Why do people like pop music?

I know this question may come up a lot, but I thought I’d bring it up again because I haven’t gotten a definitive answer.

For me, I’ve never gotten the appeal to pop music. It’s probably due to the fact that it’s not my genre of music, but for one reason or another, I’ve just never gotten why it’s so popular.

My favorite genres range from soft rock to heavy metal. Yeah, I know. Pop to heavy metal is a large gap, but I’ve always been a person that likes wide ranges of music. I like classical, jazz, and others as well. Rock is just my most favorite.

Anyways, pop music does have some famous singers: Justin Bieber, Katy Perry, and Lady Gaga to name a few.

Most of these singers are really good. Yes, Justin Bieber is a good singer. I’m not going to be a hater and say that he isn’t. The only real turn off that people hate about him is that he does have a very feminine aspect about his appearance, many girls like him, and the fact that his songs don’t have any real meaning to them.

However, it seems that most can’t sing and rely on studio editting and auto tune to sounds good: mainly the Black Eyed Peas and others.

To me, a lot of pop music uses a lot of emphasis on the sound board, and I just don’t like that. During live concerts, it makes me think, "Are they lip syncing that?" If you look at an AC/DC concert, however, you’ll see that the instruments are being played with power and feeling. That’s something that I don’t see in a lot of pop music: feeling.

For me, most mainstream pop music seems to be the usual love song, break up song (sad and the I’m-getting-over-it phase), and the "pumped" song. Not that a lot of rock music have these, too, but rock has more feeling within it.

To me, most pop singers seem to just sing the song. They don’t really express their emotions in their voice with emphasis or other methods. They just seem to sing it and rely on the lyrics to get their point acrossed: "I’m sad. Boo hoo."

Also, I see a lot of girls liking pop music. I don’t really see a lot of guys listening to it unless their girlfriends get them dragged into it. For me, the fans are a complete turn off. (Although, for others, I’m sure the fans in rock music turns them away from it, too. :P)

Most of the pop fans seem to be teenage girls that go, "EEEEEEE!" every time they see a picture of a famous singer or a song that they like on the radio.

I know not all of them do this, but I see A LOT that do.

What’s the appeal to pop music? Like I said, I don’t see a lot of feeling, emotion, or instruments in the genre. When I say instruments, I mean predominant instruments – as in, you can HEAR them. For me, all I hear is a bunch of sound board sounds. I might be able to see the guitars, drums, and basses on stage during a live concert, but I really can’t hear their presence within the song.

So, what’s the enormous appeal?

there probably doesn’t appear to be any feeling cause quite a few pop songs are written by a company or whatever and the singer just sings it. the song has purely been created to sell, not cause they want to make long lasting music. most rock bands write their own songs which is why there’s more emotion in it.

however this is certainly not true of all pop artists out there. for example taylor swift might just write soppy love songs, but they are written and arranged by her and they sound honest and genuine cause they are.

as for the appeal of it i guess some people just like listening to cheerful songs and some to angry songs. depends of what you use your music for. i listen to metal and i suppose meshuggah’s complex rhythms and heavy guitars are a good way of flushing the bad stuff out for me. some just like nice harmonies and some like listening to tales of brokenhearts to know they’re not alone.

also, people appreciate different sounds just like they like some colours or smells more, most of the time you can’t explain it. some just like it.

8 Comments

  • Dude says:

    "Soft rock" is pop music. I don’t understand how you can think AD/DC has any deeper meaning than Justin Bieber. The appeal of pop music is that it’s accessible, usually simplistic, and relatable to its audience. Anyway your reasons for disliking it almost completely subjective, which is probably true about the people who like it as well. I’m sure Justin Bieber fans find "feeling" in his music just like you find it in AC/DC.
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  • Tyler Durden says:

    because they ahven’t learned to think for themselves yet
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  • Niko Bane says:

    Because, most pop fans are teenagers who have no mind of themselves and listen to anything the media tells them to. I swear if they put Satan Warmaster in some teen mag, guess what the kids will be listening to?
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  • Sarah says:

    People like planking and justin bieber. You cant trust people.
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  • g says:

    there probably doesn’t appear to be any feeling cause quite a few pop songs are written by a company or whatever and the singer just sings it. the song has purely been created to sell, not cause they want to make long lasting music. most rock bands write their own songs which is why there’s more emotion in it.

    however this is certainly not true of all pop artists out there. for example taylor swift might just write soppy love songs, but they are written and arranged by her and they sound honest and genuine cause they are.

    as for the appeal of it i guess some people just like listening to cheerful songs and some to angry songs. depends of what you use your music for. i listen to metal and i suppose meshuggah’s complex rhythms and heavy guitars are a good way of flushing the bad stuff out for me. some just like nice harmonies and some like listening to tales of brokenhearts to know they’re not alone.

    also, people appreciate different sounds just like they like some colours or smells more, most of the time you can’t explain it. some just like it.
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  • Youtube.com/tdub731 says:

    I think it’s because it is most convenient in nearly all aspects. The common characteristics of most Pop songs are that they are simple, catchy, have a catchy beat, a nice melody, and repetitive lyrics that are easy to remember. These characteristics attract many many people just because it’s convenient. Most people would prefer not to have to search for good music or change what they are used to which in this case is the music that is readily made available for them on the radio and TV: usually Pop.
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    Personal Experience

  • theapostle intriumph says:

    i think its more accessible and the tunes are catchy..and they are not patient enough to listen to metal..
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  • AdamC3046 says:

    ARRGHHHH!!! FOR GOD’S SAKE!!!
    People like Pop music because they like Pop music. It’s just opinion and taste, inspired by their peers’ tastes. There is nothing wrong with liking any specific genre, so you can’t just say that people are ‘wrong’ to like it.
    This is coming from someone who hates Pop music.
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