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Why are infectiously catchy pop songs looked down upon?
- Thread starter Elija2
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Screaming Meat
Unconfirmed Member
"Catchy" doesn't mean good. AIDS is catchy.
viciouskillersquirrel
Member
You can write the songs, sell them to Katy Perry and be credited under a pseudonym. Everybody wins!
See above.
Because the reason top 40 pop music makes money isn't because of the music, it's because of the marketing and visibility. An unknown writing a radio friendly pop song still wouldn't mean they would get radio play or financial success.
also, most people criticize people who listen to pop music is because they clearly love music enough to listen to it constantly, yet they never explore far enough into what music can offer. We all listened to crappy pop music when we were 10, but a lot of us went and further explored the deep riches of music, and it made us not only appreciate music at a deeper level, but also find music that is way more enjoyable then the ones we listened to before.
Almost everyone wants to share those feels, not so we can push up our nose and exclaim how much better we are for it. All we want is for you to go on that same magical journey we all go through, and that we continue to go through everyday. It's not about being pretentious, it's about the music man.
Almost everyone wants to share those feels, not so we can push up our nose and exclaim how much better we are for it. All we want is for you to go on that same magical journey we all go through, and that we continue to go through everyday. It's not about being pretentious, it's about the music man.
I'm the same way. I can listen to Radiohead or Death Grips, but I also happen to enjoy a well written dance-pop song and I think they can be equally valid artistically. Radiohead couldn't write a Lady Gaga song even if they tried and vice versa.
Yeah, this here. There is that one song from Lykke Li I really liked but then it got popular and it was played in every place around here. "I Follow Rivers" was the name of the song if I recall correctly.
PsychoSoldier
Banned
They're only bad when the lyrics make my brain hurt because then I start thinking about how dumb the thing they're saying is instead of focusing on the catchiness.
I think it's why I can tolerate dumb music done in other languages a bit better.
I think it's why I can tolerate dumb music done in other languages a bit better.
XiaNaphryz
LATIN, MATRIPEDICABUS, DO YOU SPEAK IT
Bruno plays multiple instruments, probably a bad example to use. His live shows are awesome primarily because of the live band - having an actual brass section is awesome.
viciouskillersquirrel
Member
Like I said, sell that song to Katy Perry, make mad bank.
I don't know to this day what "Waka Waka" means but I like the song better because I can't understand what Shakira is singing.
Why do people care so much about lyrics
Thats one of the last thing you should care about in music, its way more important for the lyrics to sound phoenically good within the song then to actually have a DEEP meaning. Its a plus to have some cool ass lyrics, but really, isnt the music more important then the words theyre trying to say
Thats one of the last thing you should care about in music, its way more important for the lyrics to sound phoenically good within the song then to actually have a DEEP meaning. Its a plus to have some cool ass lyrics, but really, isnt the music more important then the words theyre trying to say
Sarcastico
Member
I appreciate complex musical notes and the skills involved in pulling them off. You don't get that with mainstream pop, they lack depth, in my honest opinion.
I 100% agree with you, but obviously people have different preferences. I grew up with listening to American and British pop in the late 80s and early 90s before i had any sort of grasp on the English language. So i only judged songs on how they sounded
Its the same thing with hardcore rap fans, i really do not care how profound this guys lyrics are, his song is dull, the beat is lame and the chorus is forgettable.
I personally don't enjoy music on the radio because the majority of it is devoid of any substance, intelligence and none of it sounds genuine. Musically, it's boring, predictable and over-produced and these factors don't appeal to me as a musician and lover of music. I think alot of manufactured pop music distracts us from thinking about the bigger and more important things happening in life and kind of pushes our brains into a little corner, reinforcing the message that there's absolutely nothing more to life than just partying hard, getting drunk, being rich, buying a big house, buying big fancy car, etc this all pertains to a very materialistic side of life, and none of that says anything to me. There's a whole world of exciting music outside of whats played on the radio; why have a little bit of nothing when you can have a big bit of everything?
Btw, I'm not saying you shouldn't ever listen to the radio, I know some people just listen to it for fun and thats fine, I was just stating my opinion
Doctor Decimate
Member
i don't hate all of them, but too many just seem ridiculously repetitive for the length of time they're on. and when absolutely all popular songs get insanely overplayed these days...well, it's not hard to see where the hate comes from.
Rug Monkey
Member
Give it 20 years and they'll be ultra-cool classics
foxuzamaki
Doesn't read OPs, especially not his own
This, however I actually like katy perry
Adele and Kanye maybe. Especially Adele and Ye. But shit like Justin Bieber or Nikki Minaj? lol no
And pop music nowadays is just a product with a huge production and marketing team behind it, the artistic aspect is mostly left out. These pop stars are replacable performers, they won't stand the test of time.
