“Swag, swag, swag on you. Chillin’ by the fire while we eatin’ fondue.” “The sun is up, the sky is blue, it’s beautiful and so are you”? Beatles or Bieber, is there a difference? It seems almost undeniable that music has undergone a drastic change from the time when most of our parents were in college until now. There is a difference not only in tone and sound of music, but in the artists’ presentations of themselves and their fans.
Justin Bieber, Katy Perry, and Ke$ha are some of the most prominent artists of this day and age, and have a strong hold over the entire industry. These musicians are very young and edgy, releasing hit after hit and taking over the radio. There was a time, however, when this genre of music would have never held a spot on the esteemed Billboard’s Top 40. Not too long ago, musicians like Frank Sinatra and the Beatles dominated the radio stations and the party soundtracks.
Stereotypically, musicians, especially very famous ones, hold stigmas and stereotypes that make them appear to be party animals or drug addicts. Though these associations still may hold true, more contemporary musicians are gearing their products and image toward an early to late teenage era. They must maintain a somewhat clean, yet still edgy mantra, to avoid having tarnished reputations and awful publicity.
The Beatles produced much of their music under the influence, and the late and great Michael Jackson had a un-escapable reputation of drug use. Justin Bieber, however, is a much more “clean” musician, but also gears much of his music toward a significantly younger crowd.
It is hard to say whether or not the quality of music has undergone change, but the style and genre of popular songs has. Songs that top today’s charts and typically reference partying and drinking and are clearly geared toward groups of people who are within their teenage and early to mid twenties, while the lyrics of older songs tend to be less straightforward and direct toward a generation. Also, the lyrics of older songs such as Lucy In the Sky with Diamonds are much more abstract than those of present day songs like Katy Perry’s Firework. The classic Beatles’ lyrics are eclectic, hallucinogenic, and descriptive such as “ picture yourself in a boat on a river with tangerine trees and marmalade skies,” while Katy Perry’s Firework has straightforward and more basic lyrics, “ignite the light and let it shine, own the night like the fourth of July.” This difference in lyrics symbolizes the difference in pop-culture of each era.
Overall, the difference between music of the past and music of this era are quite confounding, but the meaning and point of music still remains the same: to provide an artistic outlet for people to enjoy!