Pop-rock music is an interesting combination between the instrumental techniques of rock and the lighter tone of lyrics and performance seen in pop. Many non-‘pop’ bands have toyed with the pop-rock genre in the past, experiencing success in the music charts which may otherwise have been impossible. Although some die-hard fans would disagree whole-heartedly with the classification, some of the world’s most famous bands of all time have released songs which can be categorised as ‘pop-rock’.
The Beatles, for example, released a number of singles which could be classified as ‘pop-rock’. Although the early rock and roll music of the fifties, sixties and early seventies shares many similarities with today’s ‘pop-rock’ sub-genre, at the time people simply referred to the music as ‘rock and roll’. ‘Eleanor Rigby’, ‘Hey Jude’, ‘Come Together’, and many other Beatles tracks could be thought of as falling into the ‘pop-rock’ genre.
Nowadays the boundaries between pop and rock have become increasingly blurred, particularly as rock has become far more mainstream and ‘alternative’ acts frequently make it into the top singles and albums charts. Many believe that MTV and other music TV channels have contributed to this cross-over effect. Bands such as U2, Greenday, R.E.M., Crowded House and Radiohead, who would not normally be considered as ‘pop’ acts, have had such success in the charts and with particular ‘pop-rock’ style songs that some music scholars now divide their back catalogues into rock and ‘pop-rock’ genres. Although there is no question that these artists are predominately ‘rock’ in origin, their music has been so successful at a popular level and has adopted some of the techniques that the pop genre is known for, that it is almost impossible to consider the artists as being pure rock.
The Beatles, for example, released a number of singles which could be classified as ‘pop-rock’. Although the early rock and roll music of the fifties, sixties and early seventies shares many similarities with today’s ‘pop-rock’ sub-genre, at the time people simply referred to the music as ‘rock and roll’. ‘Eleanor Rigby’, ‘Hey Jude’, ‘Come Together’, and many other Beatles tracks could be thought of as falling into the ‘pop-rock’ genre.
Nowadays the boundaries between pop and rock have become increasingly blurred, particularly as rock has become far more mainstream and ‘alternative’ acts frequently make it into the top singles and albums charts. Many believe that MTV and other music TV channels have contributed to this cross-over effect. Bands such as U2, Greenday, R.E.M., Crowded House and Radiohead, who would not normally be considered as ‘pop’ acts, have had such success in the charts and with particular ‘pop-rock’ style songs that some music scholars now divide their back catalogues into rock and ‘pop-rock’ genres. Although there is no question that these artists are predominately ‘rock’ in origin, their music has been so successful at a popular level and has adopted some of the techniques that the pop genre is known for, that it is almost impossible to consider the artists as being pure rock.