Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom. During the 1950s and 1960s, pop music encompassed rock and roll and the youth-oriented styles it influenced. Rock and pop music remained roughly synonymous until the late 1960s, after which pop became associated with music that was more commercial, ephemeral , and accessible.
116-495: " The Look " is a song by Swedish pop duo Roxette . It was released in early 1989 as the fourth single from their second studio album , Look Sharp! (1988). It became an international hit, and was one of the most successful singles of 1989. It topped the charts in 25 countries, and was the first of their four number ones on the Billboard Hot 100 . The song received mostly positive reviews from music critics. The duo released their second album Look Sharp! in October 1988. It
232-473: A chorus that contrasts melodically, rhythmically and harmonically with the verse . The beat and the melodies tend to be simple, with limited harmonic accompaniment. The lyrics of modern pop songs typically focus on simple themes – often love and romantic relationships – although there are notable exceptions. Harmony and chord progressions in pop music are often "that of classical European tonality , only more simple-minded." Clichés include
348-432: A fade-out , in which the song gets quieter and quieter. In many songs, the band does a ritardando during the outro, a process of gradually slowing down the tempo. Both the fade-out and the ritardando are ways of decreasing the intensity of a song and signalling that it is nearing its conclusion. For an outro that fades out, the arranger or songwriter typically repeats a short section of the music over and over. This can be
464-439: A guitar solo during the outro, but it is not the focus of the section; instead, it is more to add interesting improvisation. A guitar solo during an outro is typically mixed lower than a mid-song guitar solo. An elision is a section of music where different sections overlap one another, usually for a short period. It is mostly used in fast-paced music, and it is designed to create tension and drama. Songwriters use elision to keep
580-417: A "home key" for a short period), a chord progression could be used for the pre-chorus that gets the listener ready to hear the chorus' chord (G Major) as an arrival key. One widely used way to accomplish this is to precede the G Major chord with its own ii–V chords. In the key given, ii of G Major would be an A minor chord. V of G Major would be D . As such, with the example song, this could be done by having
696-426: A 2019 report for Billboard , said the song was " glam rock for the age of George H. W. Bush : stylized and stylish on the surface, yet classically structured at its core. Equal parts craft and trash, it was the platonic ideal of a hit pop single." He also commented on the route the song took to commercial success, saying: "It was a hit single lying in wait, ready for the right ears to recognize [its] potential. That it
812-666: A AABA form, where the B is the bridge. AAA format may be found in Bob Dylan 's " The Times They Are a-Changin' ", and songs like " The House of the Rising Sun ", and " Clementine ". Also " Old MacDonald ", " Amazing Grace ", " The Thrill Is Gone ", and Gordon Lightfoot 's " The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald ". AABA may be found in Crystal Gayle 's " Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue ", Billy Joel 's " Just
928-460: A basic format (often the verse–chorus structure ), and rhythms or tempos that can be easily danced to. Much of pop music also borrows elements from other styles such as rock, urban , dance , Latin , and country . The terms popular music and pop music are often used interchangeably, although the former more accurately describes all music that is targeted for mass appeal (compare art music ) and includes many disparate styles. Although much of
1044-421: A good sense of closure. For DJs , the outro is a signal that they need to be ready to mix in their next song. In general, songwriters and arrangers do not introduce any new melodies or riffs in the outro. However, a melody or riff used throughout the song may be re-used as part of an outro. Generally, the outro is a section where the energy of the song, broadly defined, dissipates. For example, many songs end with
1160-527: A group of women. All songs were written and composed by Per Gessle. Credits are adapted from the liner notes of The Rox Box/Roxette 86–06 . Musicians Shipments figures based on certification alone. Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. "The Look" was remixed in 1995 and re-released exclusively in the United Kingdom in conjunction with the release of their first greatest hits compilation, Don't Bore Us, Get to
1276-472: A hit record, doesn't it? Looking back on 35 years of professional songwriting, I know how hard it is to write uptempo catchy hits without following a formula, so I'm really proud of it." —Gessle talking about "The Look" to Billboard magazine in 2015. "The Look" was written by Per Gessle as an exercise while learning how to operate the Ensoniq ESQ-1 synthesizer he had recently purchased, using
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#17327932071331392-399: A light entertainment and easy listening tradition. Pop music is more conservative than other music genres such as folk, blues, country, and tradition. Many pop songs do not contain themes of resistance, opposition, or politics, rather focusing more on love and relationships. Therefore, pop music does not challenge its audiences socially, and does not cause political activism. Frith also said
1508-498: A pop song is to them, songs from the 1960s turned out to be the most memorable, significantly more than songs from recent years 2000 to 2015. Before the progressive pop of the late 1960s, performers were typically unable to decide on the artistic content of their music. Assisted by the mid-1960s economic boom, record labels began investing in artists, giving them the freedom to experiment, and offering them limited control over their content and marketing. This situation declined after
1624-409: A pre-chorus that consists of one bar of A minor and one bar of D . This would allow the listener to expect a resolution from ii–V to I, which in this case is the temporary tonic of G Major. The chord A minor would not be unusual to the listener, as it is a shared chord that exists in both G Major and C Major. A minor is the ii chord in G Major, and it is the vi chord in C Major. The chord that would alert