Lol at comparisons with candy (which can be harmful) or AIDS. You can listen exclusively to Justin Bieber or whatever pop act and it won't have any negative impact on your health or... anything, really. I think of pop music as burgers - they're not sophisticated high-cuisine, but they're tasty and just as I know snobby musicians who love pop, I know chefs who love burgers.
Nappuccino
Member
nothing wrong with pop-elements in music.
But so much of pop music is just lazy and uninspired.
But so much of pop music is just lazy and uninspired.
ThisWreckage
Banned
I'm 29 and I have completely given up on current pop music. As a matter of fact, nothing can compare to the emotional high of listening to classical music or an opera to me.
The problem with pop music is that it has always been written for heartbroken teenagers so the lyrics have always been hokey as hell. But at least the vocals used to be fantastic. Now every pop musician sounds the same because of auto tune. Music suffers from "heard one, heard them all" production right now. Rhianna, Taylor Swift, Selena Gomez, Katy Perry, and Demi Lovato are virtually all the same to me. Compare that to 80s pop musicians.
The problem with pop music is that it has always been written for heartbroken teenagers so the lyrics have always been hokey as hell. But at least the vocals used to be fantastic. Now every pop musician sounds the same because of auto tune. Music suffers from "heard one, heard them all" production right now. Rhianna, Taylor Swift, Selena Gomez, Katy Perry, and Demi Lovato are virtually all the same to me. Compare that to 80s pop musicians.
I think that's big part of why I like pop - I don't care about lyrics, in any genre. So while the pop I listen to is rather niche and doesn't consist of teenage emo whiny songs (or generic slutty club crap, which makes me cringe), I simply don't care about how deep or emotional lyrics can be in music.
ThisWreckage
Banned
We'd get the vocals back, but with them all of the stock DX7 sounds
That's not what I was saying. There were many big pop acts in the 1980s and a lot of them had a distinct style. That's not the case with pop music now. Pop music is dominated by soulless club music and female pop songs right now. It's about as copy and paste and it can be.
If I'd want deep lyrics I'd read something. I like music that can convey emotions, tell a story through the music and not the lyrics.
I love Aerodynamic because I'd apply a David and Goliath story to it and suddenly it told a story through emotions.
Bolded part needs clarifications. What makes today's pop music not distinct and soulless? Music doesn't have to be deep and complex. Sometimes people just want something to dance with and that is popular right now.
And my point was that memes like auto tune have always existed.
I don't know, man. Pop music was samey as hell in the eighties. We're just not being inundated with it anymore.
'Catchy' is not a good or bad adjective, it depends on the noun. AIDS is bad. Music is good. Why would catchy music be bad?
It's fine if you don't like a specific genre. I mean, heck, any genre can have catchy music. I probably should have left the word 'pop' out of the thread title.
Wow, seriously? That's a really narrow minded way of thinking. You obviously don't see music as an art form or as a means of self expression. These "struggling" independant artists care more about making great art than being rich and famous.
You've got alot to learn.
Old pop music wasn't always written for heartbroken teenagers. Even the love songs back then could have varying themes, deeper meanings and interesting writing.
What would be the difference between that and working at a coffee shop to fund your art? Hell, it would be a good song writing exercise as well.
I agree with the the comment that music snobs are the worst. Same with movie snobs.
As for the op, there are a lot of good songs that can make the top 40. Lady Gaga, MIA, Taylor Swift, whoever. When posting on a message board, you have got to realize everyone wants to have the best opinion. Have the best taste. Call Me Maybe was a catchy, fun song, nothing more than that. I'm sure plenty of people enjoyed it for what it was, I know I did. There are a lot of top 40 songs that are pretty damn bad though, and are more about selling the image/video/hot person. You can write a good hook, and it'll get people to buy the track, but the song won't have staying power.
Not to mention, the music is made to appeal to an audience young enough to buy into everything its selling.
As for the op, there are a lot of good songs that can make the top 40. Lady Gaga, MIA, Taylor Swift, whoever. When posting on a message board, you have got to realize everyone wants to have the best opinion. Have the best taste. Call Me Maybe was a catchy, fun song, nothing more than that. I'm sure plenty of people enjoyed it for what it was, I know I did. There are a lot of top 40 songs that are pretty damn bad though, and are more about selling the image/video/hot person. You can write a good hook, and it'll get people to buy the track, but the song won't have staying power.
