Tuesday, Sep 8, 2020 • 21min
Ep. #32 | What Makes Pop Music POP?
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Jae and AleXa know some things about putting the POP in K-POP but what does this genre actually entail? We dive into the inner workings of our favorite Top 40 hits over the decades. Also, it just turns out pop really means popular.
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Talking about
Speakers
(2)
Jae Park
AleXa
Transcript
Verified
Jae Park
00:12
Alrighty. Welcome back to the program everybody, and this is the show How Did I Get Here. It's where we live our best lives on the internet, come out the other side knowing what?
Share
AleXa
00:19
A lot more but not feeling that much smarter. And this is because why?
Share
Jae Park
00:25
I have no idea. But we are your hosts. I am
Jae
and this is-Share
AleXa
00:28
Alexa
Share
Break
Jae Park
00:41
How was your last 15 minutes been? It took another 15 minute break.
Share
AleXa
00:45
You sound so sad. How has your last 15 minutes been. It's been good, chill.
Share
Jae Park
00:50
Why is your
Fiji Water
still full?Share
AleXa
00:52
I've been drinking my coffee.
Share
Jae Park
00:54
What kind of message does that send to our sponsors?
Share
AleXa
00:57
I love Fiji so much
Share
Jae Park
00:59
Fiji Water
.Share
01:01
Empty. Send me some
Fiji Water
. Anyway, the topic of today is actually kind of an interesting one. Topic is what makes Pop Music
POP. What in the world does that mean?Share
AleXa
01:15
I guess what makes
Pop Music
popular? Because I mean Pop Music
means popular music.Share
Jae Park
01:20
Oh like popular.
Share
AleXa
01:21
Yeah.
Share
Jae Park
01:21
I thought it meant like what makes
Pop Music
like POP.Share
AleXa
01:24
I mean that too.
Share
Speaker 3
01:25
Like I need that hook to pop more.
Share
AleXa
01:27
Okay, I guess yeah.
Share
Jae Park
01:28
Like layer it up'til it pops, one of those. Okay, I think I'm thinking too musically. Starting point is defining the
Pop Music
and it's cultural relevance. Definitely has a lot. Brand new whip just-Share
AleXa
01:41
What?
Share
Jae Park
01:42
Oh please don't let me down. Don't let me down please.
Share
AleXa
01:45
What did you say? What did you say?
Share
Jae Park
01:47
What's popping? Brand new whip just-
Share
AleXa
01:49
I don't, I don't know. If it's a modern music reference I'm not going to get it. I don't listen to-
Share
Jae Park
01:53
Okay, I'm sorry
Jack Harlow
, we've let you down.Share
AleXa
01:57
I don't know who that is.
Share
Jae Park
01:58
Pop is easily identified by its repetitive verses and instrumentals. True, because we use a lot of loops now.
Share
AleXa
02:06
True.
Share
Jae Park
02:06
Our brains really like patterns and
Pop Music
follow simple patterns that are easy for us to quickly pick up. That has been used to produce popular music for decades. You can even find it in the 20's Jazz music. Let's talk about this.Share
AleXa
02:18
Okay.
Share
Jae Park
02:19
There are things called money chords.
Share
AleXa
02:21
Money Chords.
Share
Jae Park
02:22
And what they are are general, a general set of usually 4, 5, 6 chords, right? Third progression, A B or C. And they're just repeated over and over and over and those are the chords that strike familiarity to the listeners.
Share
AleXa
02:38
Okay.
Share
Jae Park
02:38
And therefore, it becomes like more, I don't know, relatable to the fact that they've heard it over and over and over.
Share
AleXa
02:46
Okay.
Share
Jae Park
02:46
It's just produced in a different way and sounds different. So that's why people try to use money chords when producing hit songs. Lately, the trend has curved a little bit and people are going into more like niche, like underground sounding tones. Like if you listen to like
Daniel Caesar
. Daniel Caesar
uses very jazzy chords, you know what I mean?Share
AleXa
03:07
Jazz.
