Pop is short for popular, and it's remained the defining term for the ever-changing music favoured by the public. Although not specifically applied until the middle of the 20th century, pop music as such can be traced by a few decades before that.
The Early Days
You could say that the songs of music hall were the first real pop songs, written by professionals and widely performed for audiences. That dates back to the Victorian era, when a performer needed a catchy, identifiable song.
Things changed with the age of recording, early in the 20th century. With that, music had the chance to be much more widely disseminated.
In America, that led to a load professional songwriters in New York who wrote pieces intended to be recorded and sell well - Tin Pan Alley. They were largely rubbush, but did produce some beautiful material. London had its own equivalent as the music business became centred on Denmark Street in the West End.
The Crooners
The first major pop stars as such were the crooners of the 1930s and '40s. Bing Crosby sold millions of records, as did Frank Sinatra (arguably the first modern pop star).
They recorded and performed with full orchestras in the main style of the day. But there were other vocals groups, such as the Mills Brothers and the Inkspots, whose harmonies set the standards for those aspiring to fame.
With the style known as swing, big bands also came into their own.
The Charts
Curiously, pop music charts as such didn't exist until 1952, when the first Top Twenty was recorded. It came at an interesting time, as "teenagers" really came into being. Historically there'd been no transitional period between childhood and adulthood. Now, after World War II, that seemed to begin, imported from America, an interpretation of American folk music, teens found their music.
Rock'n'roll brought much more of that, and Elvis Presley became a global star, the biggest of the late 1950s and early 1960s. But he would find himself supplanted by the Beatles, who revolutionised pop by writing their own material, instigating a fashion that remains undiminished.
The Beatles set the standard for pop music, and it remains undiminished - Beatlesque has become a standard descriptive adjective. From 1962 until their break up in 1970 they dominated the charts in Britain and America.
Post Beatles
The Beatles influenced a generation - more than one, really - with their melodies and harmonies, and that was apparent in the 1970s, when pop careened through several styles, from the Glam Rock of T. Rex to the raw fire of punk. But the biggest pop star to emerge from the period was a singer and pianist, Elton John, whose popularity has remained constant.
The idea of artists writing their own material remained in the wake of the Fab Four, although professional songwriters stayed in demand for those unable to pen a tune. From the early days of rock there had been "manufactured" stars - people taken on board for a pretty face rather than any innate talent, and made into stars by producers. It had happened to Adam Faith, Alvin Stardust and many others, most of whom only enjoyed short careers.
The 1980s proved a moribund decade for pop. Styles came and went, but it was an era short on memorable music. Only Wham! (and later George Michael) emerged as true pop stars.
Boy Bands
The 1990s was the time of boy bands, perhaps the ultimate in manufactured acts. A group of young male singers was assembled for their looks, given catchy songs and arrangements and pushed to fame. It happened to East 17 and, most memorably, Take That. America saw how it worked and gave the world the Backstreet Boys and 'N Sync, and for a few years it worked very well, selling millions of records. But like any fashion, it passed. A female version, the Spice Girls, was briefly huge. Notably, the only ones to come out of this and sustain a solo career was Robbie Williams from Take That and Justin Timberlake from 'N Sync.
America tried a similar tactic with female pop stars, and both Mariah Carey and Britney Spears became massive manufactured stars, followed, to a lesser degree, by Christina Aguilera.
The New Millennium
Since the year 2000 there's been a variety of major new stars, relying mostly on established talent. Several younger artists have come and gone, and new styles have briefly emerged, but nothing appears to have gained a major foothold besides modern R&B, which owes little to its soulful predecessor, but a lot to hip-hop - which itself has become a pop style.
Source 2
The music deverived from Rock and Roll in the 1950's. The term 'pop music' was derived from rock and roll music and the new youth music style that influenced it. the most famous pop music stars include Michael jackson, The Rolling Stones, The beetles and ABBA. early pop music in Britain originated in the 16th and 17th century with the arrival of the broadside ballad as a result of the print revolution, which were sold cheaply in great numbers until the 19th century. Increased technological changes and social changes led to new forms of music in the 19th century, including brass abnds, which produced popular and communal form of classic music. Similarly, the music hall sprang up to cater for the entertainment of new urban societies, adapting existing forms of music to produce popular songs and acts. In the 1930's, the influence of American jazz, led to the creation of British dance bands, who provided a social and popular music that began to dominate social occasions and the radio airwaves. Parlour music was a form of pop music performed in the parlours of middle class homes by amateur singers and pianists.