1740-421: A recurring part of a song. When a distinction is made, the chorus is the part that contains the hook or the "main idea" of a song's lyrics and music, and there is rarely variation from one repetition of the chorus to the next. A refrain is a repetitive phrase or phrases that serve the function of a chorus lyrically, but are not in a separate section or long enough to be a chorus. For example, refrains are found in
1856-452: A reference to the town of the audience or customizing the lyrics to the current events of the era. There is a distinction between ad lib as a song section and ad lib as a general term. Ad lib as a general term can be applied to any free interpretation of the musical material. Thirty-two-bar form uses four sections, most often eight measures long each (4×8=32), two verses or A sections, a contrasting B section (the bridge or "middle-eight") and
1972-470: A reharmonization, the melody does not usually change; only the chords played by the accompaniment musicians change. Examples include " Deck the Halls ": Verse-chorus form or ABA form may be combined with AABA form, in compound AABA forms. That means that every A section or B section can consist of more than one section (for example Verse-Chorus). In that way the modern popular song structure can be viewed as
2088-412: A repeated A–G–D bass line as the song's core. The track's sixteenth-note rhythm was inspired by the work of ZZ Top . The first two verses are composed of guide lyrics, with Gessle explaining he "scribbled [them] down instantly just to remember the rhythm. But they stuck in my head. 'Walking like a man, hitting like a hammer...', it all had a great groove. And in some pseudo- psychedelic way à la ' I Am
2204-457: A return of the verse in one last A section (AABA). The B section is often intended as a contrast to the A sections that precede and follow it. The B section may be made to contrast by putting it in a new harmony. For example, with the jazz standard " I Got Rhythm ", the A sections are all tonic prolongations based around the I–vi–ii–V chord progression (B ♭ in the standard key); however,
2320-486: A second chorus (in Peres's terms, a detached postchorus ) or an extension of the chorus (in Peres's terms, an attached postchorus ). Some restrict "post-chorus" to only cases where it is an extension of a chorus (attached postchorus), and do not consider the second part of two-part choruses (detached postchorus) as being a "post"-chorus. As with distinguishing the pre-chorus from a verse, it can be difficult to distinguish
2436-460: A separation which was "also, broadly, one between boys and girls, middle-class and working-class." The latter half of the 20th century included a large-scale trend in American culture in which the boundaries between art and pop music were increasingly blurred. Between 1950 and 1970, there was a debate of pop versus art. Since then, certain music publications have embraced the music's legitimacy,
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#17327932071332552-406: A series of loud, accented chords, punctuated by cymbal, with a bassline beginning near the end, to act as a pitch reference point for the singer. In popular music, a verse roughly corresponds to a poetic stanza because it consists of rhyming lyrics most often with an AABB or ABAB rhyme scheme . When two or more sections of the song have almost identical music but different lyrics, each section
2668-433: A significantly different melody and lyrics, which helps the song develop itself in a natural way by creating a contrast to the previously played, usually placed after the second chorus in a song. A song employing a middle eight might look like: By adding a powerful upbeat middle eight, musicians can then end the song with a hook in the end chorus and finale. The conclusion or (in popular-music terminology) outro of
2784-405: A song is a way of finishing or completing the song. It signals to the listeners that the song is nearing its close. The reason for having an outro is that if a song just ended at the last bar of a section, such as on the last verse or the last chorus, this might feel too abrupt for listeners. By using an outro, the songwriter signals that the song is, in fact, nearing its end. This gives the listeners
2900-416: A tendency to reflect existing trends rather than progressive developments ; and seeks to encourage dancing or uses dance-oriented rhythms. The main medium of pop music is the song, often between two and a half and three and a half minutes in length, generally marked by a consistent and noticeable rhythmic element , a mainstream style and a simple traditional structure . The structure of many popular songs
3016-475: A thriving pop music industry, most of which is devoted to Western-style pop. Japan has for several years produced a greater quantity of music than everywhere except the US. The spread of Western-style pop music has been interpreted variously as representing processes of Americanization, homogenization , modernization, creative appropriation, cultural imperialism , or a more general process of globalization . One of
3132-488: A trend referred to as " poptimism ". Throughout its development, pop music has absorbed influences from other genres of popular music. Early pop music drew on traditional pop , an American counterpart to German Schlager and French Chanson , however compared to the pop of European countries, traditional pop originally emphasized influences ranging from Tin Pan Alley songwriting, Broadway theatre , and show tunes . As
3248-514: A trumpeter and a sax player). Guitar solos are common in rock music , particularly heavy metal and in the blues . The solo section may take place over the chords from the verse, chorus, or bridge, or over a standard solo backing progression, such as the 12-bar blues progression. In some pop songs, the solo performer plays the same melodies that were performed by the lead singer, often with flourishes and embellishments, such as riffs, scale runs, and arpeggios. In blues- or jazz-influenced pop songs,
3364-400: A usual thickening of texture from the addition of backing vocals, is always a discrete section that nearly always prolongs the tonic and carries an unvaried poetic text." In terms of narrative, the chorus conveys the main message or theme of the song. Normally the most memorable element of the song for listeners, the chorus usually contains the hook . An optional section that may occur after
