By Kalena Reynolds | Reporter
For years, self-proclaimed “music enthusiasts” have turned up their noses at the genre of pop. Some argue it’s too obtainable, not authentic or just plain dull, but what if all those claims were surface-level assumptions?
A certain level of pretentiousness resides within the music community, and while there are cases where such an attitude can be valuable, it clouds people’s judgment most of the time. A deep and lyrically complex song can sometimes feel like listening to a giant unsolved puzzle, and quite frankly, music shouldn’t induce the same level of stress as watching one of the latest “Saw” movies does.
Sure, modern-day pop is more curated than other genres, but it’s created with a purpose: intentionality and memorability. Producers, artists and songwriters have created a formula to make pop songs, especially when it comes to choruses.
Pop-song choruses are made to induce dopamine, which is done through a thought-provoking melody. Frequently, when writing a pop song, the chorus needs to be the lowest or highest melody in the song so that it sticks with people.
A good pop song has another universal characteristic that makes it unique to the genre: a jaw-dropping hook. The hook is usually only a five-second line in the chorus. However, if done right, a good song can be recognized by just that five-second hook.
Think of Adele’s 2011 hit “Rolling In The Deep.” The song is entirely recognizable by the few-second hook that features the title. The specific lyrics “rolling in the deep” are not only the highest part of the song melody-wise but also make a delightful experience for the listener.
Keeping it simple has been the universal rule of success for decades, and pop music does precisely that. Sure, there are times when pop music can be tedious, but that can be said about every genre. A good pop song feels effortless.
Now, I know what you’re thinking: Most songs have hooks regardless of the genre. While this is true, few genres have themes as good as pop. A-ha’s 1985 hit “Take On Me” includes 10 different words in the chorus, with the hook being three words (“take on me”). So far, the song has amassed over one billion streams on YouTube.
As someone who has explored the depths of almost every genre — from Primus and The Shaggs to A Tribe Called Quest and Chopin — just because a song is complex does not mean it’s good. In a world where everyone wants to be different, disliking pop is becoming — dare I say — popular, which is where the problem lies. A large majority of people dislike pop just because they want to feel unique in comparison to those around them.
Most people who don’t like pop songs cannot see the power in subtleties. While some songs scream, “I’m different; look at me,” pop has an intricacy that often goes unnoticed, such as hundreds of layers of vocal harmonies and high-level production.
Identifying such intricacies takes a specific skill set that most people cannot admit they don’t have. While it’s easy to listen to an obviously complex song and say that it’s good, it takes refined listening to identify less obvious music pieces with more blended elements and notice the genius behind them.
Every part of a pop song is meant to work together to craft a unified sound. The vocals, the instruments and the lyrics in unison create a wonderful recipe that comes naturally to the genre.
