9781422274392

What Is Pop Music? A key component of pop music is that it is popular and appeals to a wide audience, particularly of young people. There is no one particular formula for what makes pop music. However, when you hear a pop song on the radio or through a streaming service such as Spotify or Pandora, you can easily identify that you’re listening to a pop song. Pop songs are often short—around three to five minutes in length—and catchy. They’re easy to remember and make listeners want to dance or move with the beat. Pop music is unique in that it often blends elements frommany other types of music—just like Eddie Van Halen’s distinctive solo on Michael Jackson’s dance track. Today, music fans can find the sounds of rock, R&B, country, funk, disco , hip-hop, latin, soft rock, ballads, dance, jazz, and other genres all mixed into pop songs.

Scan here to see Michael Jackson introduce the Moon Walk:

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Chapter 1: The Roots of Pop Music