3480-435: A verse and a chorus. The primary difference between the two is that when the music of the verse returns, it is almost always given a new set of lyrics, whereas the chorus usually retains the same set of lyrics every time its music appears." Both are essential elements, with the verse usually played first (exceptions include " She Loves You " by The Beatles , an early example in the rock music genre). Each verse usually employs
3596-408: A verse and chorus – that often contrast melodically , rhythmically , harmonically and dynamically . Songs in verse–chorus form may also include introductory, transitional and concluding sections. The introduction is a unique section that comes at the beginning of the piece. Generally speaking, an introduction contains just music and no words. It usually builds up suspense for the listener so when
The Look - Misplaced Pages Continue
3712-533: A wide audience [...] since the late 1950s, however, pop has had the special meaning of non-classical mus[ic], usually in the form of songs, performed by such artists as The Beatles , The Rolling Stones , ABBA , etc." Grove Music Online also states that "[...] in the early 1960s, [the term] 'pop music' competed terminologically with beat music [in England], while in the US its coverage overlapped (as it still does) with that of 'rock and roll'". From about 1967,
3828-417: Is "designed to appeal to everyone" but "doesn't come from any particular place or mark off any particular taste". Frith adds that it is "not driven by any significant ambition except profit and commercial reward [...] and, in musical terms, it is essentially conservative". It is, "provided from on high (by record companies, radio programmers, and concert promoters) rather than being made from below (...) Pop
3944-425: Is all the collective clubs around the world. Radio is just doing its best to keep up." Songs that talked of escapism through partying became the most popular, influenced by the impulse to forget the economic troubles that had taken over the world after the 2008 crash . Throughout the 2010s, a lot of pop music also began to take cues from Alternative pop . Popularized by artists such as Lana Del Rey and Lorde in
4060-401: Is considered one verse. Musically, "the verse is to be understood as a unit that prolongs the tonic ....The musical structure of the verse nearly always recurs at least once with a different set of lyrics." The tonic or "home key" chord of a song can be prolonged in a number of ways. Pop and rock songs often use chords closely related to the tonic, such as iii or vi, to prolong the tonic. In
4176-434: Is followed by a passage, often harmonically probing, that leads to the full chorus." Often, when verse and chorus use the same harmonic structure, the pre-chorus introduces a new harmonic pattern or harmony that prepares the verse chords to transition into the chorus. For example, if a song is set in C Major, and the songwriter aims to get to a chorus that focuses on the dominant chord ( G Major ) being tonicized (treated like
4292-526: Is just the singles charts and not the sum of all chart music. The music charts contain songs from a variety of sources, including classical , jazz , rock , and novelty songs . As a genre, pop music is seen to exist and develop separately. Therefore, the term "pop music" may be used to describe a distinct genre, designed to appeal to all, often characterized as "instant singles-based music aimed at teenagers" in contrast to rock music as "album-based music for adults". Pop music continuously evolves along with
4408-533: Is largely the story of the intertwining pop culture of the United States and the United Kingdom in the postwar era. — Bob Stanley According to Grove Music Online , "Western-derived pop styles, whether coexisting with or marginalizing distinctively local genres, have spread throughout the world and have come to constitute stylistic common denominators in global commercial music cultures". Some non-Western countries, such as Japan, have developed
4524-479: Is not a do-it-yourself music but is professionally produced and packaged". According to Frith, characteristics of pop music include an aim of appealing to a general audience, rather than to a particular sub-culture or ideology, and an emphasis on craftsmanship rather than formal "artistic" qualities. Besides, Frith also offers three identifying characteristics of pop music: light entertainment, commercial imperatives, and personal identification. Pop music grew out of
4640-430: Is that of a verse and a chorus, the chorus serving as the portion of the track that is designed to stick in the ear through simple repetition both musically and lyrically. The chorus is often where the music builds towards and is often preceded by "the drop" where the bass and drum parts "drop out". Common variants include the verse-chorus form and the thirty-two-bar form , with a focus on melodies and catchy hooks , and
4756-459: Is used to break up the repetitive pattern of the song and keep the listener's attention....In a bridge, the pattern of the words and music change." For example, John Denver 's " Country Roads " is a song with a bridge while Stevie Wonder 's " You Are the Sunshine of My Life " is a song without one. In music theory , " middle eight " (a common type of bridge) refers to a section of a song with
The Look - Misplaced Pages Continue
4872-415: Is usually one or more guitar solos in the song, often found after the middle chorus part. In pop music, there may be a guitar solo, or a solo performed with another instrument such as a synthesizer or a saxophone . The foundation of popular music is the "verse" and " chorus " structure. Some writers use a simple "verse, hook , verse, hook, bridge, hook" method. Pop and rock songs nearly always have both
4988-544: The 12-bar blues . Popular music songs traditionally use the same music for each verse or stanza of lyrics (as opposed to songs that are " through-composed "—an approach used in classical music art songs ). Pop and traditional forms can be used even with songs that have structural differences in melodies. The most common format in modern popular music is introduction (intro), verse, pre-chorus, chorus, verse, pre-chorus, chorus, bridge , and chorus, with an optional outro. In rock music styles, notably heavy metal music , there
5104-564: The Swedish Recording Industry Association for shipments in excess of 25,000 units. Around the same time, an American exchange student from Minnesota named Dean Cushman returned from Sweden and gave his copy of the album to his local Top 40 radio station, KDWB-FM in Minneapolis . The station's program director Brian Phillips initially ignored Cushman's request to play a song from the album, leaving
