The Nature of Pop Music

Now you may ask, if such works are so creepy, why does popular music keep replicating them? And the answer is the nature of Pop music itself. The 80s ushered in an era of New Wave and synthetic instrumentation, forming a new Pop sound that teens could dance to. This homogeneity of sound and lyricism demonstrates that if one artist finds success with a musical concept, others will follow.

The CD “Sounds of the Eighties: 1983” demonstrates this concept by presenting a variety of diverse artists who ended up creating very similar music. It was manufactured for Time-Life Music by Warner Special Products, a Time Warner Company in 1994. The CD features hit songs from Quiet Riot, The Fixx, Stray Cats, Dexys Midnight Runners, Daryl Hall and John Oates, Thomas Dolby, David Bowie, Culture Club, Marvin Gaye, Michael Sembello, Naked Eyes, Madness, Toto, Stevie Nicks, Greg Kihn Band, The Kirks, Kajagoogoo, and Spandau Ballet.The choice of tracks can be divided into two categories, with each song fitting into either category. The first category features upbeat tunes with a fast tempo, strong guitar or synth riff, loud straining vocals and thick musical texture, such as “Cum On Feel The Noise” or “Maniac.” Most of these songs are about a relationship with a woman, sung by a male singer. Upbeat, catchy, and dance-worthy, these hits all focus on a similar backing beat that remains constant. The other category contains slower, more soulful tunes, with a crooning singer, such as “Sexual Healing” and “Time(Clock of the Heart).” All of them focus on the object of a romantic desire, as the lyrics demonstrate a sense of longing and passion. Despite having the opportunity to portray a wide variety of music, the tracks are very homogeneous, as most feature a white male singer with similar styles of singing. Many follow the same form with an opening riff, short verses, catchy chorus repetition, and some sort of bridge or guitar solo. In essence, each song seems to be a slightly different version of the others, demonstrating a clear Pop sound of 1983’s music.

(The cover photo of “Sounds of the Eighties: 1983,” courtesy of Michael Ochs Archives, Venice, CA and London Features International, Ltd.)

This collection of music from 1983 isn’t just the top tracks of that year but reveals how artists are compelled to use the successful ideas and themes of other artists, even if that idea does not necessarily represent their ideal musical sound. Naked Eyes, a New Wave preppy British band is united with American Pop-Sugar sounding Maroon 5 with a voyeuristic male gaze, even though everything else about the bands is different. Thus, the takeaway from this CD isn’t the details of its musical soundtrack, but rather what is says about human nature’s drive to replicate what has come before. While ingenuity still remains idyllically, it is often much easier to copy what’s been deemed “successful” as opposed to risking it all on a novel idea. This insight therefore informs my research by demonstrating how the voyeuristic gaze spread throughout the decades of music, not because these singers were actually stalking unsuspecting romantic interests, but rather because it was a theme that proved interesting to listeners.

And the theme of obsession was certainly deemed successful, as songs about voyeurism are listened to frequently by fans everywhere. In fact, each of the following “stalking songs” made it onto the Billboard Top 10 at some point1)“Top 100 Songs | Billboard Hot 100 Chart.” Billboard, Billboard, www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100.:

    1. “Always Something There to Remind Me”- peak at #8 (1983)
    2. “Every Breath You Take”- peak at #1 (1983)
    3. “Paparazzi”- peak at #6 (2009)
    4. “Animals”- peak at #3 (2014)

Thus, fans present an “obsession with obsession.” They like songs about voyeurism, which in turn lets artists know that this is a popular and successful topic. Because the nature of Pop is to recreate the success of others, artists feel the drive to keep making voyeuristic music, even if they aren’t as obsessive in real life.

 

References

References
1 “Top 100 Songs | Billboard Hot 100 Chart.” Billboard, Billboard, www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100.