| Power pop | |
|---|---|
| Stylistic origins | |
| Cultural origins | Mid-1960s – early 1970s, United States and United Kingdom |
| Fusion genres | |
| Other topics | |
Power pop (also typeset aspowerpop) is asubgenre ofrock music and a form ofpop rock[1][2] based on the early music of bands such asthe Who,the Beatles,the Beach Boys, andthe Byrds.[3][4] It typically incorporates melodichooks, vocal harmonies, an energetic performance, and cheerful-sounding music underpinned by a sense of yearning, longing, despair, or self-empowerment. The sound is primarily rooted inpop androck traditions of the early-to-mid 1960s, although some artists have occasionally drawn from later styles such aspunk,new wave,glam rock,pub rock,college rock, andneo-psychedelia.
Originating in the 1960s, power pop developed mainly among American musicians whocame of age during theBritish Invasion. Many of these young musicians wished to retain the "teenage innocence" of pop and rebelled against newer forms of rock music that were thought to be pretentious and inaccessible. The term was coined in 1967 by the Who guitarist and songwriterPete Townshend to describe his band's style of music. However, power pop became more widely identified with later acts of the 1970s who sought to reviveBeatles-style pop. Early 1970s releases byBadfinger, theRaspberries,Big Star[5] andTodd Rundgren are sometimes credited with solidifying the power pop sound into a recognizable genre. Power pop reached its commercial peak during the rise of punk and new wave in the late 1970s, withCheap Trick,the Knack,the Romantics,Nick Lowe,Dave Edmunds, andDwight Twilley among those enjoying the most success. After a popular and critical backlash to the genre's biggest hit, "My Sharona" (the Knack, 1979), record companies generally stopped signing power pop groups, and most of the 1970s bands broke up in the early 1980s.
Over subsequent decades, power pop continued with modest commercial success while also remaining a frequent object of derision among some critics and musicians. The 1990s saw a new wave ofalternative bands that were drawn to 1960s artists because of the 1980s music they had influenced. Although not as successful as their predecessors,Jellyfish,the Posies,Redd Kross,Teenage Fanclub, andMaterial Issue were critical and cult favorites. In the mid-1990s, an offshoot genre that combined power pop-style harmonies with uptempo punk rock, dubbed "pop-punk", reached mainstream popularity.
Power pop is an energetic variant ofpop rock based on melodic hooks, encapsulated as "catchy tunes with an attitude".[6]AllMusic describes the style as "a cross between the crunchinghard rock ofthe Who and the sweet melodicism ofthe Beatles andthe Beach Boys, with theringing guitars ofthe Byrds thrown in for good measure".[3] Virtually every artist of the genre has been a rock band consisting of white male musicians who engaged with the song forms, vocal arrangements,chord progressions, rhythm patterns, instrumentation, or overall sound associated with groups of the mid-1960sBritish Invasion era.[7]
An essential feature of power pop is that its cheerful sounding arrangements are supported by a sense of "yearning", "longing", or "despair" similar to formative works such as "Wouldn't It Be Nice" (the Beach Boys, 1966) and "Pictures of Lily" (the Who, 1967). This might be achieved with an unexpected harmonic change or lyrics that refer to "tonight", "tomorrow night", "Saturday night", and so on.[8] Power pop was also noted for its lack of irony and its reverence to classic pop craft.[9]
The Who'sPete Townshend coined the term in a May 1967 interview promoting their latest single "Pictures of Lily".[10][11] He said: "Power pop is what we play—what theSmall Faces used to play, and the kind of pop the Beach Boys played in the days of 'Fun, Fun, Fun' which I preferred."[12] Despite other bands following in the power pop continuum since then, the term was not popularized until the rise ofnew wave music in the late 1970s.[11]Greg Shaw, editor ofBomp! magazine, was the most prominent in the slew of music critics that wrote about power pop (then written as "powerpop"). This mirrored similar developments with the term "punk rock" from earlier in the decade. In light of this, Theo Cateforis, author ofAre We Not New Wave? (2011), wrote that "the recognition and formulation" of power pop as a genre "was by no means organic."[13]
There is significant debate among fans over what should be classed as power pop.[10] Shaw took credit for codifying the genre in 1978, describing it as a hybrid style of pop and punk. He later wrote that "much to my chagrin, the term was snapped up by legions of limp, second-rate bands hoping the majors would see them as a safe alternative to punk."[14] Music journalistJohn M. Borack also stated in his 2007 bookShake Some Action – The Ultimate Guide to Power Pop that the label is often applied to varied groups and artists with "blissful indifference", noting its use in connection withBritney Spears,Green Day,the Bay City Rollers andDef Leppard.[15]
