Pop rock (also typeset aspop/rock[4]) is amusic genre and form ofrock music[5] characterized by a strong commercial appeal,[6] with more emphasis on professionalsongwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than standard rock music.[1][5][7] Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normalrock and roll, early pop rock was influenced by thebeat, arrangements, and original style of rock and roll (and sometimesdoo-wop).[1] Pop rock may be viewed as a continuous genre field rather than separate categories.[4] The detractors of pop rock often deride it as a slick, commercial product and lessauthentic than rock music.[8]
Muchpop and rock music has been very similar in sound, instrumentation and even lyrical content. The terms "pop rock" and "power pop" have been used to describe more commercially successful music that uses elements from, or the form of, rock music.[9] Writer Johan Fornas views pop rock as "one single, continuous genre field", rather than distinct categories.[4] To the authors Larry Starr and Christopher Waterman, it is defined as an "upbeat variety of rock music" represented by artists and bands such asAndy Kim,the Bells,Paul McCartney,Lighthouse, andPeter Frampton.[10]
The term "pop" has been used since the early 1940s to refer to popular music in general, but in the mid-1950s, it began to be used for a distinct genre, aimed at a youth market, often characterized as a softer alternative to rock and roll.[11][1] In the aftermath of theBritish Invasion, from about 1967, it was increasingly used in opposition to the term rock, to describe a form that was more commercial, ephemeral and accessible.[12]
As of the 2010s, "guitar pop rock" and "indie rock" are roughly synonymous terms.[13] "Jangle" is a noun-adjective that music critics often use in reference toguitar pop with a bright mood.[14]
Critic Philip Auslander argues that the distinction between pop and rock is more pronounced in the US than in the UK. He claims that in the US, pop has roots in whitecrooners such asPerry Como, whereas rock is rooted inAfrican-American music influenced by forms such asrock and roll. Auslander points out that the concept of pop rock, which blends pop and rock, is at odds with the typical conception of pop and rock as opposites. Auslander and several other scholars, such asSimon Frith and Grossberg, argue that pop music is often depicted as an inauthentic, cynical, "slickly commercial", and formulaic form of entertainment. In contrast, rock music is often heralded as an authentic, sincere, and anti-commercial form of music, which emphasizes songwriting by the singers and bands and instrumental virtuosity.[15]
Frith's analysis of the history of popular music from the 1950s to the 1980s has been criticized by B. J. Moore-Gilbert, who argues that Frith and other scholars have overemphasized the role of rock in the history of popular music by naming every new genre using the "rock" suffix. Thus, when afolk-oriented style of music developed in the 1960s, Frith termed it "folk rock", and the pop-infused styles of the 1970s were called "pop rock". Moore-Gilbert claims that this approach unfairly puts rock at the apex and makes every other influence become an add-on to the central core of rock.[16]
In the mid-to-late 1950s, the music scenes in theUnited States and theUnited Kingdom were both similar and different. Similar genres of music were present, in the forms of pop and rock, but different artists were present, accounting for the lack of a 'universal style of music'. Artists may have had hits in both countries, such asElvis Presley,[18] but that was in the minority of instances.
In Britain, these influences often extended to the music scene there, with artists such asCliff Richard having had rock and roll hits such as "Move It"[21] orTommy Steele having been ateen idol influenced by Presley. These were a form of rock which eventually, through a build-up of influences, led to the advent of pop rock as the next decade rolled in.
By the time the early 1960s had rolled around, rock music was falling in prominence. Pop artists continued gaining province withdance crazes, and rock artists began to lose prominence with Presley being drafted to the army.[22] However, rock music was soon to regain province due to an up-and-coming music science based out of England,Merseybeat. Merseybeat was influenced by the genres ofskiffle and rock and roll, and artists began to take up the genre.
The music scenes between the United States and the United Kingdom truly became close in 1964.The Beatles, a group from the Merseybeat scene, had already gained success in the United Kingdom with hit singles like "Love Me Do".[23] However, they did not gain popularity in the United States until the release of the song "I Want to Hold Your Hand". The song gained over a million advance orders in the United Kingdom, and in early 1964 entered the United StatesBillboard charts.
TheBritish Invasion then started shortly afterward, with the Beatles' appearance onThe Ed Sullivan Show, which only proceeded to solidify their popularity. An era known asBeatlemania then started.[24] This was among the first times that the United States and United Kingdom's music scenes had a similar mega-hit, and rock music re-broke into the mainstream.