5220-434: The barbershop quartet-style harmony (i.e. ii – V – I) and blues scale -influenced harmony. There was a lessening of the influence of traditional views of the circle of fifths between the mid-1950s and the late 1970s, including less predominance for the dominant function . In October 2023, Billboard compiled a list of "the 500 best pop songs". In doing so, they noted the difficulty of defining "pop songs": One of
5336-401: The downbeat drops in, it creates a pleasing sense of release. The intro also creates the atmosphere of the song. As such, the rhythm section typically plays in the "feel" of the song that follows. For example, for a blues shuffle, a band starts playing a shuffle rhythm. In some songs, the intro is one or more bars of the tonic chord (the "home" key of the song). With songs, another role of
5452-435: The American and (from the mid-1960s) British music industries , whose influence has made pop music something of an international monoculture, but most regions and countries have their own form of pop music, sometimes producing local versions of wider trends, and lending them local characteristics. Some of these trends (for example Europop ) have had a significant impact on the development of the genre. The story of pop music
5568-418: The B section changes key and moves to V/vi, or D in the standard key, which then does a circle of fifths movement to G , C and finally F , setting the listener up for a return to the tonic Bb in the final A section. The "I Got Rhythm" example also provides contrast because the harmonic rhythm changes in the B section. Whereas the A sections contain a vibrant, exciting feel of two chord changes per bar (e.g.,
5684-465: The Beatles ' " She Loves You " ("yeah, yeah, yeah"), AC/DC 's " You Shook Me All Night Long ", Simon & Garfunkel 's " The Sound of Silence ", and " Deck the Halls " ("fa la la la la"). The chorus or refrain is the element of the song that repeats at least once both musically and lyrically. It is always of greater musical and emotional intensity than the verse. "The chorus, which gets its name from
5800-478: The CD unplayed in his office for several weeks. Phillips eventually listened to it after learning Cushman had come to the office requesting the return of his CD. Immediately impressed by the album's opening track, "The Look" was played by the station for the first time on US radio less than an hour later, and the response from listeners was overwhelmingly positive; the station immediately began receiving phone calls to replay
5916-558: The Chorus! Roxette's Greatest Hits . This version of the song does not appear on the album, but two of the versions from this were eventually included on the European single " She Doesn't Live Here Anymore " (1996). "The Look" was remixed again in 2015 and released as a non-album single under Cosmos Music Group on 17 July 2015. This "2015 Remake" was produced by Gessle, Clarence Öfwerman and Christoffer Lundquist . Additional production
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#17327932071336032-690: The Walrus ', it all seemed to make sense." He found it "impossible" to replace the lyrics when trying to rewrite them later, and said he sought to balance the lyrical content by making the "rest of the lyrics intelligent in some way." A demo for the song was recorded at the Tits & Ass Studio in Halmstad in March 1988. The original title was "He's Got the Look", with the lyrics using male pronouns . Gessle said this
6148-977: The Way You Are ", and The Beatles ' " Yesterday ". ABA (verse/chorus or chorus/verse) format may be found in Pete Seeger 's " Turn! Turn! Turn! " (chorus first) and The Rolling Stones 's " Honky Tonk Woman " (verse first). ABAB may be found in AC/DC's " Back in Black ", Jimmy Buffett 's " Margaritaville ", The Archies 's " Sugar, Sugar ", and The Eagles 's " Hotel California ". ABABCB format may be found in John Cougar Mellencamp 's " Hurts So Good ", Tina Turner 's " What's Love Got to Do with It? ", and ZZ Top 's " Sharp Dressed Man ". Variations include Smokey Robinson 's " My Guy ", The Beatles 's " Ticket to Ride ", The Pretenders ' " Back on
6264-492: The birth of the modern pop music industry, including in country , blues , and hillbilly music . According to the website of The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians , the term "pop music" "originated in Britain in the mid-1950s as a description for rock and roll and the new youth music styles that it influenced". The Oxford Dictionary of Music states that while pop's "earlier meaning meant concerts appealing to
6380-656: The chart eight weeks later. This made "The Look" the third number one single by a Swedish act on the Billboard Hot 100, following Blue Swede 's " Hooked on a Feeling " in 1974 and ABBA 's " Dancing Queen " in 1976. The track went on to top the charts in 25 countries. It spent three weeks atop the New Zealand Singles Chart, and six weeks at number one in Australia, where it was certified platinum for sales in excess of 70,000 copies. It also topped
6496-594: The charts throughout Scandinavia, peaking at number one in Denmark, Finland and Norway, and was certified gold in the former country for shipments in excess of 45,000 units. The song spent five weeks at number one in West Germany, and an additional five weeks at number two. The song was a massive success in Spain and Switzerland, spending eight weeks at number one in both countries. In the United Kingdom, where "The Look"
6612-465: The chorus is the post-chorus (or postchorus ). The term can be used generically for any section that comes after a chorus, but more often refers to a section that has similar character to the chorus, but is distinguishable in close analysis. The concept of a post-chorus has been particularly popularized and analyzed by music theorist Asaf Peres, who is followed in this section. Characterizations of post-chorus vary, but are broadly classed into simply
6728-538: The chorus"; Peres characterizes it by two conditions: it maintains or increases sonic energy, otherwise it is a bridge or verse; and contains a melodic hook (vocal or instrumental), otherwise it is a transition. Detached post-choruses typically have distinct melody and lyrics from the chorus: Lyrics of attached post-choruses typically repeat the hook/refrain from the chorus, with little additional content, often using vocables like "ah" or "oh". Examples include: Hybrids are also common (Peres: hybrid postchorus ), where
