Is pop music inherently stupid?

[Robmobius]

pop music must appeal to the masses and to be popular it musn't be too deep, complex, controversial, thought provoking etc, therefore, I'd say it is incidentally stupid!

But, what do you say about some song like Good Vibrations by the Beach Boys?

It'd make my ears bleed.

[do_androids_dream]

The moment you start to negatively generalise about an entire genre is the moment you get older in your mind. One more nail gets gently tapped into place...

[lectrixboogaloo]

pop music must appeal to the masses and to be popular it musn't be too deep, complex, controversial, thought provoking etc, therefore, I'd say it is incidentally stupid!

But, what do you say about some song like Good Vibrations by the Beach Boys?

It'd make my ears bleed.

what you would say about it would make your ears bleed? weird.

[JJ_Jettflow]

Define popular music.

Music that is popular
i.e. Sells / downloaded by the boat load

IM(uneducated)O its the modern equivalent of what we think of folk music back in the day which had simple melodies and lyrics that could be easily remembered for the serfs and plebs to hum and sing while they toiled or drunkenly danced and sung along to, created by those same serfs and plebs

While you are correct that some folk music was intended for just what you describe, the call and response work songs, much more of it was used to describe great events of the time such as battles, natural disasters and even political viewpoints. Travelling minstrels would go from village to village entertaining them with their melodies and informing the villagers with their lyrics at the same time.

But unlike pop, folk is an honest music where the skill is not as important as the message and emotion being conveyed. Most modern pop music is so manufactured it is more a product and a piece of art. Creativity is replaced with marketablility.

[lectrixboogaloo]

A good folk tune was manufactured over a couple or 50 generations. Bob Dylan could make one from 2 or out of nowhere. Good pop tune, i mean.

[lectrixboogaloo]

I hate to be like this, but anybody that doesn't like brian wilson is just willfully an idiot. i mean, i hate Paul McCartney and that puts me pretty close but damn...

[JJ_Jettflow]

A good folk tune was manufactured over a couple or 50 generations. Bob Dylan could make one from 2 or out of nowhere. Good pop tune, i mean.

Sorry but Bob Dylan's music does not fit the criteria to be considered a pop tune.

[JJ_Jettflow]

..

[lectrixboogaloo]

A good folk tune was manufactured over a couple or 50 generations. Bob Dylan could make one from 2 or out of nowhere. Good pop tune, i mean.

Sorry but Bob Dylan's music does not fit the criteria to be considered a pop tune.

Oh? It was at some point in time. Ergo, the limeade. Or, dilemma.

(anyway... i think i was responding to another post that was seeming to say pop and folk were sort of the same. i sort of agree. it's true, like it or not...)

[JJ_Jettflow]

A good folk tune was manufactured over a couple or 50 generations. Bob Dylan could make one from 2 or out of nowhere. Good pop tune, i mean.

Sorry but Bob Dylan's music does not fit the criteria to be considered a pop tune.

Oh? It was at some point in time. Ergo, the limeade. Or, dilemma.

Depends on who you spoke to at the time. Certainly some fans did not like him introducing electric instruments into his folk music as they thought he was selling out and becoming a pop star. So to some he was most certainly a folkie who was selling out. To others, he was pushing the boundaries of folk and introducing it to a new audience but still a folk artist. I think you would be hard pressed to find a older fan who wold consider him a pop star.

But by today's standards, if Dylan were to appear on American Idol he would not make it through the audition.

[chk071]

I must admit that i listened to a very good pop tune yesterday. It was from 2006 though, so 9 years old, but, there's still some pearls nowadays. I think one should break out of that kind of stereotype thinking. A good song is a good song, no matter what musical genre.

[JJ_Jettflow]

I hate to be like this, but anybody that doesn't like brian wilson is just willfully an idiot. i mean, i hate Paul McCartney and that puts me pretty close but damn...

I like both.

There is nothing like a well crafted song written and performed by one and the same. It is like direct contact with the artist. There are many great pop songs out there but none I can think of lately because when someone mentions pop music today, I can only think of current "artists" like Maroon 5, Justin Bieber, Katie Perry or Kanye West. It is hard to put the talent of Brian Wilson or Paul McCartney in the same category as Jay Z or One Direction.

[chk071]

It is hard to put the talent of Brian Wilson or Paul McCartney in the same category as Jay Z or One Direction.

I guess all of those are pretty good at what they're doing. The song i listened to yesterday was from P-Diddy btw, featuring Christina Aguilera. Tbh, i always felt it was a bit of a snobbery to say you can't compare the talents of artist X to artist Y, just because the musical genrey differs, and i simply favor one more, or feel like it needs more "musical skills" to write one. No offense. But i wonder how classical music lovers will think about other types of music. It must be all garbage for them then. But i bet it isn't for many/most of them.

[lectrixboogaloo]

A good folk tune was manufactured over a couple or 50 generations. Bob Dylan could make one from 2 or out of nowhere. Good pop tune, i mean.

Sorry but Bob Dylan's music does not fit the criteria to be considered a pop tune.

Oh? It was at some point in time. Ergo, the limeade. Or, dilemma.

Depends on who you spoke to at the time. Certainly some fans did not like him introducing electric instruments into his folk music as they thought he was selling out and becoming a pop star. So to some he was most certainly a folkie who was selling out. To others, he was pushing the boundaries of folk and introducing it to a new audience but still a folk artist. I think you would be hard pressed to find a older fan who wold consider him a pop star.

But by today's standards, if Dylan were to appear on American Idol he would not make it through the audition.

Ya, british people and 'smart' americans hated him then for going all brit spears. Sales figures and how easy it is to get a any copy of post rock dylan compared to before tells another tale, (compared to the popular one) right? I suppose ask any hippy, if one must talk to them.

(ethm, but sorry, i know what you are getting at.... of course) still, at the time dylan was a pop god? of sorts...

[Robmobius]

I'd like to include Metallica because they are pop band as far as I'm concerned. Plus their music is sheet.

I'd also like to add all that 'bubble gum' punk as pop too.