Popular Music

1950’s Tin Pan Alley Death of the old industry 1950’s Pop Jazz The emergence Of Rock ‘n’ Roll

Tin Pan Alley and The Old Industry Cookie cutter song writing Little celebrity status Geared towards sheet music sales 1950’s saw the advent of recording technology and distribution methods Popularity of vinyl post WW2 Recovery from Depression

The Emergence Of Rock ‘n’ Roll First blues and jazz recordings in 1920’s Electric guitar created in 1931 (Rickenbacker) Electric urban blues + a loss of blues structure + country style made for early rock ‘n’ roll Chuck Berry, Little Richard Elvis, 1953, breaks cultural barriers

1960’s 1960’s Rock ‘n’ Roll The Folk revival The British Invasion Motown

1960’S Rock ‘n’ Roll and The British Invasion The Beatles and the invention of the modern industry (merchandise, tours, musical careers, full length albums, visuals) The Rolling Stones Jimi Hendrix Globalization and music

The Folk Revival Stretches back to early interest in folk during the Great Depression Bob Dylan and the creation of modern folk Joni Mitchel Neil Young Blues revival in Northern United States

Motown Song writing team and house band First all African American music business enterprise/label Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson, The Temptations Black reflections of optimistic future

1970’s Hard Rock Disco Funk Punk

Hard Rock Reaction to psychedelia, less experimental, more what we associate with Rock ‘n’ Roll Led Zeppelin Black Sabbath Aerosmith

Disco A reaction to the growing rock driven mainstream Pop music, meant for dancing in clubs Favoured by minorities, often sexual and racial (Disco Sucks)

Funk An extension of Motown Further reflects the feelings of African Americans in a post civil Rights era James Brown, George Clinton Sly And The Family Stone

Punk The Stooges/Iggy Pop Reaction to the commercialization of Rock ‘n’ Roll Crossed economic barriers Questioned if good music had to be complicated The Sex Pistols The Ramones The Germs

1980’s 1980’s Hard Rock Pop Hip-Hop PMRC

Pop and 1980’s Hard Rock Blockbuster, much like the rest of the 1980’s Hair/glam metal: bands that truly lived and sung about the mantra “sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll” Guns ‘n’ Roses, Motley Crüe, Poision, Van Halen Pop music took a very electronic approach (heavy use of synthesizers) Prince, Michael Jackson, Madonna

Hip-Hop Revival of funk and soul music through sampling Started as a largely African American expression of life in cities New York, Los Angeles Brought along DJ’s and rapping Public Enemy, Beastie Boys, Sugarhill Gang, RUN DMC

Parental Music Resource Centre: PMRC Formed by Mary “Tipper” Gore in 1985 after she first heard “Darling Nikki” by Prince Created the parental advisory label against language/explicit content Commercial censorship: convinced chain stores (Walmart) not to sell anything with this sticker, recording labels then tried to encourage artist to write clean music Attempted to link heavy metal (Black Sabbath, Marilyn Manson) to violent crims and teenage suicide

1990’s Alternative Rock/Grunge Pop Boybands Gangsta Rap

Alternative Rock/Grunge Built off Punk and alternative rock of 80’s Reaction to the over the top commercialisation of 1980’s Focused on the combination of different styles Grunge: Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden Alternative Rock: Red Hot Chili Peppers, Rage Against The Machine, Stone Temple Pilots, I Mother Earth

Pop/Boybands Pop trend that would continue into the 2000’s and even today Just as popular as the 1990’s rock Typically very clean, geared at youth and teenage audiences Backstreet boys, Spice Girls, Brittany Spears, NSYNC

Gangsta Rap Extension of Hip-Hop Often very explicit Censorship? Reflection of lower class African American lifestyles in the growing trend of gangs

Music As A Cultural Tool What can we learn by examining music: Cultural response/reflection: what is going on that the music is coinciding with or proceeding? Who’s voices are being hear? Who’s aren’t? What narratives are told? What narratives/images sell the most? What racial and gender issues are at play? Age of the consumer: who is buying music and what mediums are they choosing?