The first boyband I ever loved was the Backstreet Boys. Back in the year 1999, five-year-old me could already identify a deep love for Brian Littrell. My father openly (and enthusiastically) purchased the Grammy nominated Millennium album, and the Black and Blue album a few years later. Fast forward a year later, and I completely jumped onto the *NSYNC bandwagon just in time for No Strings Attached. I picked out Justin Timberlake as my standout crush (but who didn’t?). I studied the album booklet religiously until I wore the pages thin. Upon digging through my childhood belongings, I found a Britney Spears video game, a Spice Girls polaroid camera, a Hilary Duff album, Chris Brown’s first album, and a bunch of mix CDs. I kept them neatly packed away in a corner of my closet during my high school Hot Topic phase.
Now why is it frowned upon to like pop music? Despite the naysayers and condescension, pop music continues to have a huge cultural influence. Likewise, pop is powerful enough to influence the way other genres operate. Pop music isn’t always what people tend to believe it is. While many pop songs possess the stereotype of being overly upbeat and mindless with a fast tempo, this stereotype has been proven wrong plenty of times over the course of history. Obviously, the “pop” in the genre’s name is short for “popular.” Typically, a pop song may include elements or themes prevalent or widely accepted in that particular society. Though music snobs will try to argue that the Beatles, and Elvis, and Prince weren’t pop, that opinion formed through the lens of nostalgia. On the year-end Billboard Hot 100 list from 1959, Bobby Darin and Elvis are on the same list as Alvin and the Chipmunks. On the year-end Billboard Hot 100 list from 1966? The Rolling Stones, Nancy Sinatra, The Beatles, The Supremes, The Monkees, and The Beach Boys. On Billboard’s list for the top pop songs of 1996, you’ll find “Ironic” by Alanis Morissette right under “One Sweet Day” by Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men. All considered pop music at the time, the lists were established, yet with the passage of time, all shifted around into different genres.
At the end of the day, pop is fluid. Why do we take The Beatles more seriously than One Direction, when both bands began their careers with songs about how they just wanna love some lucky girl (maybe you, random female fan)? How is “I wanna hold your hand” any different from “every time we to-o-ouch, you get this kind of ru-u-ush?” Granted, cute pop artists in the early 60s couldn’t openly talk about touching some lucky lady. But come on! Do you think people would call “I Wanna Hold Your Hand” or “Hey Jude” musical masterpieces if they came out in 2016?
Doubt it. *
Both bands evolved thanks to a heavy rock (or indie-rock in 1D’s case) influence, and both split up after a relatively short run. Both bands have songs that include absolutely odd (and lame) lyrics (“Sitting on a cornflake/ Waiting for the van to come” and “I’m fat and old/ And my kids think I’m a joke/ ‘Cause I move a little slow/ When I dance”)
With this, I go on to say that pop music doesn’t have to have deep and inspiring lyrics to deserve defense. Pop music, even with the passage of time, will always have its haters. For some reason we want our music to reflect how smart or unique we are. How unique and intelligent can someone be when they like a stupid song that everyone else also likes? But as someone who shamelessly enjoys ridiculous music, sometimes I want to dance mindlessly to songs that make no sense. Why else would “Tik Tok,” “Party Rock Anthem,” “Uptown Funk” and “Low” have so much widespread popularity? Not all songs need depth. Music is a means of escapism.
Don’t feel guilty if the beat is great and the lyrics are nonsense! Embrace it. Chances are, the ones that judge you listen to it in secret, anyway.
*Author’s Note: As a lover of both The Beatles and One Direction, I’m not trying to downplay the importance of The Beatles in musical history, nor am I trying to big up the importance of 1D. It’s too soon to tell the significance of 1D in pop history. I just saw similarities and commented on them. Also…support Carly Rae Jepsen. E·MO·TION is one of the best pop albums of 2015.