Re-evaluating rock's chart success in the 2010s
Sept 11, 2019 17:24:49 GMT 10
Post by SharksFan99 on Sept 11, 2019 17:24:49 GMT 10
This was something I was thinking about earlier today. The common consensus seems to be that rock (at least as a mainstream force) died sometime around 2011, however that is only perceiving it from the perspective that rock is solely "heavy, guitar-driven" music and nothing else. One topic which many people fail to address is how the indie scene fits into the equation. I personally believe you can make a case for the indie/hipster scene of this decade as having been an extension of the rock paradigm. While some songs rely heavily on electronics/synths and pop production techniques, others have several qualities which stylistically match the expectations that people have of a 'rock' song, such as having a traditional drum and guitar set-up or minimal influences from other genres.
Also, think of it from this point of view; how can the "indie" label be used to describe rock acts from the '80s-'00s such as The Smiths and Arctic Monkeys, yet also be used interchangeably to define minimalist, "pop songs" from the 2010s? If you're not going to regard the indie scene from this decade as "rock", you may as well give the scene a whole new label altogether.
Like I alluded to, I think many people are still caught up in the mindset that rock has to be "heavy" and "hard-hitting" for it to be regarded as a "rock song". To me, that mindset doesn't intuitively make sense from a 2019 context, because rock music itself has become increasingly fragmented and loosely defined over the past few decades. You're not going to get a formulaic rock song like "Back in Black" reach the Top-10 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the 2010s, but that doesn't mean a more acoustic-driven song such as Foster The People's "Pumped Up Kicks" shouldn't be considered "rock". Also, rock has an extensive history of incorporating electronic and synth elements into it's music as it is. To immediately discount a song as "rock" on the basis that it has an electronic instrumental arrangement or a synth beat is ridiculous.
That's something worth taking into account; genres are fusing together more than ever. Who would have ever thought that country and trap would combine to form a chart-topping single? Many pop songs from this decade have incorporated trap snares into their production, while hip-hop and rock artists have been collaborating with each other for decades. Heck, Post Malone and Ozzy Osbourne (of all people) have just released a new collaboration. The point i'm making is that the genres themselves are not a "black and white" concept and should be judged accordingly.
My own personal definition of rock is any form of music that predominantly uses the traditional drum and guitar set-up. With that in mind, there are several songs from this decade which can qualify as "rock" songs:
Early 2010s:
* "This Afternoon" - Nickelback (2010)
* "Ballad of Mona Lisa" - Panic at the Disco! (2011)
* "Check Yes Juliet" - We The Kings (2011)
* "Pumped Up Kicks" - Foster The People (2011)
* "Tongue Tied" - Grouplove (2012)
* "Ho Hey" - The Lumineers (2012)
* "It's Time" - Imagine Dragons (2012)
* "Still Into You" - Paramore (2013)
* "Best Day of my Life" - American Authors (2013)
* "Do I Wanna Know?" - Arctic Monkeys (2013)
Mid 2010s:
* "She Looks So Perfect" - 5 Seconds of Summer (2014)
* "Cool for the Summer" - Demi Lovato (2015)
* "Shut Up and Dance" - Walk The Moon (2015) - One of the Top-10 best selling singles of 2015.
* "She's Kinda Hot" - 5 Second of Summer (2015)
Late 2010s:
* "Cocoon" - Milky Chance (2017)
* "Sign of the Times" - Harry Styles (2017) - Topped the Top-40 charts globally.
* "Malibu" - Miley Cyrus" (2017) - Pop-rock song. Peaked within the Top-10 in the US and AUS.
* "Zombie" - Bad Wolves (2018)
* "Natural" - Imagine Dragons (2018) - I personally don't consider the majority of their releases to be "rock", but this one is a notable exception.
* "Jumpsuit" - Twenty One Pilots (2018)
* "Falling Down" - Lil Peep & XXXTentacion (2018) - Debuted within the Top-10 in several countries.
* "Youngblood" - 5 Seconds of Summer (2018) - Was the best-selling single of 2018 here in Australia.
* "In My Blood" - Shawn Mendes (2018)
* "High Hopes" - Panic at the Disco! (2018) - Peaked within the Top-10 in many countries and was one of the biggest hits of 2018.
* "11 Minutes" - YUNGBLUD ft. Halsey. (2019)
* "Sucker" - Jonas Brothers (2019) - Topped the Top-40 charts globally.
* "Circles" - Post Malone (2019)
* "Teeth" - 5 Seconds of Summer (2019)
Also, rock has had it's fingerprints on many pop and EDM releases from the 2010s. Marshmello's "One Thing Right" has a pop-punk style, guitar riff during the chorus, The Chainsmoker's "Who Do You Love" features acoustic guitar strings during it's verses and Miley Cyrus' "Slide Away" starts off with a guitar riff that is very reminiscent of "Lighting Crashes" by Live. Psychedelic-rock and alternative-rock have also been huge in the underground during the 2010s. While they haven't achieved Top-40 success, artists/bands such as Tame Impala, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard and Courtney Barnett have established massive, global fan bases.
