Golden Oldies

Pop music's reputation for being insubstantial dates back to the early days of radio. Songwriters were not expected to be singers, so they sought out people who had great voices. In turn, people with great vocal talent were content to sing other people's songs. If a song was a hit, other singers would release their own versions on the tail of the original. There was a purity to the craft of songwriting that does not exist today. There was also a disconnect between the singers and their songs, since the singers were expressing someone else's feelings.

The British Invasion

Pop music singers dabbled in songwriting well before the Beatles broke records, but the idea that musicians had to earn their keep by writing their own songs was popularized by Lennon and McCartney. While their peers were still covering blues standards, the Beatles were writing some of the greatest pop songs of all time.

At the same time, American pop was entering its golden age. The Shangri-Las are still the undisputed bad girls of pop music, and Phil Spector's Wall of Sound has yet to be matched.

The Evolution of Dance

During the disco age, pop music established itself as the preferred genre of people who wanted to enjoy themselves. They were unabashedly happy. This perception of pop music still persists. Landmark artists like Madonna and Michael Jackson inched their way into the public consciousness by giving people music to dance to. More recently, Britney Spears' continued popularity is entirely owed to the savvy decision to become a dance artist.

The quality of a pop song is determined by how it makes people feel. Sometimes pop music taps into something real and serious, and other times a song is a mere trifle. Whatever the technical merits of pop music are, no one can deny its impact on culture and the people who love it.

Listen to Pop Music Online

Pop fans can listen to their favorite tracks and discover new ones using the online player at hit-Tuner.net ...