The Beatles being bombarded in the Netherlands
Other artists continued to follow after the Beatles in the British Invasion. Non-pop rock oriented bands gained success, such asthe Rolling Stones,the Animals, andManfred Mann, but other similarly styled Merseybeat bands continued to gain success during the British Invasion, such asthe Dave Clark Five,[25] who followed the Beatles, and had almost equal American success to that they had in Britain.
Over in the United States, less pop rock artists gained major success, with the formersurf music scene which had much popularity in the earlier 1960s losing all major prominence with the Beatles gaining success. The only artist from that genre to make a continuous mainstream impact wasthe Beach Boys, who successfully incorporated elements of pop rock into their music.[26]
As the middle and late 1960s came along, a shift tocounterculture music gained momentum. Popular artists like the Beatles shifted to sounds inspired byfolk rock, and laterpsychedelic rock. The Beatles later returned to pop rock before breaking up, all while having major hits. The Beach Boys followed a similar path, eventually opting for a more symphonic path and having the critically acclaimedPet Sounds.[27]
Younger audiences, especially teenagers, felt a longing for the pop rock artists and style of the past with the artists which were popular having had major stylistic shifts. Out of the artists who emerged in this void,the Monkees gained the most success. They were a made-for-TV band,[28] who had major success with a number of hits. They later underwent similar stylistic shifts to the Beatles before breaking up.
As the decade came to a close, pop rock was no longer as dominant, but still an important genre. However, ashard rock andheavy metal[30] gained success, andprogressive rock gained respect as an underground genre, the genre gradually would begin a shift intosoft rock-related territory.
As the decade rolled in, the most major event was thebreakup of the Beatles. Despite continuing commercial success, internal tensions caused a breakup. All four members continued to have successful careers.Ringo Starr was the least successful of them, but still topped charts.[31]George Harrison pursued a morespiritual-inspired pop rock genre, yet had multiple hits for over a decade and had extreme influence.
John Lennon also had a large amount of success. With his work with his wifeYoko Ono, solo work, and work with his band, thePlastic Ono Band, Lennon continued to have chart-topping hits in both the United States and the United Kingdom.[32] Lennon's career was cut short due to hisdeath due to murder in 1980, but his memory and influence lives on.
However, out of all the Beatles, the member who pursued the purest pop rock sound and became one of the defining artists of the genre wasPaul McCartney. Despite starting off his solo career with thelo-fi albumMcCartney, he soon formed the bandWings with his wifeLinda McCartney and former symphonic rock andMoody Blues guitaristDenny Laine. The band had a number of major hits such as "Live and Let Die", "Mull of Kintyre", and "Band on the Run". Wings continued its success for slightly under a decade before breaking up.
Paul McCartney in Wings
Also, pop rock and soft rock continued to have artists falling under both genres. One of the most prominent artists to do this wasElton John, a British singer-songwriter and pianist. He had a string of chart-topping albums[33] combining influences from both genres, along with others such asglam rock. John's success was so big that he is amongst the most streamed rock artists of all time. Another major artist with a similar level of success, albeit slightly less so than Elton John isBilly Joel. While Elton John was British, Joel was an American pianist and singer-songwriter. He first experienced success with his hit "Piano Man", and skyrocketed to success withThe Stranger, a 1977 album. Both artists have had continuous long lasting success to modern times.
Arguably one of the most influential albums of all time, and of the pop rock genre, wasRumours by British rock bandFleetwood Mac.[34] Fleetwood Mac started off as ablues rock group but found their footing in the pop rock genre and became a major artist due to a string of hit songs such as "Dreams", "Go Your Own Way", and "Don't Stop".
During this decade, mega-hit albums were of abundance, likeThe Stranger,Rumours, andBreakfast in America. However, as the decade came to a close, changes in the music scene such as the advent ofpunk rock andnew wave would change pop rock and its style as it continued to adapt in order to survive.
As the 1980s rolled in, a new style of music was gaining prominence. This style of music wassynth-pop. The genre combined punk rock influences and pop music[38] in a new context, with instrumentation led by thesynthesizer. Many synth-pop duos and groups are considerable in the pantheon of pop rock music, such as but not limited tothe Human League,Icehouse, andTears for Fears, who once again brought a form of pop rock to the mainstream, despite differences from music of the past.
