| Genre | |
| Origins | Late 19th century, parlor piano and vaudeville entertainment |
| Key Eras | Tin Pan Alley • Pre-rock 'crooners' • Postwar variety shows |
| Evolution | Incorporated new technologies (radio, television), classical, theatrical, and jazz influences |
| Influence | Defining force in Western popular culture throughout the 20th century |
| Defining Features | Enduring popularity, versatility, maintained broad appeal through adaptations |
Pop music, a broad term encompassing a wide range of commercially successful and widely accessible forms of popular music, has been a dominant force in Western culture since the late 19th century. Emerging from the parlor pianos and vaudeville stages of the 1800s, pop music has evolved alongside new technologies and cultural trends, maintaining its status as a central, constantly innovating part of the cultural landscape.
The origins of pop music can be traced to the late Victorian era, when songs performed on parlor pianos and in vaudeville shows became popular entertainment for the growing urban middle class. Catchy, sentimental melodies, simple harmonies, and lyrics focused on love, comedy, or topical subjects characterized this early pop. Songwriters like Stephen Foster, Charles K. Harris, and Paul Dresser churned out hit after hit, many of which became standards covered by a variety of performers.
As the 20th century dawned, pop music began to be driven less by piano-based parlor songs and more by the elaborate productions of vaudeville theaters. Performers like Al Jolson, Eddie Cantor, and Fanny Brice blended pop music, comedy, and theatrical spectacle, pioneering a style of pop entertainment that would influence everything from Broadway to early Hollywood musicals.
The rise of radio in the 1920s enabled pop music to reach broader audiences than ever before. Tin Pan Alley songwriters and "crooner" vocalists like Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, and Dean Martin thrived in this new era, producing a steady stream of hit singles. Meanwhile, the big band sound of swing music also had strong pop crossover appeal.
With the advent of television in the 1940s and 1950s, pop music became an integral part of the new medium's variety shows and musical films. Singers like Doris Day, Perry Como, and Dinah Shore became household names, and Broadway composers like Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, and Rodgers and Hammerstein provided the soundtrack. Even as tastes shifted, pop music maintained its cultural prominence, absorbing influences from jazz, classical, and Latin music.
Unlike in our timeline, the "rock and roll revolution" never fully materialized in this world. While genres like rhythm and blues and rockabilly emerged, pop music of the crooner, variety show, and Tin Pan Alley styles remained ascendant through the 1960s and beyond. Artists like Andy Williams, Sergio Franchi, and Engelbert Humperdinck kept the pop music torch burning brightly.
The enduring popularity of pop music can be attributed to its versatility and ability to adapt. Drawing on classical, theatrical, and jazz influences, pop has continuously integrated new styles and technologies to maintain mass appeal. Whether performed on a parlor piano, broadcast over the radio, or produced for television, pop music has remained a vital, constantly evolving part of the cultural fabric. Its legacy of catchy melodies, relatable lyrics, and crowd-pleasing showmanship continues to resonate today.
