Rank Pop Music by the Decade

This thread is a chance to analyze how pop music has evolved over time. How about ranking pop music by the decade? What was the peak? What was the nadir?

I'd say pop music started in the 1950s. For the purposes of this thread, please choose your own starting point.

1. 1980s
2. 1990s
3. 1960s
4. 1970s
5. 2010s
6. 2000s
7. 1950s

The thing that inspired this thread for me was thinking about how much I like certain modern pop music. However, the 2010s only ended up being ranked fifth out of seven spots on my list, not too great.

Just today it struck me how great I think the song "Style" by Taylor Swift is. I find it to be kind of a beautiful synthesis of the sounds of the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s while still sounding totally modern. I don't think Swift wrote the song and that doesn't mean a thing to me. Life's too short to be concerned about things like that IMHO. I just want music that will lift my spirits and inspire me.


www.youtube.com...

a reply to: Profusion

The 1960's was the greatest decade for music. So many genres started then.

Beat Music

Heavy Metal

Progressive Rock

Psychedelic

Country Rock

Folk Rock

Reggae

Blue Beat

Electronic

etc etc

so i guess we are talking personal preference?
well i was born in the 80's so i guess that will be my starting point:

1980: it's really the only song i have some kind of memory of since i was so young


1990: it's an absolute favourite, the lead singer still releases stuff and it's even better, but this is still a classic


2000s: i can't think of anything that stood out for me, that was the time of the bands that were built by studio execs and market research people, created for mass appeal. But you can maybe blame the 1990s and the spice girls for that trend. but if i must:


2010s...i had to look up "2010s famous pop songs" annd...frankly the "purity" was mostly lost, seems 2010 is the start of more aggressive, provocative for the sake of being provocative music, with sexual undertones that often do nothing for the song.
i guess i understand why you have such a positive opinion about "style". it almost sounds like it belongs to a different time, so i will go either with that or with "call me maybe" just because it's fun.

the worst? well no youtube links for those but here goes:

1980s: can't think of anything, if it comes to mind i will update
1990s: MY HEART WILL GO ON celine dion
2000s: doesn't really matter janet jackson
2010s: baby, justin beiber- no personal hate for the guy, but it gave me headaches

I do hope that was what you asked with your OP!

also, very honourable mention from the 90s

whatever decade michael jackson had a hit song in.
*hint: that's all of them except the 50s.
he wasn't called the king of pop for nothing.

i think it all started here


and ended here:

The 60s:

a reply to: Profusion

Well I guess this says it all for me;



www.azlyrics.com...

a reply to: Profusion

The 70's were the best of times for me - Punk, 2-Tone and Mod Revival.



www.azlyrics.com...



www.azlyrics.com...

a reply to: Freeborn

It's the 60's by far.

1 - 1950's
2 - 1980's (I include late seventies in this, don't like 70's as a whole)
3 - 1960's
4 - 1990''s

It's all been downhill from there with a few exceptions

First, the 90's since rock and alternative we're considered pop.
Second, the 80's, so many good ballads, great songs with bad sound selection
Third, the 70's, some of the best classic rock hits and a couple of good disco hits too
Fourth, the 2000's, the epitom of electronic music
Fifth, the 60's, the start of hard rock and an era of great composers
Sixth, the 50's, good old rock and roll
Seventh, the 2010, the good music of today has long left "pop" music

originally posted by: alldaylong
a reply to: Profusion

The 1960's was the greatest decade for music. So many genres started then.

Beat Music

Heavy Metal

Progressive Rock

Psychedelic

Country Rock

Folk Rock

Reggae

Blue Beat

Electronic

etc etc

Eh? Country music certainly predates the 1960's and Electronic music really started in the 80's. Oh and Prog rock came out in the 70's, as did Reggae. Beat music was in the 50's.

The 60's were a great decade for music, but don't just attribute more genres to that decade than actually came out during that time frame.

a reply to: Profusion

The new millennium started ok, the noughties produced some outstanding music.
Its a shame that the 2010's have been so dreadful, probably even worse than the 80's.

For all that I like a hell of a lot of music from both the 50's and 60's I can't recall anything of the latter and wasn't around in the former so I don't really feel qualified to comment.

For me second to the 70's must come the 90's.
That decade saw the arrival of one of personal favourite bands, The Levellers and also the heyday of Rave, Britpop and Madchester.

a reply to: alldaylong

I agree, there was some absolutely brilliant music recorded in the 60's.
But I wasn't born till '65 so I never got to feel and experience the whole 60's thing.
I lived through and experienced at first hand all the subsequent decades and that's why I feel relatively qualified to offer my personal take on things that occurred then.

And if I was to give a truly balanced view then I could quite easily offer up any number of examples of absolutely awful music that was recorded in every single decade mentioned in this thread.

a reply to: Krazysh0t

Electronic music really started in the 80's.

Tangerine Dream pioneers of electronic music formed 1967

en.wikipedia.org...

Oh and Prog rock came out in the 70's
[/quote




Moody Blues where the pioneers of Prog Rock with their album " Days Of Future Past " in 1967.


en.wikipedia.org...

The roots of pop music started in the south with the BLUES.

www.youtube.com...


www.youtube.com...

1. 1960s
2. 1970s
3. 1980s
4. 1950s
5. 1990s
6. 2000- todays

Notice anything here???? With the exception of the 1950s....music has gotten worse and worse....IMHO....although I know there is good music still being put out.....
It's hard to find though.....

I put the 1950s in 4th spot....but only because a lot of it was not my type....it was however groundbreaking in many ways.
We would not have had the 60s without the artists and music of the 50s.