Genres of pop music

Urban

Destiny's child-Say My Name

Folk Rock

Motown

America-Tin Man

Jackson 5- I Want You Back

Rock n Roll

Combines the elements of Folk music and rock music. The genre arose in the United states around the 1960's. The Beatles also influenced bands in this genre.

Elvis- Hound Dog

1960's -1970's

Urban contemporary radio stations play various different genres within the same category, for example: hip-hop. R&B, Grime, Electronic dance music (e.g Dubstep) and drum and bass. Urban music generally comes from cities part with African-American populations. For example: New York, Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, San Fransisco.

Motown was originally a record label, focusing on dance music by bands and solo artists. This later became a genre and a form of music in its own right, featuring soulful vocals and other instruments such as trumpets and saxophones.

Merseybeat

Gerry And The Pacemakers- Ferry Across The Mersey.

This was a popular genre of music which originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940's-19-50's. Small elements of Rock n Roll can be heard in blues records from the 1920's (such as the twelve bar blues sequence) and also country records in the 1930's, however the genre didn't properly evolve until 20-30 years later with artists such as Elvis.

Hip-Hop

2pac-Keep your head up

Originated in England in the early 1960's. A pop and rock genre which is also a fusion of Rock n Roll, this was a working class genre developed in the city of Liverpool. It featured Scouse accents, was very guitar driven and was the genre which invaded America in the early 60's e.g. The Beatles- Twist And Shout.

Internet-based Indie artists

Reggae

Bob Marley- Mr Brown

A music style which consists of styalised rhythmic music which is usually accompanied by a form of rapping. The hip hop culture was mainly formed in the 1970's in New York City. However during the 1980's hip hop and rap music began appealing to a wider range of audience and became more mainstream with bands such as Run DMC.

Country and Western

A music genre which originated in Jamaica in the 1960's. reggae incorporates other musical genre's such as jazz, rhythm and blues, calypso, African and Latin and American music as well. The laid back musical style of Reggae is associated with the taking of drugs such as cannabis.

2000's

Roger miller-Chug-a-lug

Artists which became famous purely through the internet, for example Youtube. Raising their fame through videos of them singing or playing. Artists who have done this are Justin Bieber, Skrillex, Alexis Jordan, 5 Seconds Of Summer, etc.

A genre of popular American music which originated in the Southern United States in Atlanta, Georgia in the 1920's. Gaining influence from American folk music . Often consisting of ballads and dance music with simple forms and harmonies.Instruments include electric and acoustic guitar along with fiddles and harmonica's

grunge

Garage

Nirvana- Smells Like Teen Spirit.

pop/rock bands

The Prodidgy- Outer Space

A sub genre of alternative rock, emerged during the mid 1980's in Washington, America, particularly Seattle. often includes a sludgy guitar which creates fuzz and distortion.It fuses the elements of hardcore punk and heavy metal.

Blur- Song 2

Soul

A genre of electronic music which generated from England in the 1990s. Usually uses hi-hates and

beat-skipping kick drums. Uk garage influenced music in the 2000s such as Dubstep, bassline and grime. Garage began to decline during the mid 2000s.

Marvin Gaye- What's going on

Progessive Rock

California Sound

Originated in the 1950's-1960's combined with African-American gospel music, Jazz and Rhythm and blues. Soul music dominated the U.S R&B chart in the 1960's. By the early 1970's soul music had been influenced by phycadelic rock and other musical genres.

The Beach Boys- Good Vibrations

Britpop

Oasis- Don't look back in Anger

Led Zeppelin-Dazed and Confused

Nourthen soul

A sub genre of alternative rock which originated in the United Kingdom, Britpop emerged from the scene in the early 1990's, influenced by British guitar pop music in the 1960s and 1970s. Britpop is mainly focused on bands and featured lyrics about every day life.

Frank Wilson- Do I Love You (Indeed I Do)

Girl/boy bands

A music sub-genre which originated in the United

Kingdom with further developments throughout

Germany, Italy and France, through to the mid-late 1960's and 1970's. Developed from phycadelic Rock n Roll. The genre had made explicit links to the drug scene ( e.g. LSD) and songs were often very long.

Classic Motown songs were played in northern nightclubs, its a form of music and dance movement which evolved in Northen England the English midlands, Scotland and Wales.

A music genre which produces catchy songs, usually guitar based. Ranging from a slower form of rock music to a sub genre of pop music.

popularized in the 1960's by pop and rock artists from the California area. Identified as harnessing the teenage life in Southern California around the late 1950's-early 1960's. The genre appealed to preppy teenagers and featured lots of close harmony vocals.