Share
Jae Park
03:07
I'm sure he has his fair share of money chord songs, but for the most part for what I know, it's like very jazzy. But he's like, he's like pretty famous too, right?
Share
AleXa
03:15
Yeah, I mean, I don't, I honestly don't know much about music and musicality. So this is why I trust you on talking about it.
Share
Jae Park
03:22
I don't either. I'm just talking out of my a- right now. But basically they do, I agree with this article. It's repetitive versus instrumental, especially if you listen to
Hip Hop
these days, Hip Hop
has become pop, right?Share
AleXa
03:36
Yeah, I suppose so. Nowadays, yeah.
Share
Jae Park
03:38
Right. And the whole meta right now in
Hip Hop
is "Da na na na na ma na na, Da na na na na na na ma na na". Number one, banger. I kinda like it. I don't hate it.Share
AleXa
03:55
I mean, it's like you said like when people have a sense of familiarity with music and patterns. It's like, okay I've heard this before and I liked it before, so I'll like it again.
Share
Jae Park
04:04
It's easily memorable.
Share
AleXa
04:06
Yeah, concerning music being memorable and people liking- I forgot, there's a specific bpm, that's the closest thing to the human heartbeat and that's why songs with that BPM are like successful. Isn't it like 134 or something
Share
Jae Park
04:17
What's the BPM? Now I'm curious.
Share
AleXa
04:19
Wait is it 133? I talked about this on radio, but I forgot what it was.
Share
Jae Park
04:23
BPM
Share
AleXa
04:24
BPM.
Share
04:24
Isn't it 133? Or?
Share
Jae Park
04:27
60 to 100.
Share
AleXa
04:28
Wait, no, but there's a specific BPM.
Share
Jae Park
04:30
40 beats per minute.
Share
AleXa
04:31
That was over. It's way over that. It's 100 something BPM. And it's like-
Share
Jae Park
04:36
60 to 100.
Share
AleXa
04:37
The closest thing to the human heart and that's why people tend to like those kind of like dance songs that have that kind of bass going on.
Share
Jae Park
04:45
BPM of heart attack, of human heart. Normal can be 60 to 100.
Share
AleXa
04:50
But that's not what it is.
Share
Jae Park
04:51
Really, it could be double time. So it could be 120.
Share
AleXa
04:54
Mayhaps, okay.
Share
Jae Park
04:54
60
Share
AleXa
04:54
Was it 128, 120, I think it was 128.
Share
Jae Park
04:58
Double time, yeah.
Share
AleXa
04:58
128
Share
Jae Park
04:58
Yeah. But yeah, I think most songs that I write are between 90 to 120.
Share
05:07
Yeah, right?
Share
AleXa
05:10
I guess.
Share
Jae Park
05:10
Anyway, yeah, I agree with that. I mean, everyone's written songs like that. Zombies like that. "I became a zombie, 오늘은 어떤 날이었나" is literally just an octave down. Mind blown.
Share
AleXa
05:29
You are correct and that bothers me.
Share
Jae Park
05:32
Yep, yeah. Because that's how
Hip Hop
works and that's why it's so easy to listen to. That's why it's easily singable. Zombie is a really simple song due to the fact that it's just a repetition other than the beat. So the A and the C are the same, it's just an octave above and variations.Share
AleXa
05:47
Yeah.
Share
Jae Park
05:48
Obviously with the kick and the interesting like yeah
808
. But yeah.Share
AleXa
05:52
Huh.
Share
Jae Park
05:54
Good song and it did really well in the charts because it's repetitive.
Share
AleXa
05:57
Or because it's
Day6
but.Share
Jae Park
05:59
That too. Okay our second article is.
Share
AleXa
06:02
How
Pop Music
evolved over time. Bill Stanley
, a British music journalist, wrote an entire 600 page book about his love for Pop Music
and tracking its progression in the US and UK's Postwar era.Share
Jae Park
06:16
Wow.
Share
AleXa
06:16
Where the emergence of youth culture took hold. For many people who bought his records, he gave the subject matter for the backdrop it deserved. This was the stuff of life itself.
