“Pop music will never be low brow.” This is a
statement that appeared on Lady Gaga’s sunglasses during a performance of her
song “Just Dance” on an episode of the television series “So You Think You Can
Dance” in 2008. I’m sure some of you reading, hinting towards the elderly,
might be wondering about what this phrase means. I thought that this video gave
a perfect description about this music genre, meaning that pop music will always
be a recurring trend and that it will never die out. Pop music is always
constantly changing and evolving to people’s taste throughout the decades.
Obviously, pop songs today are different compared to the pop songs from
previous years.
I will stress that this kind of music is everywhere
we go. You constantly here it on the radio, television commercials movies,
sporting events, parties, etc. For example, one of Taylor Swift’s most popular
songs is called "I Knew You Were Trouble" (IKYWT); she is typically known for her
country music style, but this song is labeled as “pop” because of the elements
that make a pop song. This song has the typical structure of a standard pop
song which includes two verses, three sets of choruses, and a hook. The song includes
rhythm electric guitar, a drum beat, piano, and a moment when the bass drops. When
the bass drops, people look like they are having a seizure and just
dance around not realizing what they are doing. I was utterly shocked when I first
heard this song because Taylor did not release a song like this before on her
previous albums. Because of all these elements, IKYWT is one of Taylor’s number
one hits. Everybody knows the song’s beat and lyrics because they would hear it
everywhere they went, including the radio due to popular demand. Typically
radio stations take requests of songs and pick songs that will appeal to its
audience. This is a good tactic for radio stations because if they play music
that people want to hear, people will always tune into that station.
I’m happy that Lady Gaga made this statement all
those years ago when she was a fresh new face in the pop music industry. She
wanted to emphasize that she is a pop star and will do whatever it takes to
keep this trend alive. As I mentioned in my previous post, pop music is my
life. Honestly, I’m not sure what I would do without it. Pop music will never be low brow to me!
That's really cool. I always thought that Pop music just stood for "popular" music and followed the trends that people enjoyed. I never knew there were actual classifications for what constitutes pop music as a genre. Thanks for teaching me something new!
ReplyDeleteI absolutely had no idea that pop music followed a structure. I suppose that I assumed it but never really understood that it was fact. I guess that would make more sense as to why sometimes songs that are released around the same time period typically sound similar. I do agree that pop music will never die out because it is forever changing with the times. One artist in particular who was notorious for changing her music with the times was Madonna. If you listen to her older music verses her newer stuff there is a complete difference.
ReplyDeleteI never heard of "pop music will never be low brow". But your article is interesting and I enjoy music too so I will keep reading.
ReplyDeleteI agree that pop music will never die. As a musician, it is not too hard to create a "radio" hit. Some may not know this, but most radio hits are simple progressions of chords that flow with lyrics that are catchy and for some, annoying. For example, the official world cup song was called, "We are One", sung by Jennifer Lopez, Pitbull, and Claudia Leitte. However, once I heard it in the opening ceremony, I did not remember how the song went right away. I never even saw it in a commercial or on the radio. However, Shakira's "unofficial" song, "La La La", was a very catchy song, although kind of annoying after a while.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree more with you. The genre of pop music/pop culture is ever changing and relies on society and whats happening to mold its sound. So how could pop culture ever be low brow if it constantly reflects societies wants and likes. Pop music will always be evolving and maturing with the times. I enjoyed your post, good read.
ReplyDeleteCertainly pop music will never die or disappear. "Popular" means that whatever form it takes it emerges from the grass roots as it were. But "low brow" means something different, not that it will die or end. Gaga was telling the more "sophisticated" music critics and lovers that pop music is not to be disdained as "low brow," aka low wattage and dumb.
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