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The quality and sophistication of mainstream pop art is an important indicator, though. It is consumed by the majority of the population and gives sense to the
by bluetomcat 6y ago
The quality and sophistication of mainstream pop art is an important indicator, though. It is consumed by the majority of the population and gives sense to the "wisdom" of an era.
Nowadays you simply don't find any mainstream music approaching the levels of sophistication of, say, 1980s mainstream music. Where's the Dire Straits, the Gary Moore and the David Bowie of the 2010s?
- eanzenberg 6y agoWasn’t 80’s pop music disco?
- bluetomcat 6y agoProbably disco was still important, but the mentioned artists were hugely popular and influential, despite not being strictly in the "pop" category.
- N1H1L 6y agoAlso disco, when it first appeared on the scene was strongly associated with an LGBT audience, and the Moral Majority crusaders then absolutely denigrated it. Good art is by definition subversive, and you won't find subversion in the Billboard Top 40. Which is why conservative criticisms of stagnation in art/science feel so blatantly hypocritical too.
- alexilliamson 6y agoDisco died pretty early on in the 80s. Flock of Seagulls and Tears for Fears are quintessential 80s IMO.
- bluetomcat 6y agoThe 80s were the era of synth-pop/new wave/new romantic. Initially emerging from late 1970s punk, diverting into sub-genres and refining its sound until around 1987. Generally dark and touching music with a very intellectual text.
- tenebrisalietum 6y agoEarly 80's. Top 100 charts of like '80, '81 had a lot of disco-inspired songs. This fizzled out around '85-'86.
- alexilliamson 6y agoI just looked at the top 5 songs from 1985, and I will gladly take WAP or Old Town Road over Careless Whisper or Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go. Top of the billboard has mostly always sucked IMO. Janelle Monàe may be this generations Bowie. And Kendrick Lamar can definitely hold his own in comparison to dire straights.