What is Popular Music?

Popular music can be defined in many different ways. According to Anahid Kassabian (1999: pp.116), “when invoked in this way, popular music often means home-made”. In this respect this could relate to anything from singing happy birthday to singing in a church choir. Additionally, popular does not always indicate a synonym for good, as artists such as Mr Blobby and Bob the Builder had number one hits. However does that mean that the music is good? No it doesn’t. Popular music can be analysed in relation to its accessibility. When looking at artists such as T-Rex, and the song ‘Strange Orchestra’ it is not accessible as it is not easy to understand, you can barely hear the lyrics. Popular music is what ‘lots’ of people like, for example Luciano Pavarotti sung ‘Nessun Dorma’ at the World Cup, therefore more people liked it and it became a number one hit in the charts. Although there might not be a definitive answer for what popular music is, it can be seen as something that is popular with a lot of people, even if it doesn’t necessarily appeal to you.