One of the biggest misconceptions by the general public about mainstream pop and rock music is that it is musically bland and not theory intensive. While it is safe to assume that some music does follow that criteria, some music happens to go the extra mile and be catchy while also incorporating various theoretical elements. As a group, we found that two songs that are exemplary of that idea are “Love on Top” by Beyoncé and “Blackbird” by The Beatles. Beyoncé Carter-Knowles is a Houston born singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. She had her big breakthrough into the world of mainstream music as part of one of the most successful girl groups of all time, Destiny’s Child. After their disbandment, Beyoncé became a solo artist who quickly …show more content…
Widely regarded as one of the most influential bands of all time, they were part of the British Invasion and became extremely popular in America in the 60s. They are the best selling music artist of the United States with 178 million certified album sales, and have won 10 Grammy’s. Pop/Rock music are very wide genres and have many different compositional elements. They are also genres that fluctuate throughout time periods. Early 2000’s pop music can be characterized as synth beats with an introduction of auto tuned vocals, where now it is a heavy emphasis on swampy jungle beats and sexual lyrics. As far as composition goes, pop music typically has stuck to basic chord progressions, often just simple variations on the 1-4-5-1 progression. Rock music however has been notably more complex. It has more theory present across the board and many bands and artists incorporate classical …show more content…
Interestingly, the song is solely written and performed by Paul McCartney. He has stated that the lyrical content was inspired by the racism and civil rights issues of the 60’s in the United States. McCartney has also said that the song was somewhat inspired by Bach’s Bouree in E minor, saying that he felt he “had a lot in common with him”. Many songs during this time, such as The Beach Boy’s “God Only Knows”, incorporated the idea of word painting. Word painting is the phenomenon of having the musical content match the literal meaning of the lyrical content. We see this in “Blackbird” during the section “into the light of the dark black night”. Paul McCartney’s vocal line hits a flat seven on the words “to”, “light”, and night”. By doing this, it creates an eerie and mysterious feeling. It also goes in a direction that the ear does not expect, which fully allows the unbiased listener to be caught off guard by this section. Throughout the song, there are sections where the guitar has a bass line that moves up and down by half and whole steps. Specifically, this can be seen in the section “take these broken wings and learn to fly”. While this bass line intends to create a smooth bass line between the chords, it also seconds as a counter harmony to the vocal melody. It is one of the most recognizable solo guitar parts, in my opinion that is partly because of this unique
There are a lot of groups and people out there who have greatly influenced pop culture. They range from the Beatles to Miley Cyrus. Coming from all parts of the world too. From England to the American South. Out of these groups comes one almost everybody has heard of, Lynyrd Skynyrd. Lynyrd Skynyrd is a great contributing factor in modern day pop culture because they showed the new era of the South but also that they would not stray away from the “Old South” heritage.
Rock ‘n’ roll and 20th Century Culture According to Philip Ennis, rock ‘n’ roll emerged from the convergence of social transformations which resulted from World War II (Ryan 927). Despite its pop culture origins, rock music is arguably one of the strongest cultural factors to develop in this century. Artists such as Lennon, McCartney and Dylan defined the emotions of a generation and, in the last decade, it as even been acknowledged by members of the establishment which it hoped to change as a major influence in the country. In order to understand how rock went from a sign of rebellion to a cultural icon, it is necessary to understand where it came from.
In addition to the 23 albums (counting soundtracks and separate US and UK releases) released during the band's life (1960-1970) there have been more than 150 compilations, recorded interviews and videos issued. Hundreds of books have been written about their personal lives, their music, and their influence on pop culture and rock
At this time, technical innovations had emerged such as electric guitar and electric bass. This is the impetus for the creation of music including rock ‘n’ roll. One of the similarities is in the lyrics. Blues tried to express the common feeling of African-Americans, such as love and deep sorrow.
The British Invasion of 1964 brought America's music - reinvented and revitalized - home, a new generation of rock fans was born. Rock now entered what is now known as its Classic Era.