Broadside balleads were agueably the first form of commercial popular music in britain. They were a product of the development of cheap print from the 16th century.
Pop music includes a large variety of music in todays chart from jazz, to country, to hip hop and rap. Sheet music was a big thing with pop music as it was written on paper so families can get together and play instruments. Publishers would often look for new composers to fill the demand for sheet music, and have their music made available in print form for sale.
When pianos gave way to the phonograph around the beginning of the 20th century, popular renditions of music followed them. By the mid 1920's, a new music called jazz with a new peculiar rhyhtm. Later African derived 'blues' music, which greatly changed music for the future.
Features of pop music.
The most significant feature of pop music in the 18th and 19th was the selling of sheet. Pop music is genrally described as a very commercial friendly, marketable and memeroable, with either lyrics, instruments, voacls or a combination of all three, creating a catchy choruses or verses. The main aim of pop music is to create visual content in responses to the feature extracted from the music, to give a visually coherent representation of the sound.
1950's
1956 - Elvis Presley emerges as one of the worlds first rock stars. With so many hit sings, he was refered to as 'the king of rock n roll'. he is one of the best selling solo artists in the history of pop music.
1957- John Lennon meets Paul McCartney in march 1957, John Lennon formed a skiffle group called The Quarrymen. McCratney met Lennon on 6 july, and agreed to join the group a few days later. The first official performance by The Quarrymen, all be it unsuccessful.
Late 1950's - The beetles formed by John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Star.Most songs were written by JOhn Lennon and Paul McCartney,a nd the group dominated the 1960's.
1960 - The Beetles allow Pete Best to join the group, as a drummer on 12th August 1960, and began touring the world.
1961 - Patsy Cline becomes a mainstream pop music artist. She was the first famous female pop singer
The 1970's
1972 - Michale Jackson has his first major hit 'Ben', which becomes a no. 1 hit. It was recorded for a Motown label in late 1970. It became a theme of a film, which made it become the no. 1 song in the US. 1974:Michael Jackson introduced 'The Robot' in a performance on 'soul train' tour.
1975 - 83 - Disco and hip hop began to to become the popular forms of pop music. The film Saturday Night Fever was releaesed. 'Hip Hop' music began to emerge as a form of rock, jazz and soul with african drumming in New York City. Non Stop music videos were released from MTV.
The 1980's
1983- The Red Hot Chilli Peppers were formed
1983 - Michael Jackson introdues the moonwalk, which became a global sensation.
1985 - Michael Jackson releases the thriller song and video and becomes an instant classic.
1985 - Britney Spears emerges as one of the music stars and made her TV debut.
The 1990's
During the 1990's various famous groups made pop music more popular through the use of music in films like 'Titanic' and the song Heart Will Go On, that featured in the film.
1998 - Coldplay formed, and started a career that would rapidly increase the popularity of pop music.
The 2000's
2001 - keane released their second single 'Wolf At The Door', which is a song that fits into the alternative rock genre of music.
2002 - Their was an increase in the number of TV shows to find new music talent like pop idol.
2003 - Eminem arrived on the scene of pop music, and was a radio and Tv superstar, and changed the way pop music was preduced.
2009 - the death of Michael Jackson, who had a huge impact on pop music during the 80's and 90's.
The Instruments used to create pop music: guitar, bass, piano, drums, amplifiers, cymbols, electric organs, electric pianos, electric keyboard and polyphonic tape playback keyboard.
Guitars are common in pop music. Types of guitars used in popo music are electric, bass and acoustci guitars.
Drums in pop music can be played by a drummer on a drum kit, or they can be produced electronically by a computer. Computer drums have a more digital sound that can feel robotic and less natural than drums played by a person. Vocals are the leading force of pop music. Music is often structured to fit around the lyrics written by a vocalist. Types of vocals can include singing, screaming, rapping, or spoken word.
Wind instruments such as saxophones, trumpets and flutes help give pop music a realistic and full sound.
Orchestral string instruments such as the violin, viola and cello are occasionally featured in pop music.
Facts about pop msuic:
- Led Zeppelin, REM and Depeche Mode have never had a number 1 hit, whereas Rihanna has had 10!
- Ke$ha's 'Tik-Tok sold more copies then ANY Beatles single
- Flo Rida's 'Low' sold the same amount of copies (8 million), as 'Hey Jude' by the Beatles.
- The Black Eyed Peas 'I Gotta Feeling', is more popular then any Elvis song
- Celine Dion's 'Falling INto You' sold more copies than nay Queen or Nivana record.
Katy Perry and Michael Jackson, have the same number of number 1 singles.