Every Pop Song is the Same (by Madeline)
Every pop song is the same.
It is a bold claim, but if you think back to the last time
you listened to the radio, you might agree that the statement is not too bold.
Same chords.
Similar lyrics.
Why is this?
Well, as time has gone
on, the diversity in transitions between note combinations as well as sung
melodies has decreased in pop songs overall. In fact, fewer instruments and
therefore fewer sounds are being used in recent music. This leads to a
similarity in sound across the board of pop songs. This phenomenon is due to services
such as shazam, Spotify, and YouTube. Because music labels can see what music
is most popular based on streams and views, they can re-create those sounds,
lyrics, and voices. They can then make similar music to those songs that are most
listened to or streamed because they know that it is what sells (McCarthy). In essence,
pop music sounds more and more like one long song, because that song sells.
This continually increasing similarity between pop songs is
a perfect example of what Theodor Adorno and Max Horkheimer address in The
Culture Industry. This phenomenon can be referred to as standardization. As
Adorno and Horkheimer put it, with the increasing similarities, the people at
the top of the music industry no longer must pretend they are creating art and
hid that they are a monopoly selling a product (Adorno & Horkheimer, 1944).
In the opinions of Adorno and Horkheimer, the fact that the
music industry will not hid that it has made pop music into a disposable and
easily recreate able product as a sure sign that monopolies are trying to control
the public. This may be so in that the top and most rich in society are
battling for control and that monopolies find a way to sell anything, however, I
am not sure the way pop music has become standardized is a sure sign of that. Toeing
the line between art, industry, and culture is tricky. However, who is to say
something cannot be a part of all the above? Yes, pop music is a product that
is sold. Only a fool would try to deny that. However, culture influences art
which influences commerce witch influences culture thus creating a cycle that is
fueled by itself. In this way, commercializing is a part of pop culture and is
then reflected in the art which is the songs, which is then reflected in the
culture and all over again.
So yes, most pop songs sound the same. And yes, this is a direct
effect of commercialization of culture. Now the question remains, is this a good
or a bad thing?
Sources:
Adorno, T. & Horkheimer, M., 1944. The Culture Industry:
Enlightenment as Mass Deception. In T. Adorno and M. Horkheimer. Dialectics of
Enlightenment
McCarthy, D. (n.d.). The surprising reason pop music all
sounds the same these days. Retrieved February 25, 2021, from https://www.oversixty.com.au/entertainment/music/why-pop-music-sounds-the-same
Wonderful post Madeline! This sentence got me thinking, "culture influences art which influences commerce witch influences culture thus creating a cycle that is fueled by itself"... I absolutely agree with this: in the same way that as you very wisely put it, streaming platforms allow producers to have a much better sense of what is shareable and likeable; simultaneously, the exchanges and hybridity between what people do and what is sellable is more permeable than ever! Think about platforms that are solely dedicated to the self-promotion of young artists... many times, music and creation starts without the intend of making profit. And those popular creations reach the mainstream and vice versa. We will see an example of that soon, when we talk about Grime, and the very fertile production of music by very young and unknown artists.
ReplyDeleteThis is so true. I think just as you mentioned through the standardization of pop music, it is written to be addicting so that we replay the song over and over again. It sells! I read somewhere that many pop songs put the chorus/hook closer to the beginning since that makes it easier to listen to and get people "addicted" to it.
ReplyDeleteThis is very similar to what happens in the movie and tv industries. I wonder when the public will become tired with the lack of creative difference among all the media items we consume. Like you said, artists know they are no longer creating art and much of the songs or movies out nowadays can be considered "disposable".
ReplyDelete