The ‘60s had The Beatles and the ‘80s had Michael Jackson. And the 21st century has… LMFAO?
Many students at the school believe that the quality of today’s popular music is declining. According to a recent Sagamore survey, 55 percent of students polled indicated that today’s popular music is “bad.”
Senior David Whipple, who is considered a music aficionado amongst many of his peers, shared an extreme experience he had with a song by Cobra Starship, a band recently on the iTunes Top 10 chart.
“I heard one of their songs and it made me physically ill,” said Whipple. “As with most hipsters, I’m not a huge fan of modern pop.”
The results of the survey seem to corroborate Whipple’s opinion. Despite the pop genre receiving a positive median rating of “4” out of five from those surveyed, a large amount of students said that they “dislike” the music of pop stars Justin Bieber, Katy Perry, Ke$ha and Lady Gaga. A clear consensus was reached regarding Bieber, as 73 percent of students stated that they do not like his music.
However, there are still individuals at the school who love pop music.
“I like pop music because in general, I think it’s fun to listen, sing and dance to,” said sophomore Chloe Sasson.
Sasson said that she, along with other pop fans, don’t just listen to music on Kiss 108 or the Billboard Hot 100.
“I really like every kind of music,” said Sasson. “I don’t like putting my taste in music into one distinct genre. Usually, I’ll judge a song based on the words and the originality.”
The survey echoed Sasson’s opinion, as every genre except for classical received a median rating of “3” or more out of five. One of these individuals who sees the values in all kinds of music is alumnus Andrew Ridker, who might be more well-known by his stage name DJ Whoquestion. Ridker has been DJing and making mashups since seventh grade. As a musician, he has an interesting perspective on what “good” music is.
“I think that a good song, like any work of art, accomplishes what it sets out to do,” said Ridker, who graduated in 2010 and is now a sophomore at Washington University in St. Louis. “So if a song is trying to convey anger or frustration, you’d better be wailing into the microphone. Likewise, if you’re trying to create a dumbed-down dance jam, make it unabashedly stupid and fun.”
Regardless of the survey’s results, music fans are able to put aside their differences and celebrate how open the world of music is now.
“I think the gradual dissolving of the music industry is allowing for much more freedom and experimentation with music, which is exciting,” said Ridker. “With the Internet, anyone can be heard, not just the groups signed to big record labels and aggressive marketing campaigns.”
Colby Bermel can be contacted at [email protected].