Many people believe that rock is dead and has no chance of ever making a comeback to the mainstream, but the songs listed above suggest that rock has never truly went away in the first place. Perhaps its diminished presence in the Top-40 can partly be blamed on the aesthetics and trends of the 2010s? Rock has definitely had an influence on the trajectory of mainstream music during this decade, even if it is no longer as dominant as it once was.
What are your thoughts on this?
Also, think of it from this point of view; how can the "indie" label be used to describe rock acts from the '80s-'00s such as The Smiths and Arctic Monkeys, yet also be used interchangeably to define minimalist, "pop songs" from the 2010s? If you're not going to regard the indie scene from this decade as "rock", you may as well give the scene a whole new label altogether.
Like I alluded to, I think many people are still caught up in the mindset that rock has to be "heavy" and "hard-hitting" for it to be regarded as a "rock song". To me, that mindset doesn't intuitively make sense from a 2019 context, because rock music itself has become increasingly fragmented and loosely defined over the past few decades. You're not going to get a formulaic rock song like "Back in Black" reach the Top-10 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the 2010s, but that doesn't mean a more acoustic-driven song such as Foster The People's "Pumped Up Kicks" shouldn't be considered "rock". Also, rock has an extensive history of incorporating electronic and synth elements into it's music as it is. To immediately discount a song as "rock" on the basis that it has an electronic instrumental arrangement or a synth beat is ridiculous.
That's something worth taking into account; genres are fusing together more than ever. Who would have ever thought that country and trap would combine to form a chart-topping single? Many pop songs from this decade have incorporated trap snares into their production, while hip-hop and rock artists have been collaborating with each other for decades. Heck, Post Malone and Ozzy Osbourne (of all people) have just released a new collaboration. The point i'm making is that the genres themselves are not a "black and white" concept and should be judged accordingly.
My own personal definition of rock is any form of music that predominantly uses the traditional drum and guitar set-up. With that in mind, there are several songs from this decade which can qualify as "rock" songs:
Early 2010s:
* "This Afternoon" - Nickelback (2010)
* "Ballad of Mona Lisa" - Panic at the Disco! (2011)
* "Check Yes Juliet" - We The Kings (2011)
* "Pumped Up Kicks" - Foster The People (2011)
* "Tongue Tied" - Grouplove (2012)
* "Ho Hey" - The Lumineers (2012)
* "It's Time" - Imagine Dragons (2012)
* "Still Into You" - Paramore (2013)
* "Best Day of my Life" - American Authors (2013)
* "Do I Wanna Know?" - Arctic Monkeys (2013)
Mid 2010s:
* "She Looks So Perfect" - 5 Seconds of Summer (2014)
* "Cool for the Summer" - Demi Lovato (2015)
* "Shut Up and Dance" - Walk The Moon (2015) - One of the Top-10 best selling singles of 2015.
* "She's Kinda Hot" - 5 Second of Summer (2015)
Late 2010s:
* "Cocoon" - Milky Chance (2017)
* "Sign of the Times" - Harry Styles (2017) - Topped the Top-40 charts globally.
* "Malibu" - Miley Cyrus" (2017) - Pop-rock song. Peaked within the Top-10 in the US and AUS.
* "Zombie" - Bad Wolves (2018)
* "Natural" - Imagine Dragons (2018) - I personally don't consider the majority of their releases to be "rock", but this one is a notable exception.
* "Jumpsuit" - Twenty One Pilots (2018)
* "Falling Down" - Lil Peep & XXXTentacion (2018) - Debuted within the Top-10 in several countries.
* "Youngblood" - 5 Seconds of Summer (2018) - Was the best-selling single of 2018 here in Australia.
* "In My Blood" - Shawn Mendes (2018)
* "High Hopes" - Panic at the Disco! (2018) - Peaked within the Top-10 in many countries and was one of the biggest hits of 2018.
* "11 Minutes" - YUNGBLUD ft. Halsey. (2019)
* "Sucker" - Jonas Brothers (2019) - Topped the Top-40 charts globally.
* "Circles" - Post Malone (2019)
* "Teeth" - 5 Seconds of Summer (2019)
Also, rock has had it's fingerprints on many pop and EDM releases from the 2010s. Marshmello's "One Thing Right" has a pop-punk style, guitar riff during the chorus, The Chainsmoker's "Who Do You Love" features acoustic guitar strings during it's verses and Miley Cyrus' "Slide Away" starts off with a guitar riff that is very reminiscent of "Lighting Crashes" by Live. Psychedelic-rock and alternative-rock have also been huge in the underground during the 2010s. While they haven't achieved Top-40 success, artists/bands such as Tame Impala, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard and Courtney Barnett have established massive, global fan bases.
Many people believe that rock is dead and has no chance of ever making a comeback to the mainstream, but the songs listed above suggest that rock has never truly went away in the first place. Perhaps its diminished presence in the Top-40 can partly be blamed on the aesthetics and trends of the 2010s? Rock has definitely had an influence on the trajectory of mainstream music during this decade, even if it is no longer as dominant as it once was.
What are your thoughts on this?