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Chapter 14
Smooth Sounds, Slick Packaging: The Persistence of Pop (1994– )
Outline
I. A rock era ends
a. Woodstock ‘94
i. Compare to Woodstock 1969
b. Kurt Cobain dies
c. Trends since 1994
i. The persistence of pop
ii. Emotional content evolving into musical styles
iii. The rise of musical appropriation
II. Technology
a. Pro Tools software
III. Pre-packaged pop acts
a. Madonna
i. Most successful female entertainer of the century
ii. Constant recreation of image
b. Girl groups, 1960s
c. Girl groups, 1990s
i. Go-Gos
ii. Bangles
iii. En Vogue
iv. TLC
v. Spice Girls
vi. Destiny’s Child
d. Sexy former Mouseketeers
i. Britney Spears
ii. Christina Aguilera
e. Sexy advocate of abstinence
i. Jessica Simpson
IV. Lip-synching issue
V. Boy Bands
a. Jackson Five (1960)
b. Backstreet Boys
i. Lou Pearlman, promoter
c. ‘N Sync
i. Pearlman’s second success
ii. Mouseketeer Justin Timberlake
d. 98 Degrees
VI. Irish Boy Bands
a. Westlife
i. Louis Walsh, promoter
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VII. British TV’s Pop Idol
a. American Idol spinoff
i. Simon Cowell
VIII. New Disney acts
a. G-Rated rock & roll
i. Miley Cyrus
ii. Cheetah Girls
iii. Jonas Brothers
b. Romantic fantasy for pre-teens
i. Advocates of abstinence
c. The musical franchise
i. High School Musical
d. Record label
i. Disney-owned Hollywood Records
Suggested Activities and Discussion Topics
1. Pro-Tools Music Editing and Recording. “Bye Bye Bye” by ‘N Sync. The production
is all-electronic, even to the extent of processing the vocal performances to a robotic
perfection.
Contrast the Go-Go’s “We Got the Beat” which uses a live band in the recording
studio and no digital manipulation on the vocal performances. SEE: Suggested Listening.
2. Kurt Cobain’s death. Did rock die with Cobain in 1994? Or have bands that are
similar to Nirvana simply moved to a place more underground than the pop that
dominates the current market? Name some good hard rock bands that still enjoy good
record sales and good turn-outs at concerts.
3. American Idol. What is it doing for rock and roll?
4. Pop Idols. What are these corporate-managed creations doing for rock and roll?
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Chapter 14 – Suggested Listening
Artist
Song/iTunes Preview
Representative Style
Madonna
“Like a Virgin”
Aggressive dance club
energy, titillating sexuality;
vague religious references
surround her image
Go–Go’s
“We Got the Beat”
Surprise international hit in
1981; competent playing;
youthful, celebratory vocals
Bangles
“Walk Like an Egyptian”
Compare with 1960s
novelty records; pretty girls,
mass pop appeal
En Vogue
“Free Your Mind”
“Three girls and a drum
machine” production
formula; good vocal
arrangement
TLC
“Creep”
Again, “three girls and a
drum machine” production
formula; uses repeated
sampled sounds
Spice Girls
“Wannabe”
First single by an English
girl band to enter the charts
at #1. Managed by Simon
Cowell (American Idol)
Destiny’s Child
“No No No – Part 1”
“No No No – Part 2”
Produced by Wyclef Jean
and Jermaine Dupri; a #1
hit
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Britney Spears
“Oops!… I Did it Again”
Teen titillation; cross over
into mass pop appeal
Christine Aguilera
“Genie In a Bottle”
#1 for 5 weeks in 1999; a
her strong singing talent
exceeds mere sex appeal
Backstreet Boys
“Quit Playing Games (With
My Heart)”
Harmony style of soul vocal
groups; teen idol good
looks; prominent electronic
drum sounds
*NSYNC
“Bye Bye Bye”
State-of-the-art Pro Tools
digital sound manipulation