Pop Song

A Pop Song is a song that is created for mass appeal within the popular music industry (through commercial production and broad distribution across diverse cultural contexts).

• AKA: Popular Song, Pop Hit, Chart Song, Commercial Song.
• Context:
  • It can typically deliver Pop Song Elements through pop song structures.
  • It can typically feature Pop Song Melody Lines with pop song hooks and pop song choruses.
  • It can typically follow Pop Song Musical Structure with pop song verses, pop song pre-choruses, and pop song choruses.
  • It can typically maintain Pop Song Length through pop song duration standards.
  • It can typically achieve Pop Song Emotional Content through pop song lyrical themes.
  • It can typically convey Pop Song Artistic Message through pop song accessibility.
  • ...
  • It can often incorporate Pop Song Production Techniques through pop song audio engineering.
  • It can often showcase Pop Song Vocal Parts through pop song singing techniques.
  • It can often include Pop Song Instrumentation through pop song arrangements.
  • It can often establish Pop Song Thematic Elements through pop song cultural references.
  • It can often reflect Pop Song Social Context through pop song trends.
  • ...
  • It can range from being a Short Pop Song to being a Long Pop Song, depending on its pop song temporal duration.
  • It can range from being a Simple Pop Song to being a Complex Pop Song, depending on its pop song musical sophistication.
  • It can range from being a Traditional Pop Song to being an Experimental Pop Song, depending on its pop song stylistic innovation.
  • It can range from being a Solo Pop Song to being a Group Pop Song, depending on its pop song performance scope.
  • It can range from being a Local Pop Song to being a Global Pop Song, depending on its pop song cultural reach.
  • It can range from being a Mainstream Pop Song to being an Alternative Pop Song, depending on its pop song commercial orientation.
  • It can range from being a Western Pop Song to being a Non-Western Pop Song, depending on its pop song cultural origin.
  • It can range from being a Monolingual Pop Song to being a Multilingual Pop Song, depending on its pop song linguistic approach.
  • It can range from being a Teen Pop Song to being an Adult Pop Song, ...
  • ...
  • It can demonstrate Pop Song Cultural Identity through pop song regional style.
  • It can establish Pop Song Historical Context through pop song period characteristics.
  • It can represent Pop Song Artistic Evolution through pop song genre development.
  • It can adapt Pop Song Western Elements to pop song local traditions.
  • It can incorporate Pop Song Indigenous Sounds into pop song global formats.
  • It can blend Pop Song Cultural Influences from multiple pop song regional origins.
  • It can integrate with Pop Song Music Video for pop song visual representation.
  • It can connect to Pop Song Concert Performance for pop song live presentation.
  • It can support Pop Song Streaming for pop song digital distribution.
  • ...
• Examples:
  • Pop Song Eras, such as:
    • Pre-1950s Pop Songs, such as:
      • Tin Pan Alley Pop Songs, such as:
        • Over the Rainbow by Judy Garland (United States, 1939) for film musical pop.
        • White Christmas by Bing Crosby (United States, 1942) for traditional pop standard.
      • Big Band Pop Songs, such as:
        • In the Mood by Glenn Miller Orchestra (United States, 1940) for swing era pop.
        • It Don't Mean a Thing by Duke Ellington (United States, 1932) for jazz-influenced pop.
    • 1950s Pop Songs, such as:
      • Rock and Roll Pop Songs, such as:
        • Jailhouse Rock by Elvis Presley (United States, 1957) for early pop rock fusion.
        • That'll Be the Day by Buddy Holly (United States, 1957) for rockabilly pop.
      • Doo-Wop Pop Songs, such as:
        • Earth Angel by The Penguins (United States, 1954) for vocal harmony pop.
        • In the Still of the Night by The Five Satins (United States, 1956) for rhythm and blues pop.
    • 1960s Pop Songs, such as:
      • British Invasion Pop Songs, such as:
        • I Want to Hold Your Hand by The Beatles (United Kingdom, 1963) for early beatles pop.
        • (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction by The Rolling Stones (United Kingdom, 1965) for british rock pop.
      • Motown Pop Songs, such as:
        • My Girl by The Temptations (United States, 1964) for soul-influenced pop.
        • I Heard It Through the Grapevine by Marvin Gaye (United States, 1968) for rhythm and blues pop.
    • 1970s Pop Songs, such as:
      • Disco Pop Songs, such as:
        • Dancing Queen by ABBA (Sweden, 1976) for europop disco fusion.
        • I Will Survive by Gloria Gaynor (United States, 1978) for empowerment disco pop.
      • Singer-Songwriter Pop Songs, such as:
        • American Pie by Don McLean (United States, 1971) for narrative pop ballad.
        • Your Song by Elton John (United Kingdom, 1970) for piano-based pop.
    • 1980s Pop Songs, such as:
      • Synthpop Songs, such as:
        • Take On Me by A-ha (Norway, 1985) for electronic pop production.
        • Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) by Eurythmics (United Kingdom, 1983) for synthesizer pop.
      • Power Pop Songs, such as:
        • Every Breath You Take by The Police (United Kingdom, 1983) for guitar-driven pop.
        • Livin' on a Prayer by Bon Jovi (United States, 1986) for arena rock pop.
    • 1990s Pop Songs, such as:
      • Boy Band Pop Songs, such as:
