Pop music is well known for its cheery melodies, catchy hooks, and energetic rhythms – but are these truly happy sounds?
Natalia Komarova of University of California Irvine was initially shocked by the dark undertones in many of her family’s favorite pop songs, and decided to investigate further using AcousticBrainz research database to study half a million UK releases between 1985 and 2015 using this approach. Her findings concluded that pop music had become less cheerful over time.
It’s getting faster
Pop music conjures images of catchy rhythms and relatable lyrics, often dealing with love. Many songs also explore other topics like self-esteem, strength, courage and optimism – or it can even tackle politics and social issues, like Lily Allen’s song “URL Badman”, which addresses combatting hateful bloggers.
Pop music’s continued appeal stems from its ever-evolving nature. For instance, during the 90s there was a dramatic shift in musical genre. Guitarists became more popular and bands gradually overtook girl and boy bands on charts. Hip hop also began dominating charts; giving it a completely unique sound. This gave rise to many new trends within pop music.
As time passed, pop music became more influenced by dance music and clubs. By 2010, party pop was all the rage due to economic woes worldwide and people’s desire for escape from reality. Pop song tempo also changed during this period; by 2017, an average pop song’s average tempo was only 104 beats per minute compared to 2009 when its peak tempo reached around 124 bpm.
Studies conducted at University of California Irvine by Natalia Komarova have also documented a trend toward darker pop music. Her study, using data from AcousticBrainz to examine half a million songs over recent decades and factoring factors like tempo, key and mood into account revealed a decrease in popular songs with positive emotional content while those depicting negative emotion had increased significantly over time.
They also found that the proportion of songs composed in major keys had drastically declined from 89% in the 1960s to just 42% today, suggesting that artists may now aim to create more complex sounds by mismatching tempo and key.
It’s getting darker
Pop music has always been an enjoyable and catchy genre, yet artists in this genre seem increasingly angry and antisocial. Many songs released nowadays tend to be slower, melodically simpler, louder than their counterparts from prior decades and contain lyrics more likely to contain words which could be taken as antisocial or angry sentiments than before. According to experts, this trend may be caused by how modern pop is produced.
Many modern songs are heavily mechanised, replacing experienced musicians with computer programs capable of reproducing identical sounds during each take. Once recorded, tracks are then sped up and compressed heavily resulting in distortion and noise distortion. Singers are frequently auto-tuned which removes their natural vibrancy of voices and results in them sounding flat or even monotoned; vocal layers or harmonies may even be added at times to complete this jarring noisescape. It all culminates in reverb and delay delays, adding further layers and noise noise pollution into this mix resulting in yet another wash of noise layered onto this track resulting in overbearing noise to be added as part of this mix.
However, once you look beyond mainstream pop music you’ll discover an impressive variety of artists creating dark music. Artists such as Rina Sawayama have made waves by exploring darker themes through moody production and introspective lyrics that speak about mental health issues.
Nika Danilova is another artist worth checking out – she excels at moody bedroom pop and her songs feature both catchy melodies and disconcerting beats to create a unique listening experience, juxtaposed against lyrics about heartbreak and depression.
While many may criticise the dark undercurrents of pop music, its power lies in its expressive qualities. Pop can make us feel emotions we don’t typically experience while helping to process difficult events in life. Though pop may no longer have the same glory days of yesteryear’s ’90s it remains an important and creative form of expression which can be enjoyed by audiences of all ages and backgrounds.
It’s getting cheesy
Pop music fans usually enjoy dancing along to its catchy beats and may find yourself humming the songs long after listening – possibly getting them stuck in your head! Pop is designed with memorable melodies and hooks as well as lyrics with easily remembered repetitive lyrics; giving pop its so-called ‘earworm potential’.
Researchers have recently made an intriguing observation: modern pop music is becoming more and more cheesy, according to tests performed with computers analyzing various aspects of each song. They noticed a distinct decrease in harmonic complexity, loudness and timbre.
To achieve this, they utilized a computer to analyze over 500,000 songs and compare them against one another. Next they assessed each track for its ‘flavor’ and emotional evocativeness – ultimately discovering that contemporary music had less flavorful emotionality than older records, leading them to conclude that modern pop has lost its creativity due to relying on formulae in order to remain popular.
Not surprisingly, most top pop artists today adhere to a similar style. Many chart-topping songs revolve around sexual themes to appeal to younger listeners and many have videos with strong sexual themes.
Past pop songs had more diverse soundscapes and emotionally satisfying melodies; additionally, their production quality was of much higher standard than it is now. Unfortunately, however, these factors have fallen by the wayside as industry concentrates on profit and image; no wonder Warner Bros rejected Yankee Hotel Foxtrot by Wilco for fear that it lacked commercial potential and be become a hit single.
But there is hope! There are still talented musicians creating wonderful pop music – from big name stars to underground innovators – making pop still one of the world’s most beloved genres and an excellent way to express oneself! If you need an emotional lift, why not check out some new pop songs?
It’s finding the ‘happy medium’
Pop music remains one of the most beloved genres despite all of its recent changes, as its accessibility makes it accessible and enjoyable for people of all ages and backgrounds. Furthermore, record companies strive to promote it heavily – making it an excellent choice for social occasions with friends or family.
Pop music’s melodies tend to be catchy and easy to remember, making it ideal for parties or other events where danceable tunes may be required. Their catchiness also means it will likely stay stuck in people’s heads for repeat listens – perfect! Additionally, its danceability also makes it a great fit!
Pop music can also provide an escape from reality and help us forget our troubles, with its songs about joys of life and relationships, plus its energetic sound which can leave us feeling upbeat and revitalized.
Pop music experienced its greatest year yet in 2017, thanks to songs like Ed Sheeran’s Shape Of You and Luis Fonsi’s Despacito by Luis Fonsi and Ed Sheeran respectively. Although pop has seen some difficulties, its genre appears to have found an equilibrium once again.
Many elements contribute to a song’s overall happiness, with two being particularly influential: tempo and key. A fast tempo in major keys produces joyful sounds while slow tempo in minor keys produces dissonant notes. Glenn Schellenberg from University of Toronto conducted an experiment wherein his graduate student searched Top 40 hits that fit this criteria; finding such music easier from earlier musical eras but more difficult in contemporary pop.
No one knows for certain whether this trend stems from modern pop artists’ increasing focus on conveying complex emotions or whether people have simply become more sensitive. Either way, it seems clear that pop music now offers much more than simply entertainment value.