International

Pop is all about the killer hook, the sing-along chorus and the beat that gets you out of your seat. It’s all about the heart-tugging lyric and the soaring melody you can’t get out of you head. But more than anything, pop is the sound that brings millions of people together immediately. Since pop music tends to reinvent itself on the whims of a trend and revel in of-the-moment relevance, it’s also a mirror of the times in which it was made. In the ’40s, pop was defined by swinging jazz and snappy crooners. In the 21st century, pop has meant everything from cutting-edge electronic dance music, to heartfelt tunes from soul divas. The pop era starts with the rock ’n’ roll revolution of the late ’50s: the first sound aimed primarily at teenagers hungry for thrills, immediacy and a booming backbeat. But after that? Well, the weird and wild history of pop music is a roller coaster that snakes a twisting line between Beatlemania and “Gangnam Style”. It’s been a beautiful mess from the beginning. In the ’60s, pop was Phil Spector’s Wall of Sound–backed girl groups like The Ronettes, subtly subversive Motown-style soul, the sun-kissed surf rock of The Beach Boys, the Beatles phenomenon and countless catchy novelty rock hits. The ’70s brought the bouncy, genre-bending Europop of ABBA, the smooth sounds of soft-rockers and the all-conquering beat of disco. By the ’80s, pop had gotten seriously ambitious, with stadium-filling superstars like Madonna, Wham! and Michael Jackson embracing funk, disco, synth-pop, rock, hip-hop and more. It was also the era when country music and R&B truly became forces in pop, along with the more mellow sound known as adult contemporary. The ’90s will perhaps always be best remembered for the explosion of boy bands and girl groups that introduced teen icons like Take That and The Spice Girls, plus the bubblegum pop of Kylie Minogue, Steps and Aqua, as well as the return of guitar–based music thanks to bands like Oasis and Blur. The new millennium has given us a slickly futuristic dance-pop sound spearheaded by artists including Katy Perry and Rihanna, as well as a nod to the UK’s rave roots from artists including Rudimental and Disclosure. But pop ultimately remains too broad to be reduced to one trend or another. It’s where bubblegum fun meets brilliant sonic innovation—and showbiz glitz mingles with personal expression. At least that’s what it is today—it wouldn’t be pop if it were the same thing tomorrow.