6844-419: The chorus, for example. An audio engineer then uses the fader on the mixing board to gradually decrease the volume of the recording. When a band, especially a tribute band , plays a cover song that, in the recorded version , ended with a fade-out, the live band might simulate that by playing progressively quieter. However, the live band will more likely invent an instrumental ending to definitively finish
6960-775: The decade, it was common for pop producers, songwriters, and engineers to freely experiment with musical form, orchestration , unnatural reverb , and other sound effects. Some of the best known examples are Phil Spector 's Wall of Sound and Joe Meek 's use of homemade electronic sound effects for acts like the Tornados . At the same time, pop music on radio and in both American and British film moved away from refined Tin Pan Alley to more eccentric songwriting and incorporated reverb-drenched electric guitar, symphonic strings, and horns played by groups of properly arranged and rehearsed studio musicians. A 2019 study held by New York University in which 643 participants had to rank how familiar
7076-420: The details of the song: the story, the events, images and emotions that the writer wishes to express....Each verse will have different lyrics from the others." "A verse exists primarily to support the chorus or refrain...both musically and lyrically." A verse of a song, is a repeated sung melody where the words change from use to use (though not necessarily a great deal). An optional section that may occur after
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#17327932071337192-503: The early 2010s and later inspiring other highly influential artists including Billie Eilish and Taylor Swift , it gave space to a more sad and moody tone within pop music. Verse (music) Song structure is the arrangement of a song, and is a part of the songwriting process. It is typically sectional , which uses repeating forms in songs. Common piece-level musical forms for vocal music include bar form , 32-bar form , verse–chorus form , ternary form , strophic form , and
7308-459: The end. The second chorus is proceeded by a guitar solo of E–A–G/A–E–A–E–A–E–A–G–D–A–G–D–A–A. The song then descends to a spoken bridge consisting of an A–G–A–G sequence, building back up with a pre-chorus of Marie Fredriksson singing an additional "Na na na na na" refrain, which repeats the same sequence from the initial verses albeit modified up by almost two octaves . An abbreviated outro consisting of C–G–A–C–G–A–A–F–G then follows, before
7424-485: The first season broadcast on 1 December 1989. In 2009, the song was prominently featured in a marketing campaign for Grand Theft Auto IV Episodes from Liberty City . The song was covered by Taiwanese artist Luantan Ascent ( 亂彈阿翔 ). It was used as an insert song for the film Second Chance ( 逆轉勝 ) and was also featured in its promotional teaser trailer. The season 2 premiere episode of the FOX series Scream Queens featured
7540-468: The first two bars are often B ♭ –g minor/c minor–F ), the B section consists of two bars of D , two bars of G , two bars of C and two bars of F . In some songs, the "feel" also changes in the B section. For example, the A sections may be in swing feel, and the B section may be in Latin or Afro-Cuban feel. While the form is often described as AABA, this does not mean that the A sections are all exactly
7656-578: The genre evolved more influences ranging from classical , folk , rock , country , electronic music , and other popular genres became more prominent. In 2016, a Scientific Reports study that examined over 464,000 recordings of popular music recorded between 1955 and 2010 found that, compared to 1960s pop music, contemporary pop music uses a smaller variety of pitch progressions, greater average volume, less diverse instrumentation and recording techniques, and less timbral variety. Scientific American ' s John Matson reported that this "seems to support
7772-562: The genre of the track, saying that despite its disparate influences, the song was neither rock, dance or funk. Although they commented on the lyrics, which they described as "nonsense", they went on to say the song "sounds colossal. After the fake ending, when everything goes silent for a couple of seconds and then comes rushing back, it sounds even more colossal. You can waste all your effort on trying to write lyrics that make sense, or you can focus your energy on making something like that happen. Roxette chose wisely." Stephen Thomas Erlewine , in
7888-403: The harmony to a G chord. In some cases, an introduction contains only drums or percussion parts that set the rhythm and "groove" for the song. Alternately the introduction may consist of a solo section sung by the lead singer (or a group of backup singers), or a riff played by an instrumentalist. The most straightforward, and least risky way to write an introduction is to use a section from
8004-409: The home. By the early 1980s, the promotion of pop music had been greatly affected by the rise of music television channels like MTV , which "favoured those artists such as Michael Jackson and Madonna who had a strong visual appeal". Multi-track recording (from the 1960s) and digital sampling (from the 1980s) have also been used as methods for the creation and elaboration of pop music. During
8120-437: The intro is to give the singer the key of the song. For this reason, even if an intro includes chords other than the tonic, it generally ends with a cadence , either on the tonic or dominant chord. The introduction may also be based around the chords used in the verse, chorus, or bridge, or a stock " turnaround " progression may be played, such as the I–vi–ii–V progression (particularly in jazz influenced pop songs). More rarely,
8236-402: The introduction may begin by suggesting or implying another key. For example, a song in C Major might begin with an introduction in G Major, which makes the listener think that the song will eventually be in G Major. A cliche used to indicate to the listener that this G Major section is in fact the dominant chord of another key area is to add the dominant seventh , which in this case would shift
8352-408: The key of C Major, the iii chord would be E Minor and the vi chord would be A Minor. These chords are considered closely related to the tonic because they share chord tones. For example, the chord E Minor includes the notes E and G , both of which are part of the C Major triad. Similarly, the chord A Minor includes the notes C and E , both part of the C Major triad. Lyrically, "the verse contains
