Everyone has a song that comes to mind when they hear the genre “pop.” Whether it be a song you heard this morning or one you heard years ago, the pop genre is constantly evolving. However, there might not be as big of a difference as you’d think.

     Music comedy group The Axis of Awesome released the music video“4 Chords” in 2011 to highlight the similarities between pop songs through the generations: the use of the same four chords.

     The Axis of Awesome played 46 songs that all work off the exact same chords and speed and are extremely recognizable. While this shows that a large number of pop songs are based on the same four chords; what relates to the songs that don’t use the same chords?  A lot of songs don’t fit into the first but still achieve high status within the charts. Some focus on just being catchy instead of following a format.

     “When I think of a pop song, I mostly think of upbeat music that has very repetitive lyrics,” sophomore Allison Golowski said.

     Popular artists of 2020 such as Post Malone, DaBaby, and Harry Styles all have different styles of making music, so what makes them similar? Many artists nowadays are able to be seen in their personal lives through social media and the press.

     “Lil Peep and Juice WRLD are two of my favorites because of their personalities outside of rap.” says sophomore Elijah Blanchett. 

     Simply put, the world of music has endured a drastic change.  Recently, music has taken a turn from musicians playing together into electronic sounds being mashed together. Hits from 1990 such as MC Hammer’s “U Can’t Touch This” which grossed over $30 million; however, in 2020 songs like “Savage” by Megan Thee Stallion or “Rockstar” by DaBaby were at the top of the charts, while all of these songs were at the top they have huge differences within the music.

     “To me, music today is more open and there’s a lot more literal emotions you can hear in the lyrics however in the 90s it was more vague and about having fun.” states sophomore Reagan McFarland.

     In the era of classic rock, there was a common occurrence that linked rock music together, mainly being the drum patterns. A majority of rock music can be played by a beginner drummer after learning a simple 4/4 drum beat.   Where do songs like Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” fit into this category? 

     “Bohemian Rhapsody” breaks the standard of having a simple rhythm with catchy lyrics completely. Instead, Freddie Mercury separated his song into five main sections: a cappella, introductions, ballad, opera, and hard rock. Many people nowadays look back on this song with high regard, claiming it to be one of the best songs ever written. However, when “Bohemian Rhapsody” was released, critics laughed at it. The song did not fit into any of the categories of how a popular song should be laid out; because of this, many radio stations refused to play the song.

     All throughout time music has been used to express emotion.  How you create your music is based on what you want. You can make a popular song using the four-chord format or you can make a song unique to you and how you feel. Where most popular songs are based on the same format to make a successful hit, not all songs are created equal.