Pop Music
has a pattern of taking all of the different sounds of a time and bringing it together to something that's more accessible to more types of people.Share
Jae Park
06:36
I think you just generally described music.
Share
AleXa
06:40
I mean, yeah.
Share
Jae Park
06:42
I guess so. I think
Pop Music
though is more like its popular music, right? So it's what's in with the crowd at the time.Share
AleXa
06:47
Right? So that last bullet point makes a lot of sense. So taking everything, all the sounds of the time and like mashing it together. Yeah.
Share
Jae Park
06:55
Yeah, Next article.
Pop Music
may be getting less popular. Interesting. What was the obvious candy formulated pop of 2000's and early 2010's is apparently fading in popularity as more independent artist are stepping into the mainstream. And with artists like Drake
and Post Malone
who have huge hits but don't necessarily fit the cookie cutter Pop Music
genre we originally know, some would argue that they're the new Pop Music
. It depends on your personal definition.Share
07:20
We were talking about this,
Hip Hop
is now pop. But, I don't know. I think you have to take this in segments because formulated pop, it may not be the same formula, but there's still a formula. Especially with the uprise of Soundcloud
artists from Type BeatsShare
AleXa
07:36
Yeah
Soundcloud
.Share
Jae Park
07:37
You would have to say, especially because like splice everyone is using the same samples right? Just cutting it up and making it different. I would still say that there's a formula. It's definitely different from the 2000's and right now in 2020. But there's definitely always, always, always going to be a formula. Yeah, but
Drake
is kind of interesting. Drake
has never fallen off.Share
AleXa
07:57
I mean I've never really listened to a lot of
Drake
personally. But I mean I know like the songs that have been like popular and circulated. But yeah, I'm just not getting into Post Malone
so.Share
Jae Park
08:10
Yeah, Post Malone has it. Have you listened to his recent album?
Share
AleXa
08:15
Not yet.
Share
Jae Park
08:15
That's my favorite album.
Share
AleXa
08:16
I will listen to it.
Share
Jae Park
08:16
By far. Well it's not that recent. It's
Hollywood's Bleeding
. Yeah.Share
AleXa
08:21
Because I've heard circles.
Share
Jae Park
08:22
Yeah, that album.
Share
AleXa
08:23
Oh Okay.
Share
Jae Park
08:24
I don't think he's released an album after that.
Share
AleXa
08:26
I'll check out the whole album.
Share
Jae Park
08:28
It's beautiful. It's solo written like he has acoustic hits like Stay. He had some bangers like
Hollywood's Bleeding
. He has one with Young Thug
. But dude, okay look.Share
AleXa
08:42
Oh he snapped, he said-
Share
Jae Park
08:44
Unpopular opinion, this may be unpopular. And this is completely off the topic.
Playboy Carti's
feature on Tyler, the Creator's
Earthquake was the hardest rap feature I've ever heard. That was the hardest rap feature I've ever heard.Share
09:03
I don't know what he's saying but it's dope. I legit don't know- he's making sounds but they sound really good.
Share
AleXa
09:08
Okay. But can we talk about the emergence and popularity of
Mumble Rap
becoming a thing nowadays?Share
Jae Park
09:13
Mumble rap is really interesting. I actually oh sorry. I
Mumble Rap
is really- I tried it in the studio because I was interested. I think you've heard it, it's called Lemonade.Share
AleXa
09:26
I need to hear these.
Share
Jae Park
09:26
It's kind of it's interesting. It's fun.
Share
AleXa
09:28
Okay
Share
Jae Park
09:29
Wanna hear it?
Share
AleXa
09:30
Sure.
Share
Jae Park
09:31
I don't think I have it right now but I'll send it to you.
Share
Speaker 4
09:33
A two, a one, three go.
Share
09:36
Okay, okay, anyway. I mean I played it on instagram live once. But it's just it's literally
Mumble Rap
. Yeah but it's kind of interesting and it's a lot harder than it seems because you have to mumble it just the exact amount for it to sound good. But then if you mumble it too much then it just sounds like not words.Share
AleXa
09:57
See
Mumble Rap
and indie singing sit at the same table.Share
Jae Park
09:59
Really you think so?
