Pop Music

The history of pop music began in the 1800s and from there, it has evolved to what it is today, a spectacle of
personalities with various pitches, tones, and styles.

● Music: A Part of Everything

● Pop music has contributed to the music industry’s billion-dollar worth. Likewise, it has influenced the lives of
so many people that even other media forms incorporate its style, from video games, TV programs, films,
and the Internet. Nevertheless, you may ask,
● "How and where did it begin? What kinds of music were considered popular back then? What kinds of
musical instruments paved the way for “pop" music?"
● Popular or “pop" music started in America several decades back, when the term “popular" was not be as
cool as what modern people perceived it to be. The fact that the pop genre originated as a combination of
various music styles--from jazz to country, be-bop to hip-hop, and even rock and roll to rap--is little known.

● Mid- to Late 19th Century

● Pop music started with the publishing of sheet music. During this period, many Americans turned to their
pianos for entertainment. Families gathered during celebrations and let their children play their piano pieces.
Hence, just as music sheets were transcribed for symphonies and orchestras, so too, sheet music for
popular songs became a phenomenon throughout the country. Even those who did not have pianists within
their families had the chance to listen to music by inviting friends who played into their homes.
● In addition, to meet the demand for sheet music, publishers set up their own companies. They would look for
talented composers, printing their music for sale, which was the start of the music publishing industry as we
know it today.
● When phonographs took center stage in the beginning of the 1900s, popular versions of music also
followed. Instead of depending on piano music for entertainment, families had the means to enjoy the exact
duplication of performances. Recordings on phonographs allowed anyone, whether rich or poor, to savor
music from the comfort of his or her own home. This also resulted in new markets in the music industry as
well as its expansion.

● Mid 1920s to 1940s

● During this period, another music form started to make its way in America. Apart from “pop" music and
surfacing through church hymns, ballads, and classical music, “jazz," the so-called new music of the times,
was known to be “daring" and even “shocking" for many.
● This music genre has a unique African beat that was developed by Black musicians in the mid-west, south,
and east. This, together with the “blues," another African-derived art form, helped transform music.
● Multi-cultural Music
● With the expansion of the music genres came diversity. Due to the popularity of jazz and blues with African
Americans, these genres received the label of “race music." The genre “rhythm and blues" was later
attributed to the Black community. Meanwhile, what was considered as “pop" was referenced to whites.

● 1950s to 1960s

● Amid the roadblocks to pop music, the industry continued to grow and soon, the barriers between races
blurred. Those considered as “pop" musicians started borrowing rhythms from jazz and blues musicians. By
the early 1950s, this musical blend gave birth to “rock and roll."
● Indeed, pop music as it is today would not be what it is today without that evolution. Pioneers of rock music
include Muddy Waters, Ike Turner, Louis Jordan, Little Richard and Bo Diddley. They served as the role
models of later artists such as Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis Presley, Bill Haley, and lots more who
made it big. From then on, more superstars rose through the ranks and made pop music like no other--
superstars and worldwide icons like The Beatles, The Yardbirds, The Rolling Stones, The Who, Led
Zeppelin, Manfred Mann, Cream, etc.

● 1970s to 1990s

● During this era, pop music diversified into many other related genres such as Acid Rock, Disco, Techno, and

Dance--and we can't forget Rap.

● Rap music, part of the inner-city cultural move known as “Hip-Hop," started in the 1980s. During its birth,
mainstream companies still did not accept it as just another trend. However, when America embraced Rap,
it soon took over the scene.
● Since then, for more than 25 years already, this genre has outsold Gospel, Country, Rock, R&B, and even
Jazz. Today, Rap ranks second to pop when it comes to appeal, marketability, and profits. This genre has
produced such stars as Eminem, Pink, Beck, Rage against the Machine, and others.

● Pop Music Today and Beyond

 ● With the birth of lots more genres of pop music today--from Post-Grunge, Hard Rock and Heavy Metal, Pop
Punk, Emo, Electronic Music, K-Pop, and others--pop music continues to be a huge part of culture. Although
times have changed, the history of pop music has left its mark on generations of music lovers, with more
generations to come.