8468-414: The late 1970s and would not reemerge until the rise of Internet stars. Indie pop , which developed in the late 1970s, marked another departure from the glamour of contemporary pop music, with guitar bands formed on the then-novel premise that one could record and release their own music without having to procure a record contract from a major label. The 1980s are commonly remembered for an increase in
8584-401: The late 20th century that became global superstars include Whitney Houston , Michael Jackson , Madonna , George Michael , and Prince . At the beginning of the 2000s, the trends that dominated during the late 1990s still continued, but the music industry started to change as people began to download music from the internet. People were able to discover genres and artists that were outside of
8700-412: The listener that a change was taking place is the D chord. There is no D chord in C Major. A listener experienced with popular and traditional music would hear this as a secondary dominant . Harmonic theorists and arrangers would call it V /V or five of five , as the D chord is the dominant (or fifth) chord of G Major. The terms chorus and refrain are often used interchangeably, both referring to
8816-501: The main purpose of pop music is to create revenue. It is not a medium of free articulation of the people. Instead, pop music seeks to supply the nature of personal desire and achieve the instant empathy with cliche personalities, stereotypes, and melodrama that appeals to listeners. It is mostly about how much revenue pop music makes for record companies. Music scholar Timothy Warner said pop music typically has an emphasis on recording, production, and technology, rather than live performance;
8932-514: The mainstream and propel them to fame, but at the same time smaller artists had a harder time making a living because their music was being pirated. Popular artists were Avril Lavigne , Justin Timberlake , NSYNC , Christina Aguilera , Destiny's Child , and Britney Spears . Pop music often came from many different genres, with each genre in turn influencing the next one, blurring the lines between them and making them less distinct. This change
9048-448: The manner in which pop has been disseminated", which helped to move pop music to "a record/radio/film star system". Another technological change was the widespread availability of television in the 1950s with televised performances, which meant that "pop stars had to have a visual presence". In the 1960s, the introduction of inexpensive, portable transistor radios meant that teenagers in the developed world could listen to music outside of
9164-403: The mid-1960s, pop music made repeated forays into new sounds, styles, and techniques that inspired public discourse among its listeners. The word "progressive" was frequently used, and it was thought that every song and single was to be a "progression" from the last. Music critic Simon Reynolds writes that beginning with 1967, a divide would exist between "progressive" pop and "mass/chart" pop,
9280-421: The music that appears on record charts is considered to be pop music, the genre is distinguished from chart music . David Hatch and Stephen Millward describe pop music as "a body of music which is distinguishable from popular, jazz, and folk music". David Boyle, a music researcher, states pop music as any type of music that a person has been exposed to by the mass media. Most individuals think that pop music
9396-802: The pop music styles that developed alongside other music styles is Latin pop , which rose in popularity in the US during the 1950s with early rock and roll success Ritchie Valens . Later, Los Lobos and Chicano rock gained in popularity during the 1970s and 1980s, and musician Selena saw large-scale popularity in the 1980s and 1990s, along with crossover appeal with fans of Tejano musicians Lydia Mendoza and Little Joe . With later Hispanic and Latino Americans seeing success within pop music charts, 1990s pop successes stayed popular in both their original genres and in broader pop music. Latin pop hit singles, such as " Macarena " by Los del Río and " Despacito " by Luis Fonsi , have seen record-breaking success on worldwide pop music charts. Notable pop artists of
9512-400: The popular anecdotal observation that pop music of yore was "better", or at least more varied, than today's top-40 stuff". However, he also noted that the study may not have been entirely representative of pop in each generation. In the 1960s, the majority of mainstream pop music fell in two categories: guitar, drum and bass groups or singers backed by a traditional orchestra. Since early in
9628-451: The post-chorus from the chorus. In some cases they appear separately – for example, the post-chorus only appears after the second and third chorus, but not the first – and thus are clearly distinguishable. In other cases they always appear together, and thus a "chorus + post-chorus" can be considered a subdivision of the overall chorus, rather than an independent section. Characterization of a post-chorus varies, beyond "comes immediately after
9744-405: The post-chorus keeps the hook from the chorus (like an attached postchorus), but introduces some additional content (hook or melody, like a detached postchorus. A bridge may be a transition , but in popular music, it more often is "...a section that contrasts with the verse...[,] usually ends on the dominant...[,] [and] often culminates in a strong re-transitional." "The bridge is a device that
9860-503: The reasons pop can be hard to summarize is because there’s no real sonic or musical definition to it. There are common elements to a lot of the biggest pop songs, but at the end of the day, "pop" means "popular" first and foremost, and just about any song that becomes popular enough...can be considered a pop song. In the 1940s, improved microphone design allowed a more intimate singing style and, ten or twenty years later, inexpensive and more durable 45 rpm records for singles "revolutionized
9976-441: The riff during the recording of "The Look", Isacsson said Gessle, producer Clarence Öfwerman and engineer Alar Suurna "went bonkers", and that Gessle "instantly wanted it as opening riff for the song." According to Ultimate Guitar , the track features an unusual song structure . Each verse is composed of an A–G–D–A sequence, followed by a chorus of A–A–C–G–A–C–G–A–A–F–G–A, with the second chorus containing an additional A at