New wave was another similar style of music to synth-pop, except in a fully rock context,[39] with similar influences to that of synth-pop. Major artists which released hits in a new wave setting includedDuran Duran,[40]Culture Club, andINXS.
Amongst the biggest pop rock groups of the 1980s wasthe Police.[41] From the late 1970s to the early 1980s, the band released a number of huge hits which continued the momentum of rock music, such as "Every Breath You Take" and "Message in a Bottle". However, they broke up after being dubbed "the biggest band in the world", and left a void.
Women also had a major role in pop rock music that often goes unlooked at. All-female pop rock groups gained success, such asthe Go-Go's, and by extension lead singerBelinda Carlisle, andthe Bangles. Co-lead singer of Fleetwood Mac,Stevie Nicks,[42] also enjoyed a long and successful pop rock career.
A subgenre of heavy metal music,glam metal, gained success in the later part of the decade. Glam metal appealed to both genders, and gained success due to a widespread audience. Bands likeDef Leppard,[43]Europe, andBon Jovi[44] had major chart successes, with Bon Jovi in particular being a mainstay of the charts until the 2000s. However, while the 1990s rolled in, the glam metal scene fell as quickly as it had risen as new genres took its place.
Traditional pop rock had fallen as the advent ofgrunge occurred. Grunge was a heavy[45] style of music based out of theSeattle music scene, consisting of punk rock and heavy metal influences. However, grunge itself, similarly to its influences, was not a form of pop rock music.
In the United Kingdom, grunge did not catch on with the population, who decided to explore the concept ofCool Britannia, and a new genre of music rose to prominence. This genre wasBritpop.[46] Britpop was a genre of music containing lyrics inspired by the United Kingdom and influenced by pop rock bands like the Beatles. Britpop did not gain mainstream success in the United States, but significantly impacted the British music scene. However, some Britpop songs did become hits in the US by bands such asOasis,Elastica andthe Verve.
Thebattle of Britpop[47] was a rivalry in the United Kingdom between bandsOasis andBlur. Blur won in the short run, but Oasis had longer lasting influence. Both bands, along withPulp,Suede, andSupergrass experienced major success in the United Kingdom.
However, in the United States another genre emerged. This genre was dubbedpop-punk.[48] Pop punk was a fusion genre between the genres of pop rock and punk rock, which gained success in the mid-1990s.
Pop-punk had many important bands which contributed to its success, such asGreen Day,[49]Blink-182, and many others, who oftentimes worked in apower trio format. Despite Britpop ending up falling in the late 1990s due to commercial failure and stylistic shifts, pop-punk lived on much longer.
By the time the new millennium rolled in, Britpop had already declined commercially.[50] Despite pop-punk's continued success, other genres took its place in terms of commercial success. However, this decade also experienced a loss of commercial success for rock,[51] but many artists still experienced success.
One of the many genres to emerge waspost-Britpop. Post-Britpop explored Britpop music in a typically softer, poppier way than beforehand.[52] Post-Britpop experienced a greater level of success in the United States, with bands such asKeane,Travis, and (disputably)Radiohead.
However, the most successful and popular band that came out of the post-Britpop scene wasColdplay. Coldplay pursued a pop rock style and had hits in both the United States[53] and the United Kingdom, and enjoy a lasting legacy to this day. Coldplay, much like pop rock of the past, managed to enjoy a multitude of mainstream hits.
Other styles of rock were still prominent during the decade, but oftentimes had a less poppy style, such aspost-grunge andemo. However, artists from past decades such as Bon Jovi andU2 had continued success. As the next decade rolled in, the pop rock scene became less prominent and more commercial.
In the modern-day music scene, since 2010, pop rock has been marginalized to a greater extent.[54] Despite some bands having success, the genre is not as popular as before due to the onset of popularity forhip-hop andtrap music.
Pop rock artists often pursued a more pop-inspired sound in the 2010s, such as what happened in artists likePanic! at the Disco, a former emo band that shifted to the mainstream,[55] andFun., another pop rock band with major pop influences.
Amongst the most prominent artists of modern-day pop rock isImagine Dragons, who pursued a genre combining the genres of pop rock, alternative rock, and pop.[56] They had success with hit singles like "Radioactive" and "Believer", along with many other chart hits.
Other artists from previous decades continued to have large chart success as well. These artists includeMaroon 5,[57] a pop rock band influenced byblue-eyed soul that later shifted to pop, and theArctic Monkeys, who experienced large critical success with the albumAM.
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