Beach Boys, The Mamas & The Papas, the Supremes, The Beatles - They all made great pop music.

Recent good pop artists include Madonna...and...uh...that's about all I'm willing to venture. Actually, I consider Linkin Park as good pop band. Sure, they can easily be put in the 'rock' category, but most of their songs fall into my definition of 'pop', so that's where they shall remain.

Qualifying statement: When I say they are 'good', I mean it in the context of other pop bands like Busted, Westlife, TheStupidTwentysomethingsSingingForTeenAgers, etc.

I like some pop like MJ and The Beatles and whatnot however I find that even the best pop tends to get old quicker than most other music. Just my view.. to me a catchy jingle can only go so far.

Some bands... like Coheed and Cambria... I've been listening to for a while. They recently became a little popular. By which I mean they started showing their music videos, and I hear some of their songs on the radio.

Some pop music is alright.

Originally posted by Smallville
Some bands... like Coheed and Cambria... I've been listening to for a while. They recently became a little popular. By which I mean they started showing their music videos, and I hear some of their songs on the radio.

Some pop music is alright.

Although Coheed are very far from being pop.

Originally posted by DiamondBullets
A fast electronic beat with NO bass, and cheesy lyrics about love by either a chick or a group of phaggots.

Exactly... Not fall out boy :P Sorry to take this out of the original Fall out boy thread where I am arguing my case, but people here have a better deffinition of pop...
No bass, i agree, and the lyrics are most indeedly cheesy.

Originally posted by DiamondBullets
Pop sucks.......Britney Spears, Nsync, Backstreet Boys, etc...

J-Pop is the only pop I can tolerate. what is J-Pop?

sucks

Originally posted by Becky4BJ
Exactly... Not fall out boy :P Sorry to take this out of the original Fall out boy thread where I am arguing my case, but people here have a better deffinition of pop...
No bass, i agree, and the lyrics are most indeedly cheesy.

Fall Out Boy are pop, regardless of whether you agree, they are a pop band.

-AC

Originally posted by Mugen
what is J-Pop?

Japanese pop

You took no notice of the "no bass/cheesy lyrics" comment. Thats a distinct feature of a pop song...

Who? Me or Mugen?

I'm the one who said that^. I never said that I like J-pop----I said its the only pop I can tolerate. Especially if the video has a fine chick in it. Or if I'm playin' DDR.

Noriko Sakai and Naoki naughty

edit

Originally posted by Becky4BJ
You took no notice of the "no bass/cheesy lyrics" comment. Thats a distinct feature of a pop song...

No it isn't. Pop music has bass a lot of the time.

Michael Jackson, for example.

Originally posted by Victor Von Doom
No it isn't. Pop music has bass a lot of the time.

Michael Jackson, for example.

Modern pop has no bass. You could put it on a cell-phone and it sounds exactly the same.

Originally posted by DiamondBullets
Modern pop has no bass. You could put it on a cell-phone and it sounds exactly the same.

Are you seriously suggesting that no modern pop song has bass in it?

I imagine I misunderstood, because that would be an idiotic thing to say.

There is bass in modern pop... but that doesn't mean it hits like todays R & B, Hip Hop and/or Rap.

Originally posted by Victor Von Doom
Are you seriously suggesting that no modern pop song has bass in it?

I imagine I misunderstood, because that would be an idiotic thing to say.

There are exceptions to everything, but largely speaking modern bubble gum pop by girl/boy groups lack bass.

btw: I hope your not confusing rave/techno/dance with pop. They are purely for fast dancing and have HEAVY bass. Its also great to street race to.

Almost everything has bass in, whether you notice it or not, it's there.

Bit of an odd claim.

-AC

Originally posted by Alpha Centauri
Almost everything has bass in, whether you notice it or not, it's there.

Bit of an odd claim.

-AC

Tru dat, but its less prominent in some than in others. In the case of bubble gum--its almost non-existant. You really hafta crank it up to even hear it.

It's there though.

-AC

AC's right: whether you hear it or not, it's still there. It may be very faint, but it is indeed there.


Some pop I can handle, mainly pop from the 60's, 70's, 80's, and early 90's. I think most of them had talent, and weren't as manufactured, if at all, as the pop today. I mean, look at the Beatles, Micheal Jackson, etc? They were great when they were around, and there was no gemik.

So, to bring ourselves up to date- pop has bass in.

I'm still not entirely sure what constitutes pop music, so correct me if I'm wrong with any of these. I like Michael Jackson and Prince, of course, and if he does count as pop, Marvin Gaye. And more recently, Gorillaz, Goldfrapp and N.E.R.D. And John Legend's OK.

I like all of those save for N.E.R.D and John Legend.

I'd definitely say Goldfrapp have a lot of dancey pop elements.

-AC

anything I can't classify as any other genre I classify as Pop.

Madonna, Christina, Britney, Michael Jackson, NERD, Prince, Robbie Williams are all pop in my book and the last 5 ain't bad either.

Originally posted by Alpha Centauri
Save the "It means popular" comments. Try not to be anal.

Basically, pop music is either seen as a guilty pleasure or something to be hated with venom.

However, it's undeniable that there have been some incredible pop or pop orientated artists in music over all time, some of it ranking as arguably the best music ever (Prince sometimes, Jackson etc).

So what pop music do you like, if at all?

What pop music do you believe is responsible for the tag it's acquired as a damned genre?

What era do you think produced the best pop music? Modern or earlier days?

What, to you, constitutes pop music or a pop song?

-AC
Most of the "pop" music I like is more "britpop" which some people consider to be a different category, others don't.

Originally posted by DiamondBullets
A fast electronic beat with NO bass, and cheesy lyrics about love by either a chick or a group of phaggots.

Other than your "no bass" comment, you pretty much got it right, homes.

what constitutes as pop music are solo artists and "boy bands" like Backstreet Boys, who are used by shitty record company's to make a quick buck or two. Also, most pop music's lyrics are written by paid writers who seem to be stuck on the sappy love song train of thought. You can tell who writes there lyrics and who doesn't. Then as soon as there one hit wonders fade away, the companies drop them and find new, fresh meat.

Originally posted by Alpha Centauri
To me, pop is the likes of Michael Jackson, some Prince, along the lines of Marvin Gaye and Diana Ross (pop-soul I guess you could say).

Marvin Gaye is NOT pop! He's R&B and Soul.

Eh... I like Matchbox Twenty, but I'm not sure whether to call them alternative rock or pop. Other than that, I like quite a few songs, but only on the individual level and it's usually 1 or 2 songs per singer.