10092-404: The right direction." People Magazine also compared the duo to ABBA, saying the song has "bounce and kick", while AllMusic called the song "bright" and "shiny". Bill Coleman from Billboard said "The Look" was "too catchy for words", describing it as a " pop track that incorporates an eager rock edge and funky rhythm underpinnings." A writer for Stereogum noted an inability to define
10208-431: The same melody (possibly with some slight modifications), while the lyrics usually change for each verse. The chorus (or "refrain") usually consists of a melodic and lyrical phrase that repeats. Pop songs may have an introduction and coda ("tag"), but these elements are not essential to the identity of most songs. Pop songs often connect the verse and chorus via a pre-chorus, with a bridge section usually appearing after
10324-431: The same. The first A section ends by going back to the next A section, and the second A section ends and transitions into the B section. As such, at the minimum, the composer or arranger often modifies the harmony of the end of the different A sections to guide the listener through the key changes. As well, the composer or arranger may re-harmonize the melody on one or more of the A sections, to provide variety. Note that with
10440-468: The second chorus. The verse, chorus and pre-chorus are usually repeated throughout a song, while the intro, bridge, and coda (also called an "outro") are usually only used once. Some pop songs may have a solo section, particularly in rock or blues-influenced pop. During the solo section, one or more instruments play a melodic line which may be the melody used by the singer, or, in blues or jazz improvised. Verse–chorus form consists of two main sections –
10556-409: The section to a cadence on the tonic, and then, immediately after this cadence, begin a new section of music which overlaps with the cadence. Another form of elision would, in a chorus later in the song, to interject musical elements from the bridge. A solo is a section designed to showcase an instrumentalist (e.g. a guitarist or a harmonica player) or less commonly, more than one instrumentalist (e.g.,
10672-402: The solo performers may improvise a solo. An ad lib section of a song (usually in the coda or outro ) occurs when the main lead vocal or a second lead vocal breaks away from the already established lyric and/or melody to add melodic interest and intensity to the end of the song. Often, the ad lib repeats the previously sung line using variations on phrasing, melodic shape, and/or lyric, but
10788-453: The song abruptly stops. A coda of A–G–D–A then repeats until the song fades out . "The Look" was issued in Sweden on 12 January 1989, as the third single from Look Sharp! in that country. The track was an immediate commercial success there, peaking at number six and spending almost two months in the top ten of the then- fortnightly Sverigetopplistan chart. The song was certified gold by
10904-408: The song from losing its energy during cadences , the points at which the music comes to rest on, typically on a tonic or dominant chord. If a song has a section that ends with a cadence on the tonic, if the songwriter gives this cadence a full bar, with the chord held as a whole note, this makes the listener feel like the music is stopping. However, if songwriters use an elided cadence , they can bring
11020-582: The song in a scene where the Chanels see Dr. Brock Holt showering in the hospital locker room. The song was used as the opening theme of episode 2 of the 2017 Netflix TV series GLOW . An a cappella version is used in a commercial for the 2018 Toyota Camry . The song is featured in the trailer for the 2019 film 47 Meters Down: Uncaged as well as a scene in the movie. Pop music Identifying factors of pop music usually include repeated choruses and hooks , short to medium-length songs written in
11136-407: The song, which may be some standard closing cadence or perhaps a coda specifically patterned after the song's refrain. Besides fading out, another way some pop and rock songs may end is with a tag . There are two types of tags: the instrumental tag and the instrumental/vocal tag. With an instrumental tag, the vocalist no longer sings, and the band's rhythm section takes over the music to finish off
11252-419: The song. A tag is often a vamp of a few chords that the band repeats. In a jazz song, this could be a standard turnaround , such as I–vi–ii–V or a stock progression, such as ii–V . If the tag includes the tonic chord, such as a vamp on I–IV, the bandleader typically cues the last time that the penultimate chord (a IV chord in this case) is played, leading to an ending on the I chord. If the tag does not include
11368-426: The song. This contains melodic themes from the song, chords from one of the song's sections, and the beat and style of the song. However, not all songs have an intro of this type. Some songs have an intro that does not use any of the material from the song that is to follow. With this type of intro, the goal is to create interest in the listener and make them unsure of what will happen. This type of intro could consist of
11484-399: The term "pop music" was increasingly used in opposition to the term rock music, a division that gave generic significance to both terms. While rock aspired to authenticity and an expansion of the possibilities of popular music, pop was more commercial, ephemeral, and accessible. According to British musicologist Simon Frith , pop music is produced "as a matter of enterprise not art", and
11600-419: The term's definition. According to music writer Bill Lamb, popular music is defined as "the music since industrialization in the 1800s that is most in line with the tastes and interests of the urban middle class." The term "pop song" was first used in 1926, in the sense of a piece of music "having popular appeal". Hatch and Millward indicate that many events in the history of recording in the 1920s can be seen as
11716-404: The tonic chord, such as with a ii–V tag, the bandleader cues the band to do a cadence that resolves onto the tonic (I) chord. With an instrumental and vocal tag, the band and vocalist typically repeat a section of the song, such as the chorus, to give emphasis to its message. In some cases, the vocalist may use only a few words from the chorus or even one word. Some bands have the guitar player do
