The history of popular music can roughly be broken down into fourteen-year periods, each of which embody a collective spirit of the age. From 1962-1976 the first pop explosion brought rock, motown, jazz fusion, and funk into the world. Folk rock, jazz, blues, soul, and country had already been strong on the charts, but they dwindled through these years. Some famous bands from this era were The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd, and Led Zeppelin. They symbolized the "hippie" spirit of the age, which gained momentum through the 60s and died out as the Vietnam War developed. Lyrically I would say it was the most talented generation of song-writers, because of folk singers like Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell. This was also a period when poetry was still thought of as one of the higher arts, so many musicians fine-tuned it in their lyrics.
The second generation took place from about 1976-1990. This was when the influence of synthesizers helped bring anthemic power ballads, disco, dance, glam rock, and new wave to the top of the charts. Punk rock and heavy metal were also at their strongest during this period, mainly as reactions against the growing power of pop music. Say what you will about the 80s, but the truth is that pop peaked during that decade, with mega-selling acts like Michael Jackson, Madonna, Fleetwood Mac, Van Halen, Boston, Guns N' Roses, and Bruce Springsteen- all of which released some of the best-selling albums in history. The ease with which artists could write a catchy pop song using the simple combination of synth, power riff, and energetic vocals allowed music sales to reach unprecedented heights.
Generation X brought a revolution of alternative rock and hip-hop to the 1990s, lasting from about 1991-2006. Pop still ran strong with acts like Mariah Carey, Britney Spears, and all the boy bands, but it wasn't as concentrated in popularity as before. This generation also witnessed a Latin revolution ala Ricky Martin, the invasion of grunge and post-grunge (Nirvana, Pearl Jam), the new age scene, a return to rock roots, and the peak of goth/industrial. The nu-metal scene can't be ignored either, with bands like Limp Bizkit, Linkin Park, Marilyn Manson, and Korn breaking people's ears with fits of agony. Some of the other biggest artists of generation x were Green Day, Radiohead, Tool, Tupac, and Eminem. Anger and alienation were the strongest emotions of this generation, most represented by its best-selling album: Jagged Little Pill by Alannis Morisette.
Currently we're in the millennial generation of music, which has been dominated by eclectic sounds from the Indie scene. Thanks to the ease of music-sharing on the internet, we have more access to up-and-coming bands than ever before. It started in about 2007, when artists like Arcade Fire, Coldplay, Kanye West, Taylor Swift, and The Killers took center stage. Since then it has welcomed Lana Del Rey, Adele, One Direction, Katy Perry, and Imagine Dragons to the party. Pop has maintained its core of predictable acts, but the genre is even less concentrated than it was with generation x. The angst of alternative has completely transformed itself into the free-spirited Indie movement, while the quality of rap and hip-hop has suffered a slow decline over the decade.
The next generation of pop music should come to rise in the early 2020s. There's no telling what kinds of sounds the shift will bring. It could be as obscurely-defined as the last shift from 2004-2008, or as radical as the Gen. X revolution of the early 90s. It will be interesting to see which genres resurface, or what new combinations will be made from them. Some international music may finally rise to the surface, especially from the far east. For now, we'll just have to wait for the torch of the millennials to carry music forward.
