Teenage pop Flashcards
After the “end” of Rock ‘n’ Roll, record companies and radio stations wanted a type of music that was WHAT?
safer and more respectable
1958 to 1963, there was the age of the WHAT?
‘teenager’
The American West Coast created the WHAT SOUND?
The surfing sound
What artists were known for their surfing sound?
Jan and Dean, and The Beach Boys
What songs are part of the ‘surfing sound’?
“Fun, Fun, Fun”, “Barbara Ann” and “Good Vibrations”
Performers have a smart and “cleancut” image, unlike some of the Rock ‘n’ Roll stars. Why did they have a smart “cleancut” image?
record companies and radio stations wanted a type of music that was safer and more respectable. Look had to go with the music, making the clean respectable look the bands are known for.
What did record companies do in order to ensure success?
record companies teamed songwriters with ‘teen idols’ to great success.
They realised that if they could control teenage tastes, they could control the market and the profits. How did they do this?
The idea was to decide on a look and a sound, choose a safe, respectable, good-looking teenager to fit both, get a team of songwriters to produce a song about ‘teenage concerns’ and make a record. They could sell the record on radio and television shows with the right packaging, and a hit was virtually guaranteed.
What were the chords used in teenage pop?
Ice-cream changes
In the key of C these chords would be:
C, Am, F, G
Why were they called ICE-CREAM changes?
These were known as the ICE CREAM CHANGES, since songs were played on the jukebox in ice cream parlors, and many songs sounded similar.
Who wanted a type of music that was safer and more respectable?
Parents
Record companies realised that if they could control teenage tastes, they could control the market and the profits. How did they “control the market”?
They controlled the market by choosing the singers, look and songs.
Instead of songs being written by the artists who sang them, or “borrowing” them from the African- American singers, record companies created song writing “factories” like the Brill Building in New York. Who worked in these “factories”?
Hired Songwriters and producers.