Power pop has struggled with its critical reception and is sometimes viewed as a shallow style of music associated with teenage audiences. The perception was exacerbated by record labels in the early 1980s who used the term for marketingpost-punk styles.[16] Music critic Ken Sharp summarized that power pop is "theRodney Dangerfield of rock 'n' roll. [...] the direct updating of the most revered artists—the Who, the Beach Boys, the Beatles—yet it gets no respect."[10] In 1996, singer-songwriterTommy Keene commented that any association to the term since the 1980s is to be "compared to a lot of bands that didn't sell records, it's like a disease. If you're labeled that, you're history."[17] MusicianSteve Albini said: "I cannot bring myself to use the term 'power pop.' Catchy, mock-descriptive terms are for dilettantes and journalists. I guess you could say I think this music is for pussies and should be stopped."[18]Ken Stringfellow ofthe Posies concurred that "There's a kind of aesthetic to power pop to be light on purpose. I wanted something with more gravitas."[19]
Power pop originated in the late 1960s as young music fans began to rebel against the emerging pretensions of rock music.[4] During this period, a schism developed between "serious" artists who rejected pop and "crassly commercial" pop acts who embraced theirteenybopper audience.[21] Greg Shaw credited the Who as the starting point for power pop, whereas Carl Caferelli (writing in Borack's book) said that "the story really begins circa 1964, with the commercial ascension ofthe Beatles in America."[1] Caferelli also recognized the Beatles as the embodiment of the "pop band" ideal.[22] According toThe Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll, British Invasion bands, particularly theMerseybeat sound first popularised by the Beatles and its "jangly guitars, pleasant melodies, immaculate vocal harmonies, and a general air of teenage innocence", were a key influence on 1970s power-pop bands such asthe Raspberries,Big Star,the Knack andXTC.[23]
I believe pop music should be like the TV—something you can turn on and off and shouldn't disturb the mind. [...] It's very hard to like "Strawberry Fields" for simply what it is. Some artists are becoming musically unapproachable.
When Pete Townshend coined the term, he suggested that songs like "I Can't Explain" (1965) and "Substitute" (1966) were more accessible than the changing, more experimental directions other groups such as the Beatles were taking.[11] However, the term did not become widely identified with the Who,[24] and it would take a few years before the genre's stylistic elements coalesced into a more recognizable form.[8]The A.V. Club's Noel Murray said that "once the sound became more viable and widely imitated, it was easier to trace the roots of the genre back torockabilly,doo-wop, girl groups, and the early records of the Beatles, the Byrds, the Beach Boys,the Kinks, and the Who."[4]Robert Hilburn traced the genre "chiefly from the way the Beatles and the Beach Boys mixed rock character and pure Top 40 instincts in such records as the latter's 'California Girls'."[25] Borack noted, "It's also quite easy to draw a not-so-crooked line fromgarage rock to power pop."[26]
Townshend himself was heavily influenced by the guitar work of Beach BoyCarl Wilson,[27] while the Who's debut single "I Can't Explain" was indebted to the Kinks' "You Really Got Me" (1964).[21] Roy Shuker identified the leading American power pop acts of the time as the Byrds,Tommy James and the Shondells, andPaul Revere and the Raiders.[16] Also significant to power pop in the 1960s werethe Dave Clark Five,[28]the Creation,[29]the Easybeats,[29]the Move,[4][16] and theNazz.[10]
In the 1970s, the rock scene fragmented into many new styles. Artists drifted away from the influence of early Beatles songs, and those who cited the Beatles or the Who as influences were in the minority.[11] According to music journalistPaul Lester, "powerpop is really a 70s invention. It's about young musicians missing the 60s but taking its sound in new directions. [...] not just an alternative toprog and the hippy troubadours, but a cousin to glam."[30] NovelistMichael Chabon believed that the genre did not truly come into its own until the emergence of "second generation" power pop acts in the early 1970s.[8] Lester added that it was "essentially an American response to the British Invasion, made by Anglophiles a couple of years too young to have been in bands the first time round."[30]
For many fans of power pop, according to Caferelli, the "bloated and sterile" aspect of 1970s rock was indicative of the void left by the Beatles'breakup in 1970.[22] During the early to middle part of the decade, only a few acts continued the tradition ofBeatles-style pop. Some were youngerglam/glitter bands, while others were"'60s holdovers" that refused to update their sound.[22] One of the most prominent groups in the latter category wasBadfinger, the first artists signed to the Beatles'Apple Records. Although they had international top 10 chart success with "Come and Get It" (1969), "No Matter What" (1970), and "Day After Day" (1971), they were criticized in the music press as Beatles imitators.[31] Caferelli describes them as "one of the earliest—and finest purveyors" of power pop.[31] Conversely, AllMusic states that while Badfinger were among the groups that established the genre's sound, theRaspberries were the only power pop band of the era to have hit singles.[3] Noel Murray wrote that Badfinger had "some key songs" that were power pop "before the genre really existed".[4]
