The world has changed considerably in the second half of the twentieth century, the United States became the most powerful nation politically and culturally. A phenomenon of America, which left their mark in every corner of the pop world. Here is my list of pop's most important twentieth century, in chronological order. Maybe not first, best or most original but it was the right thing at the right time and changed history.
1. "Rock Around the Clock" (1954). Bill Haley and the comets and. In the early years of rock music, including this song is a no brainer. This was the first rock and roll, a huge success, selling 25 million copies. Currently, we wanted to record the truth and say that high performance black Joe Turner, Bo Diddley, Turner, Ike and real originators of the method, but the fact is that gender segregation in the air at that time necessary for white group of talented people to champion the music a wider audience. Comets were able to rise to the occasion.
2. "Only You" (1955). Plates. And became the embodiment of the method of emerging-wop was a combination of rock and roll sound and design groups that can be traced back to the ink stains and other artists in the Big Band era. First to go wop Penguins successfully last year with landowners, but were platters, which is an elegant work showing the west coast really like that. Served many such visits, such as "plaintiff "big" my prayer "as a criterion for other groups looking for. With the popularity of the multi-ethnic society in the North East, Go-wop was the first racially integrated approach, and he still has a following sound dedicated to this day, because many great deals.
3. "Hound Dog" (1956). Elvis Presley. In the year Elvis exploded onto the scene with this hit, in addition to "Blue Suede Shoes," "Heartbreak Hotel" and others. Revolution in the era of McCarthy era conformity. That can not be underestimated the impact of Elvis Presley: introduced national audience for the kind of strange music, and rock and roll black and white public personality on stage provided places are accessible for most brilliant actions that Little Richard Chuck Berry and Jerry Lee Lewis. Creating rock and roll idol version of adolescence, and pictures updated from time to Frank Sinatra.
4. "La Pampa" (1958). Ritchie Valens. This song is important for two reasons brought Spanish and Mexican traditions in mainstream rock. Opening phrase, "Para bailar La Pampa", looks like a cry historic "Grito United Nations." It is also important as they are called heresy songs describing Dance as an expression of inner self rather than the ritual of dating. "To dance, Bambi, have a touch of grace, and began to see the audience dancing in a new light, and to communicate with their own bodies.
5. "Shops" (1960). Smokey Robinson and the Miracles. Developed quite a mix of quantity wop and rock and roll driving beat, this video is called Motown. And Shirelles, and New York City Girl "Group", made successful a few months ago with "dedicated One I Love" (1959), and such. Shirelles Trail Blazers, and builds on the success of this approach earlier in the Chantels Doo-wop groups and lead to many other girls, but it was Motown, which became the home of the spiritual new style of this music, which came in eventually be called "soul music", and even Motown recording is to make history. Motown was one of the richest veins of pop music for all this time, culminating in record "Papa was a Rolling Stone" (1972) from temptation. At that time, the Cultural Revolution, which was converted in 1960 Motown sound into something completely different.
6. "In the past" (1961). Eta James. Mixing loud and Research Methods B, rock and roll slowly Groove female. It does not have the seal of our contemporary jazz in Washington, rather, it represents a new era of dirt rebel hedonism. He paved the way for other artists, such as admission of women to rebel Franklin, Janis Joplin and Aretha (with its own distinctive version of "Summertime"). Proved a fertile ground for male singers and, in particular with Percy Sledge "When a man loves a woman" (1969).
7. "She loves you" (1963). Beatles. Although no American group had a tremendous impact on American music history and pop culture since the 1960s. "I want to hold hands, and the United States for the first time in the striking in January 1964, and was followed almost immediately by the song. The two songs with the Beatles made to clarify quality innovative in terms of melody, song structure and a coherent voice. "She loves you, however, was the creator of more than two, with" Yeah, yeah, yeah "refrain that has come to symbolize this. British invasion that followed the changing music history.
8. "(I Can not Get No Satisfaction)" (1965). Rolling Stones. He was soon followed by the Beatles over the Atlantic Ocean in their world, Pizarro evil twin, the Rolling Stones. If a little halos Beatles, stones for centuries. And their spirit of rebellion to find fertile ground in the 1960s atmosphere. He remained faithful, as they are the kind of heavy guitar, even when the Beatles became more cerebral and psychedelic. And you can see the Rolling Stones and heavy metals parents and through their influence on groups like Velvet Underground, Alternative Rock and father.
9. "Homesick Blues Underground" (1965). Bob Dylan. A singer of protest songs, and Bob Dylan was one of the leading artists of the popular movement in the early 1960s. Step was to rock the "people" in 1965, shocked the fans, and when he appeared on stage at the Newport Folk Festival with an electric guitar, and strongly deplored the fact that one of the most famous incidents in that period. This was a revolutionary song, not only for an innovative mix of musical styles, but also to use new languages. Intensity of images was not heard before in pop music will not be back until the equivalent of Grand Master Flash and "message" in 1982. (See below).
