Jayhawks
- Thread starter Dentman
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Dentman
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Wow that's kinda tough because they are tough to put in one category. Some would say country but I think they stop short of country. Kinda folky but with a more contemporary sound leaning towards pop. They've been around a while. Give them a try.
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Dentman
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I've never heard the term "Power Pop" before. I'm so old!
I seem to recall you saying to me on the forum before. Tge term started in about 1995 when the term, "pop," started being used for artists like Madonna and Pink, so the industry coined Power-Pop as the moniker for rock music with catchy melodies, big harmonies, and poppy beats. The quintessential bands in the genre are Jellyfish, Gin Blossoms, Cheap Trick, The Rembrandts, and many others. It is one of my favorite genres and currently enjoy artists like Bleu, The Young Veins and Jason Falkner .
That's a far cry from what I've considered "Power Pop" for the past couple of decades. I've always used the term to describe music from acts that are typically Hard Rock or even Metal (power) that somehow managed to achieve mainstream success with a catchy melody (pop). An example that comes to mind immediately would be Cinderella.
Townshend also coined the word Heavy Metal to describe The Who. But if you look at the Power Pop streaming stations and playlists, they are pop-rock bands with intriguing chord progressions, happy poppy tempos and beats, and strong melodies.
Most power-pop fans put the Beach Boys, The Kinks (1960's), The Beatles, and even some of Queen's music into the category.
They also tend to put Badfinger, Big Star, Elvis Costello and the Attractions, The Pretenders, and such into the category.
Cinderella would never be put into a Power-Pop playlist. However, much of Pete Townshend's solo music is easily Power-Pop, as is much of the early Who stuff prior to Tommy, like The Kids are Alright, Little Jimmy, the Odorono Commercial, and so on.
Most power-pop fans put the Beach Boys, The Kinks (1960's), The Beatles, and even some of Queen's music into the category.
They also tend to put Badfinger, Big Star, Elvis Costello and the Attractions, The Pretenders, and such into the category.
Cinderella would never be put into a Power-Pop playlist. However, much of Pete Townshend's solo music is easily Power-Pop, as is much of the early Who stuff prior to Tommy, like The Kids are Alright, Little Jimmy, the Odorono Commercial, and so on.
No, not the band as a whole, but certainly a song or two of theirs, such as "You Don't Know What You Got". In the same vein, I'd say Firehouse qualifies also. Again, not the band in its entirety but several of their songs are certainly Power Pop.
I don't see it. But, genres are meant to be bent.
You're right. There are no industry-wide accepted standards defining genres. One man's "Jazz" is another's "Fusion".
Right, and that's why I struggle when attempting to describe a style of music on this forum. I often end up listing a dozen bands then use the term I use to describe it.
CMonster
Well-Known Member
I’d say those songs are Power Ballads not Power Pop...
Fair enough. They are indeed Power Ballads, originally. But the instant they make the charts and become 'Popular', I think they become Power Pop.
Pop, in this instance, has as much to do with the music being "poppy", as in fun and light and bouncy, as it does being popular.
CMonster
Well-Known Member
Right. Even if the song “Stacy’s Mom” hadn’t become popular it’d still be power pop.
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Dentman
Well-Known Member
With the how bad my memory is since surgery its possible but I'm 99% sure it wasn't me.