Pop Music and its Impact upon World Culture
In the 21st century Popular Music forms one of the central pillars of Western Culture and it is hard to imagine a world devoid of its impact. The recent death of Michael Jackson serves as the perfect example. In the aftermath of the singers untimely demise came an explosion of media coverage and debate with some proclaiming the legend to be ‘the greatest entertainer of all time,’ while others insisted his death and subsequent funeral constituted as big a cultural event as the deaths of such grandiose figures as Princess Dianna and John Kennedy. Clearly then Popular Music has become as important to World Culture as politics, literature, and international affairs but why the sudden change in less than a decade?
The phenomenon of popular music began in the 1950’s and to start with it was more a case of World Culture having its impact upon the medium of music. Though music, and popular musical figures, had existed before it was only in the 50’s that music really became marketable. The decade saw a boom in consumerism and popular music was soon swept along with the current. Music, as a result, was no longer just about the music; it was about icons and image, rebellion and statement. Pop figures of the time, in particular Elvis Presley, were marketed not only for their music but also for their iconic appeal and as a result they were soon seen to be figures of high earning potential. This ‘selling’ appeal continued on into the sixties and was epitomised by The Beatles first visit to America in 1964. When the band arrived in New York’s main airport they were met by scenes of a manic nature as thousands of adoring fans greeted their arrival with screams of delight. The Beatles had become the embodiment of the new era of Pop Music and the fans that turned up to see the Fab Four that day were there to revel in the complete product the band represented.
However, as Pop Music became more established it developed into a force of its own. In the 1960’s popular music of the day was often linked to the growing movement of counter-culture. Examples of this included the success of the protest movement in folk music, led by Bob Dylan, and in the anti-authority spirit of the psychedelic era. Pop Music, by challenging the very society that created it, was now beginning to have its own impact upon world culture. Pop music had developed into its own respected medium, through which more and more artists were seeking to gain status. Many pop musicians focused upon lyrical delivery and their music achieved as much cultural significance as other works of literature and poetry while others continued to see Pop music as a means of direct protest. In 1985 Bob Geldof and Midge Ure helped organise Live Aid, a series of high profiled concerts across the world. The concerts managed to raise funds and awareness for famine relief in Ethiopia and Popular music was demonstrating a continued significance upon world affairs.
Today, the status of popular music is even larger. Rather than being a force capable of impacting world culture it can be argued that pop music is in fact one of the defining elements of our culture itself. An increasingly diverse world has brought about increasingly diverse strands of popular music and as a result for many people music provides a means of identification. The fallout of the Pop Music revolution of the 1950’s has reached unprecedented heights and with the era of 24 hour news and celebrity driven media coverage it is little wonder that it is often viewed it as one of the most important essentials of world culture. Of course, it can be argued that Popular Music’s impact upon World Culture has gone too far and that by establishing itself in the place of world culture it has only served to overstate its importance and eclipse other cultural issues. However, when a Pop legends death causes unprecedented coverage and worldwide grief it’s hard to see its significance decreasing anytime soon.
Chris Hogg