How, exactly, do we define “pop music?” That’s actually kind of tricky–and the answer is interesting

[This was my weekly column for GlobalNews.ca. – AC]

When it comes to the term “pop music,” most people will think of the kind of songs played on Top 40 radio. That’s not incorrect, but it doesn’t take the definition far enough.

“Pop,” in case it’s not obvious — and it might not be — is short for “popular,” songs designed to sell and to appeal to the greatest number of people possible. And while music has been around for millennia, the idea of pop music is quite a recent invention.

Bob Stanley, an English music writer, former DJ, and one-time member of the band Saint Etienne, has written a terrific book on the subject called Let’s Do It, The Birth of Pop Music: A History. Starting in the late 1800s, Stanley carefully guides the reader through how music for the masses rose out of the vaudeville circuit in North America and the music halls of the U.K. to dominate so much of modern culture.

The hardcover runs 636 pages, including an extensive index, and takes us to the rise of The Beatles and the modern era of pop music. The story is loaded with tidbits like these.

Keep reading. You’ll love it.