11832-400: The track, several publications favourably compared Roxette to fellow Swedish act ABBA . Music & Media dubbed it the single of the week, and said the vocal harmonising in the refrain was the best part of the song. They went on to comment: "Time will tell if they manage to be as productive as the legendary foursome, but this tense, atmospheric Beatle -esque song definitely marks a step in
11948-509: The track. KDWB began distributing the track to their sister radio operations, sending 500 copies to other stations throughout the United States. EMI America promptly signed the duo to a recording contract as a result of the airplay. The label had previously rejected Roxette as "unsuitable for the American market". The song had already entered the top fifty of the Billboard Hot 100 before official promotion began, peaking at number one on
12064-409: The track. According to Gessle, guitarist Jonas Isacsson also had a "big impact" on the song, saying: "We asked him to play something in the style of George Harrison 's " I Want to Tell You " and " Taxman " from Revolver , and off he went. Great cocky riffs." Isacsson said the main guitar riff was written several days earlier while composing songs with then-girlfriend Marianne Flynner . Upon playing
12180-629: The use of digital recording , associated with the usage of synthesizers , with synth-pop music and other electronic genres featuring non-traditional instruments increasing in popularity. By 2014, pop music worldwide had been permeated by electronic dance music . In 2018, researchers at the University of California, Irvine , concluded that pop music has become 'sadder' since the 1980s. The elements of happiness and brightness have eventually been replaced with electronic beats making pop music more 'sad yet danceable'. Pop music has been dominated by
12296-466: The verse is the pre-chorus . Also known as a " build ", " channel ", or " transitional bridge ", the pre-chorus functions to connect the verse to the chorus with intermediary material, typically using subdominant (usually built on the IV chord or ii chord, which in the key of C Major would be an F Major or D minor chord) or similar transitional harmonies. "Often, a two-phrase verse containing basic chords
12412-410: The vocalist may also use entirely new lyrics or a lyric from an earlier section of the song. During an ad lib section, the rhythm may become freer (with the rhythm section following the vocalist), or the rhythm section may stop entirely, giving the vocalist the freedom to use whichever tempo sounds right. During live performances, singers sometimes include ad libs not originally in the song, such as making
12528-454: Was a complete fluke." Phillips said of Cushman: "He did what great promotion men in the music business do. He was persistent. He kept calling. And finally he shows up at the radio station and sits in the lobby: 'Listen, what are you gonna do about my CD?' And without that persistence, it's a very different world for Roxette." Cushman eventually befriended Gessle and Fredriksson, who autographed the same CD he had submitted to KDWB. While reviewing
12644-598: Was an immediate commercial success in their home country, spending seven weeks at number one on the Swedish Albums Chart . " Dressed for Success " and " Listen to Your Heart " were released as the album's first two singles in Sweden, both becoming top three hits there. " Chances " was released in Germany and France as the first international single from the album. "It still sounds special and different. It's got great production. It makes you smile. It sounds like
12760-466: Was credited to Swedish duo Addeboy vs Cliff, who had recently contributed material to Roxette's then-upcoming tenth studio album Good Karma , later released in 2016. Swedish fashion label KappAhl approached Gessle about using a medley of Roxette songs for an upcoming advertising campaign in Scandinavia, although Gessle instead decided to create an exclusive remix for "The Look". This new version
12876-580: Was discovered by an exchange student and a programmer from the Midwest (KDWB in Minnesota) remains one of the minor miracles of late-'80s pop." In a 2021 article for Stereogum Tom Breihan called it "an insidiously catchy synth-rock jam". The music video was directed by Peter Heath and filmed in a studio in New York City . The duo perform the song in a messy, colorful room, while interacting with
12992-452: Was done because he initially wanted Marie Fredriksson to sing the track. Both he and EMI Sweden had chosen to highlight Fredriksson as Roxette's lead vocalist. However, when recording the demo, Gessle realised the song "didn't fit her style that well, so I had a go and it sounded OK." He said the song immediately had a "special power", saying that the demo "stood out; it was a great song. Everyone loved it. The only negative thing I could think of
13108-457: Was epitomized in Spears' highly influential 2007 album Blackout , which under the influence of producer Danja , mixed the sounds of EDM , avant-funk , R&B , dance music , and hip hop . By 2010, pop music impacted by dance music came to be dominant on the charts. Instead of radio setting the trends, it was now the club. At the beginning of the 2010s, Will.i.am stated, "The new bubble
13224-579: Was recorded over the course of two days at X-Level Studios in Stockholm, formerly EMI Studios—the same studio where the track had originally been recorded in 1988. It features new vocals from Gessle and Marie Fredriksson . The first appearance of "The Look" on a television show was during a montage featuring Erika Eleniak and Chris Gartin in the Baywatch episode "The Cretin of the Shallows" from
13340-652: Was released on 13 March 1989, it reached number seven on the UK Singles Chart . After the song became a hit in the United States, rumours circulated within the American press that Cushman had been paid to bring the song to the attention of KDWB. Fredriksson categorically denied these rumours in an interview with the Los Angeles Times in 1990, saying: "If you hear that we paid that exchange student to take our record to that radio station, don't believe it." Gessle later said: "I wish we were that clever! It
13456-479: Was that I was singing it, because that wasn't the idea [behind Roxette]." Anders Herrlin, the bassist in Gessle's former band Gyllene Tider , was integral in the recording of the song's electronic components. Gessle sought to avoid the "live band" sound present on Roxette's debut album Pearls of Passion ; Herrlin programmed eight digital snare drums in the intro alone, and "maybe 20 or so other effects" throughout
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