Hyde_is_my_anti-drug
Japanese Modernist
- 27 Oct 2005
- 1,598
- 12
- 48
Okay, anyone who knows me knows I like all kinds of music including some Pop Music. The literal definition of Pop Music is "popular music", music that gets a ton of air time in other words. But unfortunatly it has also become the name of a genre of music, it no longer applies to just popular music.
Pop Music. If you say "I like Pop" to someone they (right or wrong) think Backstreet Boys, Christina Aguilera etc. Because that is what the term has come to mean, nevermind what it ORIGNALLY meant. Bubblegum, fluffy, happy music is what it means NOW. And it's (for the most part) cheap-tacky-crappy-music at least in the USA.
This is why when artists, such as a lot of Japanese artists, get called Pop Music me and my J-Rock buddies go ape s**t. Not because the original meaning of the phrase wouldn't MAYBE apply to SOME J-Artists but because the current meaning does not and gives Americans the wrong impression of J-Music. If you went up to someone and said, "You should listen to L'Arc~en~Ciel. They're an awesome Pop Band." They'd either laugh at you or go out and buy Laruku thinking they'll get a Japanese version of the Backtreet Boys. Only to be disgusted once they figured out Laruku's not bubblegum flavored fluff but "popular" Rock. It's not that I don't think Laruku's popular music, I do, and they are however in this day and age you cannot call them Pop Music without giving out the wrong idea. Same for Gackt, Miyavi and many, many more J-Artists.
If you call them Pop Music people get the completely wrong idea but if you say Rock Music they don't. But even the meaning of Rock Music has morphed.
Orignally a hybrid genre, Rock Music includes elements of several black and white American music styles: black guitar-accompanied blues; black rhythm and blues, noted for saxophone solos, white country and western music etc. Emerging in 1954-5, rock music was initially referred to as "Rock 'n' Roll" as we all know. But as the sound evolved it changed into simply "Rock Music" effectivly breaking it out of the Dance Category. Yes, Rock was actually originally Dance Music (but not quite Disco). But it has come to mean something completely different. Rock has come to mean harder guitar riffs, edgy lyrics and vocals, pulse-pounding drum beats. So techically when you call a group like Dir en Grey Rock it's not currect either. Orignally speaking you'd be saying they were Dance Music. Which they aren't.
So the arguement that calling, say, Gackt Pop isn't an insult 'cause it orignally just meant popular music does not work. Because if we went by what words such as Pop, Rock, Hip-Hop ORIGINALLY meant then it'd be hard to call ANYTHING by name. The meaning behind words changes and if you don't change with them you'll always keep getting those disgusted stares everytime you say, "I like Pop Music" or "Gackt is Pop"
Pop Music. If you say "I like Pop" to someone they (right or wrong) think Backstreet Boys, Christina Aguilera etc. Because that is what the term has come to mean, nevermind what it ORIGNALLY meant. Bubblegum, fluffy, happy music is what it means NOW. And it's (for the most part) cheap-tacky-crappy-music at least in the USA.
This is why when artists, such as a lot of Japanese artists, get called Pop Music me and my J-Rock buddies go ape s**t. Not because the original meaning of the phrase wouldn't MAYBE apply to SOME J-Artists but because the current meaning does not and gives Americans the wrong impression of J-Music. If you went up to someone and said, "You should listen to L'Arc~en~Ciel. They're an awesome Pop Band." They'd either laugh at you or go out and buy Laruku thinking they'll get a Japanese version of the Backtreet Boys. Only to be disgusted once they figured out Laruku's not bubblegum flavored fluff but "popular" Rock. It's not that I don't think Laruku's popular music, I do, and they are however in this day and age you cannot call them Pop Music without giving out the wrong idea. Same for Gackt, Miyavi and many, many more J-Artists.
If you call them Pop Music people get the completely wrong idea but if you say Rock Music they don't. But even the meaning of Rock Music has morphed.
Orignally a hybrid genre, Rock Music includes elements of several black and white American music styles: black guitar-accompanied blues; black rhythm and blues, noted for saxophone solos, white country and western music etc. Emerging in 1954-5, rock music was initially referred to as "Rock 'n' Roll" as we all know. But as the sound evolved it changed into simply "Rock Music" effectivly breaking it out of the Dance Category. Yes, Rock was actually originally Dance Music (but not quite Disco). But it has come to mean something completely different. Rock has come to mean harder guitar riffs, edgy lyrics and vocals, pulse-pounding drum beats. So techically when you call a group like Dir en Grey Rock it's not currect either. Orignally speaking you'd be saying they were Dance Music. Which they aren't.
So the arguement that calling, say, Gackt Pop isn't an insult 'cause it orignally just meant popular music does not work. Because if we went by what words such as Pop, Rock, Hip-Hop ORIGINALLY meant then it'd be hard to call ANYTHING by name. The meaning behind words changes and if you don't change with them you'll always keep getting those disgusted stares everytime you say, "I like Pop Music" or "Gackt is Pop"