According toMagnet's Andrew Earles, 1972 was "year zero" for power pop. Developments from that year included the emergence ofBig Star and the Raspberries, the release ofTodd Rundgren'sSomething/Anything?, and the recording ofthe Flamin' Groovies' "Shake Some Action"; additionally, many garage bands had stopped emulatingthe Rolling Stones.[10] Chabon additionally credited the Raspberries, Badfinger, Big Star, and Rundgren's "Couldn't I Just Tell You" and "I Saw the Light" with "inventing" the genre.[8] On a television performance from 1978, Rundgren introduced "Couldn't I Just Tell You" as a part of "the latest musical trend, power pop."[32] Lester called the studio recording of the song a "masterclass incompression" and said that Rundgren "staked his claim to powerpop immortality [and] set the whole ball rolling".[30]
Earles identified the Raspberries as the only American band that had hit singles.[10] Murray recognized the Raspberries as the most representative power pop band and described their 1972 US top 10 "Go All the Way" as "practically a template for everything the genre could be, from the heavyarena-rock hook to the cooing, teenybopper-friendly verses and chorus."[4] Caferelli described the follow-up "I Wanna Be with You" (1972) as "perhaps the definitive power pop single".[33] However, like Badfinger, the Raspberries were derided as "Beatles clones".[34] SingerEric Carmen remembered that there "were a lot of people in 1972 who were not ready for any band that even remotely resembled the Beatles."[33] Raspberries dissolved in 1975 as Carmen pursued a solo career.[10]
A recognizable movement of power pop bands following in the tradition of the Raspberries started emerging in the late 1970s,[3] with groups such asCheap Trick,the Jam,the Romantics,Shoes, and the Flamin' Groovies, who were seen as 1960s revivalist bands.[35] Much of these newer bands were influenced by late 1960s AM radio, which fell into a rapid decline due to the popularity of theAOR andprogressive rock FM radio format.[36] By 1977, there was a renewed interest in the music and culture of the 1960s, with examples such as theBeatlemania musical and the growingmod revival.[37]AABA forms anddouble backbeats also made their return after many years of disuse in popular music.[38]
Spurred on by the emergence of punk rock and new wave, power pop enjoyed a prolific and commercially successful period from the late 1970s into the early 1980s.[10] Throughout the two decades, the genre existed parallel to and occasionally drew from developments such as glam rock,pub rock, punk, new wave,college rock, andneo-psychedelia.[4] AllMusic states that these new groups were "swept along with the new wave because their brief, catchy songs fit into the post-punk aesthetic."[3] Most bands rejected the irreverence, cynicism, and irony that characterized new wave, believing that pop music was anart that reached its apex in the mid-1960s, sometimes referred to as the "poptopia". This in turn led many critics to dismiss power pop as derivative work.[39]
Ultimately, the groups with the best-selling records were Cheap Trick,the Knack, the Romantics,Tommy Tutone andDwight Twilley, whereas Shoes,the Records,the Nerves, and20/20 only drew cult followings.[3] Writing forTime in 1978,Jay Cocks citedNick Lowe andDave Edmunds as "the most accomplished purveyors of power pop", which he described as "the well-groomed stepbrother of punk rock". Edmunds was quoted: "Before the New Wave [...] There was no chance for the little guy who buys a guitar and starts a band. What we're doing is kids' music, really, just four-four time and good songs."[40] Cheap Trick became the most successful act in the genre's history thanks to the band's constant touring schedule and stage theatrics. According to Andrew Earles, the group's "astonishing acceptance in Japan (documented on 1979'sAt Budokan) and hits 'Surrender' and 'I Want You To Want Me,' the Trick took power pop to an arena level and attained a degree of success that the genre had never seen, nor would ever see again."[10]
The biggest chart hit by a power pop band was the Knack's debut single, "My Sharona", which topped theBillboard Hot 100 chart for six weeks in August–September 1979. However, the song's ubiquitous radio presence that summer spawned a popular and critical backlash against the band, which in turn led to a backlash against the power pop genre in general.[35] Once the Knack failed to maintain their commercial momentum, record companies generally stopped signing power pop groups.[25] Most bands of the 1970s milieu broke up in the early 1980s.[3]