There is good reason behind the cliche “Sex, drugs, and ´ rock and roll.” This article
deals with only two elements of this trinity, excluding sex but adding alcohol, which has
long played a prominent role in popular music. It is unlikely that any of us would have
the least difficulty thinking of a popular song—even a favorite song—that referred to,
perhaps even celebrated, substance use. It is not surprising that alcohol and drugs
appear as themes and references in popular songs, given that young musicians tend to
write and sing about their own lives and experiences. Indeed, such references have
permeated popular music for decades. Why Do Substance References Matter? It is
important to consider the frequency and tenor of substance references in popular music
lyrics primarily for two reasons. First, under the assumption that the content of popular
music says something about what is on the minds of the youth who produce and
consume it, an examination of popular song lyrics indicates what young people are
interested in, worrying about, aspiring to, and so on. Of course, the themes in music will
not represent all youth—some have little interest in participating in popular culture. Nor
will it provide a completely faithful image of the agenda of adolescents who do
participate. For one thing, it is in the very nature of popular media, music included, to
select from and distort reality. Thus, popular music tends to incorporate themes related
to some adolescent concerns more than others: more about sex and partying, for
example, than about studying hard to get into 121 122 P. CHRISTENSON ET AL.
college. It is also worth remembering that the messages in music are not drawn directly
from the minds of listeners, but from musicians and composers, a group that is clearly
not a typical cross-section of the youth population. (Indeed, many popular musicians are
not even youth). Compared to the average young person, musicians are much more
likely to lead lives of high sensation and extreme emotion, and their daily routines
disproportionately expose them to certain situations and venues—e.g., parties, clubs,
and concerts. Thus, whereas the messages in popular music track broad trends in
youth culture and values, music content should be viewed not as a faithful reflection but
as a sort of funhouse mirror, reflecting back to listeners a distorted, exaggerated image
of the frequency, context, and consequences of teen “reality,” possibly including the
world of alcohol and drugs. Indeed, this distortion may be exaggerated by the workings
of the marketplace, wherein youth make media content choices based not on the extent
to which the offerings reflect reality but on the media’s ability to provide fantasy,
excitement, amusement, and status within youth culture. In terms of the big picture,
however, we believe ongoing patterns of content in popular music will inevitably reflect
trends in youth culture. The second motivation for research on the content of music
lyrics stems from the concern that their messages may influence the beliefs, attitudes,
and behavior of young listeners. A long tradition of research documents the effects of
media messages on children and adolescents (for reviews, see: Comstock & Scharrer,
2007; Roberts, 2003; Roberts et al., 2009; Strasburger, Wilson, & Jordan, 2008), and
recent work indicates that music lyrics are no exception (Christenson & Roberts, 1998;
Roberts & Christenson, 2011). In addition, there is strong evidence linking exposure to
substance messages in music and music videos with young people’s substance-related
attitudes and behavior (Litle & Zuckerman, 1986; Martin, Clark, & Pearce, 1993;
Robinson, Chen, & Killen, 1998; also see Strasburger et al., 2009). Indeed, in their
seminal study of young people and popular music entitled “Protest Rock and Drugs,”
Robinson, Pilskain, and Hirsch (1976), actually found a stronger relationship between
music affiliation and drug use than between exposure to violent television content and
violent behavior. Although a number of media effects or processes may come into play,
we will mention two key perspectives. The first stems from the logic of media cultivation
research, which argues that those exposed to high levels of media content may adopt
as their subjective “reality” the picture of the world presented in the media over
competing conceptions of the social world (cf. Gerbner, Gross, Morgan, Signorelli, &
Shanahan, 2002). In the current context, then, to the extent that popular music refers to
substances frequently, the effect may be to normalize substance use by creating the
impression that “everybody is doing it”—that substances comprise a common, natural,
and thoroughly mainstream aspect of adolescent life. The logic of Bandura’s social
cognitive theory (Bandura, 1986, 2002) also has relevance. In terms of social cognitive
theory, the behavior observed in the media will be emulated to the extent that modeled
behavior is associated with positive outcomes (or not associated with negative
outcomes) and is performed by attractive, admirable, successful media models,
conditions that seem to apply quite well to the relationship between youth and the pop
music culture.

Objectives:

● Pop music has influenced the younger generation to get involved in

bad behavior and break the social norms.

● In the 1950’s the song “Jailhouse Rock” encouraged the younger

generation to break against the strict rules of the society and do more

of what they want

● In the 1980’s the song “It’s Raining Men” was sang by a duet of two

ladies who were a big part in the LGBTQ community, this song

encouraged people to come out and make other accept their sexual

preferences.

● In the 1990’s the song “Under the Bridge” talked about days of

struggle with an addiction to heroin and depression and how there

was a bridge that always provided those drugs.

● In the 2000’s the song “Where is the Love” came out and talking

about how hateful the world is and how there is so much violence and

hatred and there needs to be more love.

Links to songs:

Jailhouse Rock- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpzV_0l5ILI

You Light Up My Life- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdEBxyz9pfc

It’s Raining Men- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5aZJBLAu1E

Under the Bridge- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLvohMXgcBo

Where’s The Love- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EICNm-Ow0ms

Works Cited

Christenson, Peter, et al. "Booze, Drugs, and Pop Music: Trends in Substance

Portrayals in the Billboard Top 100-1968-2008." Substance Use & Misuse,

 vol.47, no. 2, Jan. 2012, pp. 121-129. EBSCOhost,

doi:10.3109/10826084.2012.637433.

Francisco, Celine. “Pop Music’s Evolution: 1800s to the Present” Brightthubeducation,

http://www.brighthubeducation.com/social-studies-help/123260-studying-pop-

culture-music-evolution/

“Under the Bridge by Red Hot Chili Peppers Songfacts.” Song Meanings at Songfacts,

www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=2369.