People that diss pop music...(rant)

mystixboi1

mystixboi1

Kick Henry Jackassowski
So I was thinking about this... why do "rockers" diss on pop music? When That Metal Show used to be on, those guys would occasionally diss pop music. they would call pop artists talentless and say that it doesn't take much to be a pop artist.

I call bullshit.

Why do people listen to pop music? Because a lot of it is fun and accessible. Take Taylor Swift... her music is relatable and incredibly accessible. A lot of it makes you want to dance. It's a fantastic form of escapism.

One guilty pleasure of mine has been N'Sync. I'll admit it. What those guys did is pretty impressive. Being able to sing and dance like that... takes a lot of talent. Even today, I'd choose listening to N'Sync more than Metallica most of the time(I'm listening to Death Magnetic right now).

I've been enjoying the new Alter Bridge cd... it's awesome. It's pretty rocking disk, but it's so serious. When you hear people like Eddie Trunk talk about his rock/metal heros, he's so serious. Take it easy man... it's music. Stop being so serious... have fun.

I've always appreciated different genres of music... everything from Bon Jovi to Frank Sinatra to Broadway musicals to Primus to the Black Crowes to Steve Vai to Richard Marx... it's all good.

I don't know where I was going with this thread, but I just don't get such animosity towards pop music... except Justin Bieber. He's an asshat.

Do you think people that diss pop music are jealous of the success of pop artists?
 
This is why many people diss pop music:

2_1_AT_Live_screenbig.png
 
Virtually everything you just named is pop music.

Everything beyond that is myopic cock-measuring: "my new bicycle with training wheels is more badass than your tricycle!"

Case-by-case basis. I frequently state that post-50s musical theatre combines everything that's awful about music with everything that's awful about theatre. And yet, I can just as easily acknowledge that the are some really brilliant exceptions, as is true for pretty much any generality.
 
It depends on the pop artist.

One big issue has become that the artist is that in name only. They are a sexy chick - handsome dude who are a front for producers/writers/labels. They or may not have much input into the songs or the sound at all. They may not even be good singers, but modern technology can compensate for that. They need a modicum of talent, movie star looks, and the right connections. Boom - you are signed.

Who this hurts are the truly talented who are dumped into the same genre with the cardboard cutouts. There are some very talented singers, writers, performers in the pop music world who get overlooked because of the Brittany Spears of the world. And it is a damn shame.
 
The "pop" versus "serious" artist argument has been around as long as I have, and probably goes much further back in history. Some want to see music as art, some as entertainment. Add in differing tastes, and a controversy is born. I rather like some pop music, but no one like everything.
 
mystixboi1 said:
Do you think people that diss pop music are jealous of the success of pop artists?
Click to expand...
No.
Sometimes people fell like being vocal about their dislikes, sometimes people are just douchebags, sometimes it's both.

I heard Miley Cyrus' "Wrecking Ball" maybe once, and it horrendous IIRC, but the song itself has a nice melody.
I really like this cover, which retains the melody and cheese, but lacks the eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeewwwwwwwwww that the original has:
 
Denverdave said:
It depends on the pop artist.

One big issue has become that the artist is that in name only. They are a sexy chick - handsome dude who are a front for producers/writers/labels. They or may not have much input into the songs or the sound at all. They may not even be good singers, but modern technology can compensate for that. They need a modicum of talent, movie star looks, and the right connections. Boom - you are signed.

Who this hurts are the truly talented who are dumped into the same genre with the cardboard cutouts. There are some very talented singers, writers, performers in the pop music world who get overlooked because of the Brittany Spears of the world. And it is a damn shame.
Click to expand...

More and more, I'm finding this to be a really dated and tired argument.

If you watch Pulp Fiction, you don't complain about how there are a million actors more talented than John Travolta while the producer, cinematographer, etc., don't get the acknowledgment they deserve from the general public. Even though there's obviously a ton of truth in that.

It takes a village to raise a child; it really isn't all that different with art.
 
I think many musicians, and their fans, are angry and offended that the record industry writes off so many musicians in favor of people who can barely play, write, or sing. It’s hard to be someone who cares about music, and see pop stars who can’t sing, play, or write, get multi-million dollar ad campaigns for shit albums. Meanwhile Lana Del Ray got Dan Auerbach to help her produce a mindblowing album mostly recorded live to tape the label didn’t even want to release it because the vocals weren’t autotuned. Bands where everybody plays three instruments and write songs can’t get a decent record deal or tour support. Country musicians who actually write and play and sing get called “alt-country” so they don’t taint the Nashville hit machine. Taylor Swift might be relatable, but she can’t sing, can’t play guitar, and her songs are the inane stuff of teenage girl’s diaries.

Sure these artists have always existed. But they’ve gone from flashes in the pan to dominating the charts.
 
There is a huge difference between someone that is a pop performer, like say the Jonas bros and someone that is a pop artist like say, Richard Marx.
I have respect for the latter more so than the former. I'm not at all saying that singing and dancing is without talent or merit....I sure as shit can't do it. But I just don't seem to enjoy that form of music/expression as much as a Richard Marx type musician.
 
I hate it mainly because I work in a grocery store & I hear it every day whether I want to or not.

Nearly universally terrible, lyrics.

The conveyer belt, assembly line songwriting, arranging, recording, processing, producing, & marketing end product sounds just as fake & uninspired as the process itself. It sounds like shit, & puts me in a shitty mood when I hear it.

It has helped reduce the musical attention span of the public to the level of a jingle.

People now demand that music has a constant flow of singing, even if it is 99% bullshit.

It has become a front for the fashion industry, with image taking center stage over music.

It has become as cliched as a blooz electric guitar solo.


Every day I hear all of these songs & more, all day:











I've heard this song so much that not even Larry Carlton can save it.


These two use the exact same drum beat & tempo




These two use the same drum beat & bassline at a slightly different tempo




Every so often I'll hear something interesting, like a rare diminished chord in an N'Sync song I think. Nathan East in Daft Punk. But for every shining moment like that, there's about a million tonnes of garbage- Do you know how often the phrases, "Celebrate" "Dance all night", & "Lose control", "Fire/ Desire " occur in pop songs? It's a fuck of a lot.
 
jp_nyc said:
Taylor Swift might be relatable, but she can’t sing, can’t play guitar, and her songs are the inane stuff of teenage girl’s diaries.
Click to expand...

(Yeah, I know she's already made her money, but) A thousand times THIS. Not to mention that she was country music's darling when she started, but everyone miles away could see that was a cover.

Her fall is going to be (N.P.U.) swift and painful. Add to the above that she is now 27, so she's gonna Avril Lavigne her way right out of the spotlight if she doesn't start taking a more mature approach to the songs she wri...er, I mean, her "team" writes, and how she presents her POV - you can only portray the heartbroken teenager for so long, especially after you fuel your own tabloid fodder.
 
But to mystix' point, while there are some good, talented pop artists, the majority of the rest are just business-machine churned-out successors to the previous churned out successors to the previous...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top