Atomic Kitten-Whole again

Punk

Blink 182- All The Small Things

Often including member of their late teenage years to their early twenties. During the decade not many of the band members would play musical instruments but would mainly be known for their voices. They dominated the pop charts during the 1990's-2000's. Manufactured by record labels for mass appeal.

A rock music genre which evolved in the late 70s in the United States, United Kingdom and Australia. originally came from garage rock. They created songs particularly with a stripped down instrumental, by late 1976 more punk bands were emerging such as Sex Pistols, The Clash and The Damned and appealed to angry teenagers.

Girl Power

Soft Rock

Spice Girls- Spice up your life

Elton John-recover Your Soul

Psychedlia

The Yard Birds-For Your Love

Research sources:

Wikepedia.com

BBC.co.uk

Youtube.co.uk

The genre became very mainstream, during the mid 1990's the Spice Girls came onto the scene, creating a new form of girl power. The term is known as a form or empowerment, also linked to a third wave of feminism, the music is simple and very catchy.

Psychedlia covers a range of popular music styles, inspired or influenced by psychedlic culture. The style tries to replicate the mind altering illusion of psychedlic drugs (again LSD).

A lighter form of rock music known as "Soft rock", without the electric guitar solos and heavy drums. The genre combines with elements of folk rock which composes a softer sound.

Popular Ballads

Phil Phillips- Sea Of Love

Glam Rock

T-Rex-20th century boy

Pop Ballads

Red Hot Chilli Peppers- Under The bridge

Popular love songs with an easy musical style, intended for the teenage market and mass appeal, they made the songs very relatable, simplistic musical style dominated by the lead vocalist.

Also known as glitter rock, this genre of music is a style of rock and pop music which developed in the U.K. The musicians were known for there outrageous clothing, makeup and hairstyles. They were often known as being camp and the music featured lots of distorted guitars.

A genre with a catchy melody, usually associated with love and loss. Lots of emphasis on the vocal soloist and slow tempo. Begins with a simple musical build which grows throughout, a simple chord sequence is also included.

1970's-1990's

Dance Music

The Beatles-Twist and Shout

Electronica

Vengaboys-Boom Boom Boom Boom

Heavy metal

Judas Priest-Painkiller

Balladeers

Dance music was composed specifically to accompany dancing. Modern popular dance music supposedly emerged from late 19th century's western ballroom and social dance music. It became popular in the 1930's known as the "swing era" later in the 1950's rock n roll became popular dance music, eventually in 1981 dance music began developing, using electronic beats, soon being played on the radio and in nightclubs.

A music genre which covers a wide range of electronic music designed for a wide spread of uses e.g. dancing. However not all forms of electronica are made for dancing. electronica became a popular form of music around the 1970's and early 1980's owing to the availability of new technology such as synthesisers, it has become part of the mainstream pop and rock market.

Pat Boone -Love Letters In the Sand

A genre of rock music which developed in the 1970's. Largely popular in the United Kingdom and the United States. The genre of music developed from rock and psychedlic rock and is very loud with a fast tempo.

Novelty Songs

A solo artist which sang a ballad, usually about the topic of love, again appealing to the teenage market, the artist was known for singing ballads in a bluesy style.

David Seville-My Friend The Witch Doctor

Nonsensical songs performed for their comical value. Gaining popularity since the 1920's and 1930's the lyrics told stories of everyday life, again intended for mass appeal.

R&B

The Marvelettes-Please Mr. Postman

Originally growing out of traditional Jazz and Blues, rythm and blues was a style of African-American music. This was the music of the black working class and featured soulful and catchy lyrics.

Rock

The Kinks-You Really Got me

Originated as "Rock n Roll" in the United states in the 1950's. Heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music. The late 1960's is now referred to as the "Golden age" period, where a number of popular rock bands began to emerge. Electric guitar, keyboards and bass are all instruments.

Skiffle

Lonnie Donegan- My Old Man's a Dustman

This genre is closely linked to novelty songs and gained popularity again in the UK in the 1950's. The musical style is very basic and the instruments used include washboards, appealing to the working class market.

Blues

Rockabilly

Elvis Presley-Baby Let's Play House

King Curtis- Jeep's Blues (1960)

This genre is a mix of American Folk and Western Musical Styles.It is one of the earliest styles of Rock n Roll, dating back to the Early 1950's in America, mainly the South.

originated from African-American communities in the deep south of the United States around the 19th century. Work songs, shouts, chants, they all have a call and response pattern in which the chord sequence consists of twelve bar blues.

1950's-1960's

Genres of pop music

By Lucy Collings