In the 1980s and 1990s, power pop continued as a commercially modest genre with artists such asRedd Kross andthe Spongetones.[41] The later records ofXTC also became a touchstone for bands such asJellyfish andthe Apples in Stereo,[42] while Big Star developed an avidcult following among members of later bands likeR.E.M. andthe Replacements who expressed esteem for the group's work.[43] Many bands who were primarily influenced by Big Star blended power pop with the ethos and sounds ofalternative rock. AllMusic citedTeenage Fanclub,Material Issue, and the Posies as "critical and cult favorites".[3]
In 1991, theLos Angeles Times's Chris Willman identified Jellyfish, the Posies, and Redd Kross as the leaders of a "new wave of rambunctious Power Pop bands that recall the days when moptops were geniuses, songs were around three minutes long and a great hook--a catchy melodic phrase that "hooks" the listener—was godhead."[44] Members of Jellyfish and Posies said that they were drawn to 1960s artists because of the 1980s music they influenced. At the time, it was uncertain whether the movement could have mainstream success. Karen Glauber, editor ofHits magazine, said that "The popular conception is that these bands are 'retro,' or not post-modern enough because they're not grunge and because the Posies are from Seattle and don't sound likeMudhoney."[44]
Velvet Crush's Ric Menck creditedNirvana with ultimately making it "possible for people likeMatthew [Sweet] and the Posies and Material Issue and, to some extent, us to get college radio play."[17] As power pop "gained the attention of hip circles", many older bands reformed to record new material that was released onindependent labels. Chicago labelThe Numero Group issued a compilation album calledYellow Pills: Prefill, featuring overlooked pop tracks from 1979–1982. For the rest of decade, AllMusic writes, "this group of independent, grass-roots power-pop bands gained a small but dedicated cult following in the United States."[3]
With the rise of bands like the Apples In Stereo, power pop became a major component of theElephant 6 music collective's identity often mixing with psychedelic andSlacker rock.[45]
Power pop has had varying levels of success since the 1990s.[19] In 1994,Green Day andThe Offspring popularizedpop-punk, an alternative rock variant genre that fuses power pop harmonies with uptempo punk moods.[46] According toLouder Than War's Sam Lambeth, power pop has "ebbed and flowed" while remaining an object of critical derision. Despite this, he citesFountains of Wayne with inspiring "yet another new era for the format" during the late 1990s, "one they'd perfect with the magneticWelcome Interstate Managers (2003)."[19] He writes that as of 2017, "you can still hear some of power pop's core traits in bands such asBest Coast,Sløtface,Diet Cig andDude York."[19] In 2005,The Click Five released their debut single "Just the Girl" which was co-written byAdam Schlesinger of Fountains of Wayne.[47] Their sound was classified as "new school power pop" and their debut studio album,Greetings from Imrie House debuted at number 15 on theBillboard 200, marking it as the highest charting debut by a new rock band in 2005.[48][49]
In 1998,International Pop Overthrow (IPO)—named after the album of the same name by Material Issue—began holding a yearly festival for power pop bands. Originally taking place inLos Angeles, the festival expanded to several locations over the years, including Canada andLiverpool, England (the latter event included performances at theCavern Club).[50]Paul Collins ofthe Beat andthe Nerves hosted the Power Pop-A-Licious music festival in 2011 and 2013, featuring a mixture of classic and rising bands with an emphasis on power pop, punk rock, garage and roots rock. The concerts were held atAsbury Lanes in Asbury Park, New Jersey, and theCake Shop in New York City.Paul Collins and his groupthe Beat headlined the two-day events.[51]
In the 2010s, mainstream pop acts such as the British-Irish boy bandOne Direction and the Australian pop rock band5 Seconds of Summer brought elements of power pop to a wider audience. One Direction's early releases, Up All Night (2011) and Take Me Home (2012), were characterized by catchy melodies, prominent guitar riffs and energetic arrangements — traits commonly associated with power pop. Their 2011 debut single, "What Makes You Beautiful," debuted at number one on theUK Singles Chart and peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100,[52] while "One Thing", "Live While We're Young" and "Kiss You", attained top-ten positions in the UK and several other countries, with "Live While We're Young" debuting at number three on the Billboard Hot 100.[53] In 2013, "Best Song Ever" later peaked at number two in the UK and US, upon its release, their highest-charting single in the United States to date.
5 Seconds of Summer achieved commercial success with their 2014 single "She Looks So Perfect", which peaked at number 24 on the Billboard Hot 100,[54] and reached number 1 in Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. Their self-titled debut album5 Seconds of Summer debuted at number 1 on the Billboard 200, selling 259,000 copies in its first week in the United States.[55]
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