10. "White Rabbit" (1967). Jefferson airplane. This was the song that they were transported from a second album "surrealistic pillow" after the words "do not want someone to love." "White Rabbit" is really the style of west coast psychedelic summer of 1967, the love, the words of surreal and escalating mindblowing. Grace together, however, and invented the concept of female power rock. Other important groups of West Coast this time of the Doors "Light My Fire" and the Byrds, with coverage of all Dylan "Mr. Tambourine Man." Anyone going to San Francisco?
11. "Hey Joe" (1967). Jimmy Hendrix. Operated primarily in New York and London, he is the alternative rock scene from the Atlantic to a drug. To take his guitar and his style of performance is a pioneer in that period, together with WHO and cream. He is a giant in pop music history to fill that musical styles in black and white, with great success, and his creativity helped to launch all heavy metal style and method of funk from the 1970s.
12. "Respect" (1968). Aretha Franklin. The impact of the vast majority of British invasion and methods of drug, and soul music lost its luster as a pop-art form. Aretha change that, with a pump driving rhythms of gospel and the old formulas of Motown music, bringing back to American popular music of African descent. Respect is very appropriate title for this achievement, because suddenly a central black music to the creative spirit of American pop music has become undeniable.
13. Living in the City "(1973). Stevie Wonder. Very large, both in terms of social and musical development. And given command is used in mixing and song structure is innovative. And suspension of the social dialogue and spoke the way for later development of rap in this decade.
14. "I live" (1978). Gloria Gaynor. This is the anthem of the 1970s disco craze. The former disco hit was "The Hustle (1975) by Van McCoy The Soul City Symphony" and "Tangerine" (1976) by Salsoul Orchestra. Tool allowed dancers to focus on rhythm and measures they learned new dance crazes of the period, if the partner dances such as Latin Hustle, or line dances, such as a bus station. 1977 movie "Saturday Night Fever", and included parts of the voice parts BeeGees (Stayin alive ') and the Trammps' Disco Inferno'. However, the words to these songs in high school and always clear and usually only. With a voice high performance from Gloria Gaynor to this song and the message in verse, and the hustle and finally found her voice and came to life.
15. "Rapper Bliss" (1979). Sugar Hill Gang. This was the beginning of rap song. It's a moment in pop music history as important as anything Elvis or the Beatles. And soon mastered the rap style, complemented by other groups including the operation team went on to Western pop music, which penetrates the coming decades.
16. "The Message" (1982). Grand Master Flash and Furious Five. By infusing the suspension of these verses with powerful office, said it was a formidable force of a rap model. Monosyllable words slurred line, "Do not push me like I'm close to the edge, and try to" not lose my head ", an unprecedented laughed a bit after that was really haunting. Driving artist and creator of the language but rap is for Bob Dylan, which made for roots rock. Face and fill in the business 13 years later, one of the gang in 'S Paradise Coolio "(1995).
17. Thriller (1982). Michael Jackson. A great event. Music was to combine several of the methods that have come before: funk, rock, RnB, disco, novelty songs, but was much more than its parts, where these methods perfectly melted together. Music video of a prototype visual performance was not unprecedented. The album is the best selling album of all time.
18. "Like a Virgin" (1984). Madonna. Who are all shattered and Cyndi Lauper music scene while in 1983, performers and create the first woman to every aspect of people on stage, and to present themselves as artists and not just performance artists who perform . However, it is still a model of justice and doctrinal and brilliant, but Madonna has become the model this way. What we have done, and long legs sexy pop star in the tradition of male artists such as Michael Jackson and Prince, followed by an endless series of other women and some simulators, and some of the artists themselves.
19. "Players" (1985). Miami Sound Machine. He introduced English-speaking lovers of music from Latin Caribbean, which was drained on the east coast in the last two decades. Gloria Estefan formula to cut hair, but gave a sense of English to Spanish. It meets or exceeded even with this achievement, "Oye Mi Canto" in 1989. Latin music world, and fusion concepts began to take its current form here.
20. "Smells Like Teen Spirit" (1991). Quiet. Grunge style of the 1990s, the most iconic performance in this area. Affected the character of Kurt Cobain on stage singing rock and aesthetics all who came after him, giving them an alternative to the fake Cockney moaning that prevailed before. Members tranquility of expression, particularly through music and technical data, and thus identify the characteristics of this new style.
This is a list of 20 songs a completely different and unique, but there are certain features. One thing is to hit the small number of women in this list (six, including a grace slick and Gloria Estefan). It seems that women had a difficult time being seen as innovators, given the opportunity to take a leadership role. Can be seen an example of double standards in how Mick Jagger, the British center background category other side of English speaking world, it faces serious questions in the adoption of the performance of black musical styles, but Janis Joplin, and criticized born and raised in the Deep South, as derived or what is worse, their reputation has suffered for many years because of that. There is a clear division on racial patterns in fact, one of the more persistent features of pop music to this day. However, if you divide the latter usually polarization and elsewhere is not desirable, and this is not necessarily the case in pop music.
Here, where land is the source of many facets and rich tradition of cross-pollination to thrive, and when we allow performers to fill these gaps with their creative skills, and have some of the largest artists such as Elvis Presley and Jimi Hendrix. American pop music has grown in sophistication, and opportunities have arisen for the mixtures are more productive, but the innovative spirit and seems to have hit a dry patch. It remains to see where the next song will come from large, but it was a long time to come.
