Popular Music

As I read through On Popular Music, I felt very lost and confused. I was reading the words, but not comprehending many aspects of the text. I feel like it would be easier for me to understand the text if I had some previous knowledge of music, its language, and the history. I’m not literate in the music world, so I didn’t know what several of the terms meant, for example the word “bridge”, “major trio”, and “scherzo” in context to music. My understanding is that there is a distinct difference between popular music and serious music, and the way each piece is composed and preformed. Serious music like that of Beethoven is composed of a whole. Each piece with a lot of individual detail, it’s more sophisticated. If one part of the composition is removed the music isn’t the same and therefore isn’t a complete piece. It is very concrete. Popular music is very standardized and simple. Much like typing a paper, it has a layout or format. Parts of the music are interchangeable. This is also why I think so many popular music pieces are so popular, because no matter the song the framework is similar. When analyzing popular songs I like, I realize although the lyrics are different the way the song flows is the same. I feel when music is composed like this it is catchy because I, as many, remember the chorus, or the most repetitive part of the song. This reminds me of my brother, who is constantly telling that the music that is currently on the radios or playing in every store you walk into, all sound the same. Which is a sense they do, because as the article points out artists chose to use this general format when making music. After the discussion in class, it made me think about how many of the songs or artists I find and start listening to aren’t part of popular music at the time. I like to listen to music that is new and maybe not a lot of people have heard of because its interesting and to me more enjoyable. What upsets me is when a song that I have come to love months back is mass produced in the sense that every store and radio takes that one song and plays it what seems like every second of the day. It ruins the song and the art of music, in finding something that you can escape and making pointless. Now something that I once associated with happiness, I now associate with annoying.