How is that my logic? My point is simply that the state of music as a whole is not accurately described by limiting one's focus to pop music. To steal a bit from your metaphor, that would be like saying that, because wealthy celebrities are so noticeable, they comprise an accurate picture of the lives of all people.

Instead of going back and forth over the same thing, let's talk about something else.

What exactly defines the genre of "pop"? Is it even a definite genre at all? Does every generation have a specific sound in regards to it? For instance, would the pop of the 1950s, if it were released today, be considered pop at all, or does it rely on the context of when it was released to have such a definition?

And lastly, which decade had your favorite pop? Even if you dislike all pop, regardless of the year, you must have some instinctual preference, even if very small, for one over the others.

It's not a clearly defined genre. In the context of this conversation, I'm using using the word "pop" simply to refer to popular music, which is what that study is about.

I think pop does rely on context to a large extent. Even when an old song becomes popular again it's generally because of something going on in the culture of the time. I like a lot of pop but I don't think I have a particular favorite decade of it at this point in my life, though when I was younger I loved 80s pop due to the nostalgia factor of having grown up during that decade.

There are certain recurring elements to almost all popular music that tend to make songs more popular than others, but other than that I've never seen it as a genre so much as a label for "popular music".

All music has a popular branch that tends to evolve more to keep up with modern trends. Popular country (now known as "traditional") from the 1940s sounds almost nothing like the popular country of today, and the same can be said of many other genres.

Well to be honest I have been banging on about the 60s and 70s being the best 2 decades of music forever on here.:banghead:

We're well aware.

I agree with both of you. If you took a lot of pop from years past and released them today, they'd probably be seen as songs from seperate genres. Rock, Country, Funk, etc. And yet, in a way, almost every pop song is distinguished from those genres by having a certain sensibility. Similar beats, patterns, the need for a hook, light-hearted themes, and so on. There is a kind of method to it that has existed for a long time.

Also, I too loved the 80s when I was younger, even though I didn't live through them (probably because I loved bad horror movies, and the 80s always had the most fun b-movies, so I ended up getting exposed to a lot of 80s music, fashion, etc.). Even though my musical tastes have changed, occasional I find myself Rockin' like Dokken.

I wouldn't say they were the best, even if they are my favorite. They were a very diverse and interesting time, but every other decade is just as fascinating if you dig into them. The 80s, for example, had some pretty painful chart toppers, but they also had the strange and unique Post-Punk movement. Not to mention the merging of Pop and Punk that led to interesting bands like Blondie making waves. With Hip-Hop coming unto the scene (pun intended) and Metal branching out into a million sub-genres, there was no shortage of interesting music.

Wrong decade. Albums like 154 and entertainment! were released in the late 70s. The 80s saw the demise of Post-Punk. "The man had to ruin that too with a little thing called MTV!"

Blondie had hits in the 70s.
2 Blondie Denis Feb 1978
10 Blondie (I'm Always Touched By Your) Presence Dear May 1978
12 Blondie Picture This Aug 1978
5 Blondie Hanging On The Telephone Nov 1978
1 Blondie Heart Of Glass Jan 1979
1 Blondie Sunday Girl May 1979
2 Blondie Dreaming Sep 1979
everyHit.com - UK Top 40 Chart Archive, British Singles & Album Charts

Yeah Metal branched in different directions in the 80s, but most of it took it's cue from other genres like Hair Metal (from Pop) or Thrash (from Hardcore Punk). And despite the crocodile tears over "Grunge killed Metal" Heavy Metal came into its own in the 90s when its branches branched with all its sub-sub-genres. Sure there was some different styles before then but not as Anorakly stressed as different.

Look at me, mixing up the late 70s with the early 80s! I should have known all those songs/bands weren't from the 80s, because they don't have that clunky echo effect on the drum sets. However, I wouldn't say that post punk died off in the 80s, it just became the underground sound that defined the counter culture of that decade.

I feel like pop is a genre and a term used to include all popular music. When I think of pop I think of music made to sound catchy and palatable to a large audience but there are definitely pop artists who are not popular.

Example: