334 Arts and Entertainment
Popular Music
Popular (pop) music is largely vocal and appeals to a mass,
mainly teenage audience. Originally sold as vinyl records,
music is now available as compact discs (CDs) and payable
downloaded computer files or free, as streaming audio via
the Internet. Its popularity is measured by. THE CHARTS.
THE CHARTS
The charts measure the popularity of a record by the number of
copies it has sold in a given period, usually a week. Most pop
musicians dream of reaching number one. Charts show top sellers,
highest new entries, fastest climbers, and records on the way down.WHEN DID POPULAR MUSIC BEGIN?
Popular music began in the late 19th and early 20th
century when hit songs were played at music halls, and
then distributed as sheet-music so people could play at
home. From the 1930s people such as Bing Crosby and
Frank Sinatra sang with swing bands. During the 1950s,
rock and roll emerged with songs of rebellion and love.WHAT STYLES OF POPULAR MUSIC ARE THERE?
The main form of popular music is pop itself. Pop
bands usually have singers, guitarists, keyboard
players, and percussionists. Rock music has a heavier
sound and is guitar-led. Reggae from Jamaica, country
from the USA, and national folk music, such as rai
from Algeria, are also popular around the world.WHY ARE THERE SO MANY CHARTS?
Music magazines, radio and television companies,
and other organizations all compile their own charts.
The best-known charts are the weekly pop charts
for albums and singles, but there are also charts for
different types of music, such as classical or jazz.
Charts cover different regions, such as a country,
and different periods, such as a month or a year.HOW DO YOU GET TO NUMBER ONE?
A record gets to number one because it has sold more
copies than any other record over a specified time. In
case a record company or performer tries to influence
the charts by artificially boosting sales (with reduced
prices or other tricks), all charts are independently
checked to ensure their accuracy.4 POP STAR
Popular singers such as Britney
Spears sell millions of copies of
their records around the world
and are international celebrities.GOLD DISC 3
A record company awards a gold-
plated disc to an artist when they
reach certain sales figures for an
album or a single. This disc was
given to the Swedish band ABBA.1 ELVIS PRESLEY
Elvis Presley (1935–1977) is the most famous face of rock and roll and
one of the best-selling singers of all time. He was as well known for his
outrageous dancing as for his rich, distinctive singing voice. The songs
Elvis sang were taken from the American country and blues tradition.1 THE BEATLES AT ABBEY ROAD
The Abbey Road album was recorded at
the Abbey Road studios in London. In
1969 it reached number one in the
album charts in both the USA and UK.
It stayed in the UK charts for 81 weeks.Acoustic guitar was
replaced with an
electric guitar in
Elvis’s later careerGlamorous outfits,
such as this satin
cowboy shirt, were
part of Elvis’s imageFIND OUT MORE. Composition 333 • Music 330 • Musicals 338
popular
music