Rock and Roll is a genre of popular music that originated in the United States of America during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It is derived from African American roots in musical styles such as gospel, boogie woogie, jazz, jump, and rhythm & blues but also has strong roots from hillbilly music which would later be known as country. Rock and Roll has really been in existence since the
The birth of Rock and Roll Music was a mixture of popular music and African American country blues and hillbilly music. However, Rock and Roll music was influence since the 1950’s by two particular African American artists like Muddy Waters and Howlin` Wolf. Through their distinct voices, style, deliverance, and performances that helped the music in the 1950’s give rise to this new style of music genre Rock and Roll. During the World War II era, this style of music was looked at; as traditional music and, through the music people could tell their story, not just about their struggles but the real struggles going on around them, like, isolation between black and white people. Most artists were sharing their values and trying to associate through
...ut.The song does sound more like it is based on a social commentary, like “ Back in the U.S.S.R “ and “Piggies”. Moreover, because the track is right after “I am so tired”, the song seems more sluggish. Could the White Album go on without ”Blackbird”? I do not think so. This album consists of a lot of bluesy and folky style songs like “ Back in the U.S.S.R” , “ Rocky Raccoon “, and “ Let’s do it in the Road” , and for the album to flow , there needs to be transition between the extremities of the album. “Blackbird” is that transition. Its slow tempo creates an atmosphere of peace and Pauls’ sole voice evokes raw emotion from the audience. Thus, “Blackbirds”, simple construction captivates the audience with its honest sounding nature.
While going through our history of rock and roll course, one thing has become apparent, and that is that music brings people together. Sometimes it takes music to get a point across, and our world has endured a lot of social and a cultural change, which is how we music today. Just like our world is evolving, music is the same way. When a baby is born until the day it dies, it has evolved internally and externally and that is the same way I view the history of rock “n” roll. For instance, the great wars and the civil rights movement help influence to history of rock and roll. It gave people a purpose to listen to music and let artist express themselves through their songs. I’m not saying by any means that all the struggles we as a nation have
Rock and Roll has the most incredible history. Before there was rock and roll, there was blues. Most people think rock music started with Elvis Presley, but he didn’t record his first single until 1953. The first recorded song described as “Genuine Rock-and-Roll” was “Rocket ’88” by pianist Ike Turner and singer Jackie Brenston in 1951. Rock-and-Roll music in the 1950’s was described as a mixture of jazz, blues, country, and has a stronger guitar, bass, and drums. (A&E Biography Channel UK “SAM PHILLIPS The man who Invented Rock & Roll”. 1 Feb. 2013. Web. 9 Dec. 2013) Over time what was first described as “Rock and Roll” has changed drastically, and will continue to change over time. Even though some people feel Pop has the best history, Rock and Roll really does. It has actually impacted more people’s lives than any other genre, it unites people from all over the world in a positive way, and influenced media culture by breaking down walls no one else had.
Beyoncé born in September 4th 1981 is known for her fierce look and electrifying sound that has been present in the entertainment industry since she was 15 years of age. Beyoncé’s ability to perform with unparalleled confidence and exuberant passion has won her twenty Grammy awards, three world music awards, six American music awards, and eight billboard awards.
But first of all, let’s take a look into the definition of Pop Music. A Look into Pop Music Pop music is a contemporary genre of music which originated in the United States and United Kingdom, and goes back as far as the late 1940’s. There is also the term “Popular Music” which is sometimes used interchangeably, although they are not quite the same. Popular music is used to define various genres which have been widely praised around the world, such as Rock, Jazz, Hip-Hop etc. Popular music is a generic term for a wide variety of genres of music that appeal to the tastes of a large segment of the population, whereas pop music usually refers to a specific musical genre within popular music.
The basic style of the music is pop and world. Pop music, also known as popular music, is “professional music which draws upon both folk music and fine arts music.” This means that pop music is a variety of sources including classical, jazz, rock, and fine arts music which
The Beatles are an English rock band who originated in Liverpool, England in 1960. They were a huge success locally even before they began to make records in the United Kingdom. The band was comprised of four members: John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr. They owe much of their early, quick success to manager Brian Epstein who molded them into a professional act, and producer George Martin who enhanced their musical potential. Early in the 1960’s, their widespread fame in the United Kingdom was first referred to as “Beatlemania”. Eventually, they acquired the nickname “the Fab Four” as Beatlemania grew rapidly in Britain. By 1964, the Fab Four made their way overseas and officially became international pop stars. The Beatles were the leading factor in the “British Invasion” of the United States pop market.
One of the most profound differences is the way both types of music came about. Rock and roll started back in the early 60’s. It was a time when the Vietnam war had just begun. Steppenwolf, The Beetles, Jimi Hendrix, and The Doors all were sending out soulful messages through their music. They were singing about war, drugs, and love instead of war. There lyrics were from the heart. It provoked feelings of rage for the government, and love for one another. The rock and roll movement began out of pent up energy that had to be released in an positive manner. It had very pure, honest intentions. On the other hand pop, short for popular, music was contrived from the beginning. It too had it’s beginnings in the 60’s starting with the Monkeys. Four guys were brought together by some corporate bigwigs to create an American version of the Beetles. Little did the public know that they were not even singing their own songs. They were lip-singing the whole time. But, they managed to top the charts and make young girls faint. That could be considered the first pop music.