Not to mention, the music is made to appeal to an audience young enough to buy into everything its selling.
Capital_Five
Member
I don't agree with the implication that what is catchy to other people is for me specifically. I just don't like top 20 stuff. I don't choose to not like it. I like what I like and I don't begrudge people who listen to it, but I think it's trash like they think my music is yeah and that's fine. I like stuff like Dr.Dog and Radiohead which are super popular bands so it has nothing to do with not being "mainstream."
In words you can probably understand better: Baby I was born this way.
In words you can probably understand better: Baby I was born this way.
teruterubozu
Member
I disagree. In the 80s-90s there was way more genre variety in the Top 40s - you can have reggae, punk, metal, r&b, soul, country, blues, rock, dance, alternative or whatever style occupying the top spots. Today a majority of Pop is just dance - "Party like it's Friday Night Cuz We're Gonna Die Young and Get Luck y 2Night" bullshit.
Glorified G
Member
fixed
highrider
Banned
If enjoying a good pop song is wrong, I don't want to be right.
I could reel off music I like by artists that are fairly well accepted as great writers and instrumentalists, but I'm also pretty excited about the new backstreet boys record.
Some people wear their musical taste like a badge on honor and appoint themselves arbiters of what constitutes real music. Always comes across as insecure to me.
It's also worth mentioning dancing. Some people see it as ridiculous, others find great joy and fun in dancing.
I could reel off music I like by artists that are fairly well accepted as great writers and instrumentalists, but I'm also pretty excited about the new backstreet boys record.
Some people wear their musical taste like a badge on honor and appoint themselves arbiters of what constitutes real music. Always comes across as insecure to me.
It's also worth mentioning dancing. Some people see it as ridiculous, others find great joy and fun in dancing.
teruterubozu
Member
I mean every now and then you'll get an Adele, Flo & The Machine, Gotye, etc. with a different sound, but overall it's Spring Break music. Nothing wrong with it, but today's pop is stuck in a genre.
teruterubozu
Member
But that's like saying pizza sucks because most pizza sucks
Yeah but the menu had more variety. Today it's all cheese only.
It comes down to integrity.
Agreed, but does every song have to be a masterpiece of sound with beautiful composition and immersive soundscapes? Is there something so wrong with being able to enjoy a dumb catchy tune?
There are ghostwriters and ghostproducers out there, how else do you think these indies fund their own labels/albums?
And it's not easy to get into ghostproducing btw. Very hard in fact.
Maybe the menu of the most popular pizza joint. For starters there's more to pop than pop in English. As a non-native speaker and someone who has never been to an English speaking country, to me pop hardly comes down to Bieber, Gaga and Rihanna. Actually when I put it like that, I can see why people would hate pop
Majmun
Member
There's a lot of good pop music to be found today. There's a lot of variation. Problem is that it's rarely found in the top 10 nowadays...
Modern catchy pop music artists that I like, but just won't hit the charts:
AlunaGeorge
Janelle Monae
Jessie Ware
Robyn
Kimbra
It's true that modern charts are polluted by afwul pop acts. But I mean, who can listen to these songs I posted and tell me they're awful? POP music is great if you know where to look at. And it's definitely not in the charts currently...
Modern catchy pop music artists that I like, but just won't hit the charts:
AlunaGeorge
Janelle Monae
Jessie Ware
Robyn
Kimbra
It's true that modern charts are polluted by afwul pop acts. But I mean, who can listen to these songs I posted and tell me they're awful? POP music is great if you know where to look at. And it's definitely not in the charts currently...
Spring-Loaded
Member
The answer is in the thread title
There are songs I love, but are catchy to the point they get lodged in my mind for hours. Experiencing something you like repeatedly ad nauseum can be a pain. If I happen to not really like the song in question and it gets stuck in my head, I'll probably have a poor opinion of it.
You're complaining about the opinions of others. If someone says a song is objectively bad without giving reasons why, they're stating opinion. If that bothers you and they're giving you shit for loving Call Me Maybe, then tell them they're only stating an opinion and you'd appreciate it if they'd not give you trouble for it. If they're not directly addressing you, you can still say they're just stating an opinion. If they're actually just stating their opinion with the pretense of it being fact, don't tell them their opinion is invalid.
ThisWreckage
Banned
You're right. Most pop music is dominated by club anthems (the most shallow music imaginable) or love songs. Even if you look at 80s pop, David Bowie, Bon Jovie, Blondie, Depeche Mode, The Cure, Eurythmics, George Michael, Run DMC, Poison, etc. all had a different sound.
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