        • I Want It That Way by Backstreet Boys (United States, 1999) for manufactured pop group.
        • Everybody (Backstreet's Back) by Backstreet Boys (United States, 1997) for dance pop choreography.
      • Pop Rock Songs, such as:
        • Don't Speak by No Doubt (United States, 1996) for alternative pop crossover.
        • Wonderwall by Oasis (United Kingdom, 1995) for britpop anthem.
    • 2000s Pop Songs, such as:
      • Teen Pop Songs, such as:
        • Baby One More Time by Britney Spears (United States, 2000) for millennial teen pop.
        • Complicated by Avril Lavigne (Canada, 2002) for pop punk crossover.
      • R&B Pop Songs, such as:
        • Crazy in Love by Beyoncé featuring Jay-Z (United States, 2003) for urban pop fusion.
        • Umbrella by Rihanna featuring Jay-Z (Barbados/United States, 2007) for contemporary r&b pop.
    • 2010s Pop Songs, such as:
      • Electronic Dance Pop Songs, such as:
        • Uptown Funk by Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars (United States, 2014) for funk-influenced pop.
        • Can't Feel My Face by The Weeknd (Canada, 2015) for r&b-influenced pop.
      • Trap-Influenced Pop Songs, such as:
        • Bad Guy by Billie Eilish (United States, 2019) for minimalist pop production.
        • Sicko Mode by Travis Scott (United States, 2018) for hip-hop-influenced pop.
    • 2020s Pop Songs, such as:
      • Pandemic-Era Pop Songs, such as:
        • Levitating by Dua Lipa (United Kingdom, 2020) for retro-influenced pop.
        • Butter by BTS (South Korea, 2021) for global k-pop crossover.
      • Social Media-Driven Pop Songs, such as:
        • Drivers License by Olivia Rodrigo (United States, 2021) for gen-z pop ballad.
        • As It Was by Harry Styles (United Kingdom, 2022) for tiktok-optimized pop.
  • Pop Song Regional Traditions, such as:
    • Asian Pop Songs, such as:
      • K-Pop Songs, such as:
        • Gangnam Style by Psy (South Korea, 2012) for viral korean pop.
        • Dynamite by BTS (South Korea, 2020) for international k-pop crossover.
      • J-Pop Songs, such as:
        • Sukiyaki by Kyu Sakamoto (Japan, 1963) for early japanese pop international hit.
        • PPAP (Pen-Pineapple-Apple-Pen) by Pikotaro (Japan, 2016) for novelty j-pop viral hit.
    • Latin Pop Songs, such as:
      • Reggaeton Pop Songs, such as:
        • Despacito by Luis Fonsi featuring Daddy Yankee (Puerto Rico, 2017) for latin-american crossover hit.
        • Con Calma by Daddy Yankee featuring Snow (Puerto Rico, 2019) for reggaeton global pop.
      • Latin Ballad Pop Songs, such as:
        • Hero by Enrique Iglesias (Spain, 2001) for spanish-english pop ballad.
        • Vivir Mi Vida by Marc Anthony (United States/Puerto Rico, 2013) for salsa pop crossover.
    • African Pop Songs, such as:
      • Afrobeats Pop Songs, such as:
        • Fall by Davido (Nigeria, 2017) for nigerian pop international hit.
        • On the Low by Burna Boy (Nigeria, 2018) for afro-fusion pop.
      • South African Pop Songs, such as:
        • Jerusalema by Master KG featuring Nomcebo Zikode (South Africa, 2019) for gospel-influenced dance pop.
        • Waka Waka (This Time for Africa) by Shakira featuring Freshlyground (Colombia/South Africa, 2010) for world cup african pop fusion.
    • European Pop Songs, such as:
      • Eurovision Pop Songs, such as:
        • Waterloo by ABBA (Sweden, 1974) for eurovision contest winner.
        • Toy by Netta (Israel, 2018) for contemporary eurovision pop.
      • Europop Songs, such as:
        • Blue (Da Ba Dee) by Eiffel 65 (Italy, 1998) for eurodance pop hit.
        • 99 Luftballons by Nena (Germany, 1983) for german-language international pop hit.
  • Pop Song Subgenres, such as:
    • Teen Pop Songs, such as:
      • Boy Band Pop Songs, such as:
        • I Want It That Way by Backstreet Boys (United States, 1999) for young male group performance.
        • What Makes You Beautiful by One Direction (United Kingdom, 2011) for contemporary boy band pop.
      • Girl Group Pop Songs, such as:
        • Wannabe by Spice Girls (United Kingdom, 1996) for young female group performance.
        • Worth It by Fifth Harmony (United States, 2015) for contemporary girl group pop.
    • Adult Contemporary Pop Songs, such as:
      • Ballad Pop Songs, such as:
        • My Heart Will Go On by Celine Dion (Canada, 1997) for emotional narrative pop.
        • Hello by Adele (United Kingdom, 2015) for powerful vocal pop ballad.
      • Soft Rock Pop Songs, such as:
        • Sailing by Christopher Cross (United States, 1980) for gentle rock-influenced pop.
        • Perfect by Ed Sheeran (United Kingdom, 2017) for acoustic-influenced pop.
  • ...
• Counter-Examples:
  • Art Songs, which lack pop song commercial orientation and target niche audiences rather than pop song mass appeal.
  • Folk Songs, which emphasize folk tradition and cultural heritage over pop song commercial appeal.
  • Experimental Songs, which prioritize pop song musical innovation over pop song accessibility and pop song structure.
  • Classical Songs, which focus on classical composition techniques rather than pop song production techniques.
  • Traditional Ceremonial Songs, which serve cultural ritual purposes rather than pop song entertainment functions.
  • Indie Songs, which deliberately avoid pop song commercial formulas in favor of indie artistic expression.
• See: Song, Popular Music, Hit Record, Music Single, Chart Music, Commercial Music, Music Industry.

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