Share
AleXa
10:02
No it is different but if you get what I mean, it's the niche for both kind of things. It's like it's got that same kind of what's the word I'm looking for. I don't know what english but like it's just like the same kind of-
Share
Jae Park
10:12
Feeling?
Share
AleXa
10:13
You get it. It's like mumble rappers one thing but then indie singing is this other thing but if they were each other in the like different genres it would be the same thing.
Share
Jae Park
10:20
Oh like they have like a similar vibe.
Share
AleXa
10:22
Yeah.
Share
Jae Park
10:23
Yeah, indie singing I guess is very particular as well. What kind indie of artist are you talking about?
Share
AleXa
10:28
I don't listen to anyone in particular but-
Share
Jae Park
10:30
What do you mean?
Share
AleXa
10:32
Like I listen to a variety. I'm not gonna name names, but it's just like, especially with intonation. That's the thing because with mumble rapper relies on the fact that you're not over pronouncing things and like doing specific, what's the word I'm looking for. That and whenever-
Share
Jae Park
10:48
Pronouncing things in a certain way?
Share
AleXa
10:50
Yeah, sure we'll roll with that. Inflection! Yeah, yeah inflection.
Share
Jae Park
10:54
What does that even mean? Oh like the dynamics?
Share
AleXa
10:59
Exactly, and like with indie, you know, there's only like emphasis on certain syllables with things because then it's that, what's the word. I don't know.
Share
Jae Park
11:06
I don't know what kind of Indie artist you're talking about. Oh is it like one of those things that
JY
talks about on survival auditions where like you're singing but it doesn't sound like you're singing like your age?Share
AleXa
11:17
I don't know, I'm not in
JY
and I've never been on one of his survival shows. So that's your question for you. Dear J. Y. P
people can you answer this question please?Share
Jae Park
11:25
Is that a JY thing? No because I agree with that. You should sing how you talk. What your voice sounds like, should be what you sound like when you sing. Yeah, you kind of sing how you talk.
Share
AleXa
11:35
Yeah.
Share
Jae Park
11:36
That's actually really good.
Share
AleXa
11:38
Wow, coming from
Jae
of Day6
. Thanks, wow. Thanks.Share
Jae Park
11:42
Okay, moving on. Weird. Alright.
Pop Music
may be getting less popular, I don't think so. It's what you define Pop Music
as.Share
AleXa
11:51
I think it's just evolving, that's it. I feel like what may have been popular to one generation is fading out now. That's why people think this way.
Share
Jae Park
11:59
But
Pop Music
will always be Pop Music
because it's what's popular at the time.Share
AleXa
12:04
What's popping?
Share
Jae Park
12:05
Brand new whip just
Share
AleXa
12:07
I still don't-
Share
Jae Park
12:08
It's hopped in, it's hopped in.
Share
AleXa
12:10
Aggressive.
Share
Jae Park
12:12
Okay.
Share
AleXa
12:13
Agressive
Share
Jae Park
12:13
Yes.
Share
AleXa
12:15
Oh boy, I need me a drink of this
Fiji Water
now, that was aggressive.Share
Jae Park
12:24
And now that we have gone through the meat of today. We are going to rest your eary wears. Erie wears, weary ears, eerie weirs. With a beautiful song that
Day6
has come back with as a sub unit. This unit is comprised of Young K
, Wonpil
and Dowoon. And the song is good. Go take a listen.Share
12:46
[Where the sea sleeps -
Day6
(Even of Day)]Share
AleXa
17:03
Okay, so that was the music break. We are back, we are back. Are you guys participating on the hashtag on social media? Because I've seen some of those.
Share
Jae Park
17:12
I know.
Share
AleXa
17:12
Anyways, so we're back with some questions from you guys. This comes from Colleen on twitter. Do you remember your dreams when you wake up?
Share
Jae Park
17:21
I remember pieces of it.
Share
AleXa
17:22
Pieces of it?
Share
Jae Park
17:23
Do you remember full dreams when you wake up?
Share
AleXa
17:25
Not full dreams. But the thing is if I'm correct whenever you sleep, you only remember like the last 10 seconds of a dream or something? Last 15 or 10 seconds, that's all you remember.
Share
Jae Park
17:35
Is that what it actually is? Like statistically?
Share
AleXa
17:38
I read it somewhere, I don't remember what the exact number was. But it's like you don't remember your full dream and your brain is only like consciously thinking of these things for so long before you fall into actual sleep.
Share
Jae Park
17:48
I see what you mean.
Share
AleXa
17:48
Yeah.
Share
Jae Park
17:49
Yeah. I heard dreaming's really bad. We had a topic about this, but dreaming is really bad for rem sleep. So if you are dreaming-
Share
AleXa
17:55
Really?
Share
Jae Park
17:56
So do you dream every night?
Share
AleXa
17:58
I mean for the most part it's kind of just whatever is on my mind before I go to sleep and then that goes off into whatever hypothetical situation that happens but.
Share
Jae Park
18:07
Yeah, you might have sleep apnea.
Share
AleXa
18:10
Mayhaps.
Share
Jae Park
18:11
There is a cure for that. You can get this mask with this oxygen tank.
Share
AleXa
18:14
My dad uses that actually.
Share
Jae Park
18:16
Yeah, I've actually been considering investing in one, I've heard it helps a lot.
Share
AleXa
18:19
Sleep apnea.
Share
Jae Park
18:21
Sleep apnea. Second question, what are some effective and easy ways to practice mindfulness? How can we sleep better at night? In desperate need. The world wouldn't be the way it is if everyone had the answer to this.
Share
AleXa
18:34
Yeah.
Share
Jae Park
18:35
Mindfulness, I think that might be the worst, we might be the two worst cases.
Share
AleXa
18:41
I wouldn't trust our judgment so to say.
Share
Jae Park
18:45
But I have heard that our voices are very beautiful and cause asmr effects. So probably listen to our podcast before you sleep.
Share
AleXa
18:55
I mean, yeah. Okay.
Share
Jae Park
18:59
Are we on
ASC
Right now? Alright soothe them AleXa
.Share
AleXa
19:04
If you are listening to this podcast right now. Count backwards from 10, breathe in, hold it for 3. Exhale for 3, repeat this 4 times. Close your eyes. Nail tapping.
Share
Jae Park
19:23
Wow, literally sleep.
Fiji Water
.Share
AleXa
19:30
My broken nail.
Share
Jae Park
19:32
Alright, that wraps it up for the questions. If you have any questions for us for the future podcast, please send them to us with the hashtag HDIGH and let us know what should be our next big search. You can send it to us on Instagram and Twitter at the dive studios YouTube. com/divestudios YouTube. com/divepods for full episodes. Also we have a TikTok @TheDiveStudios. Don't forget to subscribe and to review this podcast.
Share
19:60
So once again, for those of you who don't know, I'm currently running a campaign for my birthday. It's called From Friends and it's basically just a campaign explaining that through a bridge of human interaction and connections. We are all interconnected.
Share
Speaker 3
20:16
There's a saying in
Korea
that over two bridges of human connection we could know the president. So basically everyone is interconnected and seeing to the fact that everyone's family pretty much, we should be helping each other out. So the concept From Friends is we're trying to give aid and lend aid where it's needed because of the fact that we should all really be friends. We're all connected.Share
Break
AleXa
20:60
I will gladly purchase honestly.
Share
Jae Park
21:02
You better purchase.
Share
AleXa
21:03
I will purchase, I will plug, I will tweet this, I will tweet it.
Share
Jae Park
21:06
Diane will also purchase a full set of clothes.
Share
AleXa
21:10
And then you're going to buy everything for every member of
Day6
, right?Share
Jae Park
21:12
They are going to buy things. It is my birthday for a reason.
Share
AleXa
21:17
Okay.
Share
Jae Park
21:18
Goodbye.
Share
AleXa
21:19
Bye.
Share
Speaker 4
21:19
How Did I Get Here? with Jae. Okay.
Share
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AleXa