Dance in the USA

As you have seen, we have told about a lot of things of the music in the US, but... how about dance?

In this publication I am going to talk about different types of dance which have left their mark in worldwide music and dance.

Origins: African-American dance

Stick dance was a dance style that African-Americans developed on American plantations during the slavery era, where dancing was used to practise "secret military drills" among the slaves, where the stick used in the dance was in fact a disguised weapon.

African Stick Dance & Drum Buxton Spring Arts 2014

pre-19th century: Harlem Renaissance

Black culture had a real influence on dance and other art forms in the 20th century. After the American

civil war a surge of people from the Caribbean and Deep South migrated into North American cities. In New York the district of Harlem became home to black people from different cultural traditions with their own dances and music.

Harlem became the ‘in place’ to be amongst both black and white New Yorkers – its clubs brought together dance and music that was alive and exciting. Dances such as the Charleston, Lindyhop and Jitterbug sprang from these clubs as did Jazz music. The influence of this Harlem Renaissance on music and dance in New York in the early 1920s spread into Europe.

19th Century: Cakewalk

Its origins in slavery and the plantation south, the Cakewalk was the sole organized and even condoned forum for servants to mock their masters. A send-up of the rich folks in the "Big House," the cakewalk mocked the aristocratic and grandiose mannerisms of southern high-society. Much bowing and bending were characteristic of the dance, which was more a performance than anything else. Couples lined up to form an aisle, down which each pair would take a turn at a high-stepping promenade through the others. In many instances the Cakewalk was performance, and even competition. The dance would be held at the master’s house on the plantation and he would serve as judge. The dance’s name comes from the cake that would be awarded to the winning couple.

Cakewalk - The Harlem Hot Shots

Swing

The Swing era began in the 1920s and 30s America, when Big Bands took over pop culture. Swing music

has lived on ever since, influencing each new generation of music. Swing dance is a broad term to describe a variety of partner dances evolving from the 20s to the present day. An exciting evolution in jazz music broke out of New York’s Harlem district in the late 1920s. With this new sound, a new dance was created.


Vintage swing dance : Jean Phelps Veloz 1943

Charleston

The Charleston Dance was the most popular terpsichorean craze of the Roaring Twenties. The dance originated as early as 1903 in the African American community of a small island off the coast of Charleston, South Carolina. Enthusiastically taken up by blacks in Charleston, the dance was named after the city. By 1913, the Charleston Dance was being staged in Harlem, New York nightclub shows.

Quick 'Charleston' Moves - Gatsby Style

Pasha Kovalev & Chelsee Healey - Charleston (dance only)

Rock and roll was everything the suburban 1950s were not. While parents of the decade were listening to

Frank Sinatra, Perry Como, and Big Bands, their children were moving to a new beat.
In fact, to the horror of the older generation, their children were twisting, thrusting, bumping, and grinding to the sounds of rock and roll.
The roots of rock and oll lay in African American blues and gospel. As the Great Migration brought many African Americans to the cities of the north, the sounds of rhythm and blues attracted suburban teens.

Rock and roll sent shockwaves across America. A generation of young teenagers collectively rebelled against the music their parents loved. In general, the older generation loathed rock and roll. Appalled by the new styles of dance the movement evoked, churches proclaimed it Satan's music.

Because rock and roll originated among the lower classes and a segregated ethnic group, many middle-class whites thought it was tasteless. Rock and roll records were banned from many radio stations and hundreds of schools.

The Best Ever Rock and Roll Dancing (1950s)

Rock and roll is the most brutal, ugly, degenerate, vicious form of expression — lewd, sly, in plain fact, dirty — a rancid-smelling aphrodisiac and the martial music of every side-burned delinquent on the face of the earth.

– Frank Sinatra (1957)

The Twist, a dance done by swiveling the hips, became a worldwide dance craze in the early 1960s.

No one is quite sure who actually started swiveling their hips in this manner; some say it might have been part of an African dance brought to the United States during the slavery era.

How to do the twist

The Twist dance was easy to do, which helped make it so popular. It was usually done with a partner,

although no touching was involved.

Basically it's a simple twisting of the hips. Some describe it as if you are pretending to stamp out a fallen cigarette or drying your back with a towel.

Let's Twist Again - Chubby Checker

Rarely does a dance movement fit so precisely within a decade. Seventies Disco was born on Valentine's

Day 1970, when David Manusco opened The Loft in New York City, and it rapidly faded in 1980. When the Disco movement peaked in 1978-79, the demographic was predominantly white, heterosexual, urban and suburban middle class. But it didn't begin that way. For the first eight years, Disco was an underground movement. Then the film Saturday Night Fever (December 1977) helped turn the simmering subculture into a mainstream fad, resulting is a 30-fold increase in disco clubs.


Who went to discos, and why?

There wasn't one definitive disco demographic. The seventies saw the emergence of today's pluralism, where individual variety of interests and tastes surpasses mass trends and fads. Thus several different populations were attracted to the disco scene.

So one could say that the original disco subculture was a fusion of the gay urban party scene, partnered dancing kept alive by Latinos, and African American music. Then once the ball was rolling, many other populations of Americans were also attracted to Discos, for a wide variety of reasons. From there, Disco quickly spread to Europe and parts of Asia.

HOW TO DANCE PROPERLY ON GET LUCKY

Funk styles refers to a group of street dance styles that originated in California in the 1970s during the funk era. These mainly include locking, popping, and electric boogaloo. Though many of these dance styles have been incorporated into hip hop culture and are often seen danced to hip hop music, they were originally (and are still) danced to funk music. One of the reasons that the term funk styles first appeared was to give these dances their own identity and avoid them being primarily associated with B-boying which is from New York City.

Earth Wind and Fire Mighty Mighty Funk Funky Dancing

Breakdance is a dynamic dance style that is a major component of the hip-hop culture. Breakdancing developed in the South Bronx of New York City during the late 20th century, coinciding with the disco era.

Breakdancing was born in response to James Brown's dance moves on television program Soul Train to his song "Get on the Good Foot." People tried to mimick Brown's moves alone in their living rooms and together at parties.

Soul Train is an American musical variety television program, which aired in syndication from 1971 until

2006. In its 35-year history, the show primarily featured performances by R&B, soul, and hip hop artists, although funk, jazz, disco, and gospel artists have also appeared.

Original breakdancing moves consisted mainly of fancy footwork and body freezes, with less intricate tricks such as head spinning. Dancers started adding smoother steps and body movements, forming a true dance style. Breakdancing soon gained popularity in disco and dance clubs.

80s breakdancing on us tv

Breakdancing today

As breakdancing further evolved, dancers began placing more emphasis on groundwork with stylized leg movements, commonly known as "downrock." Soon, breakdancers were adding spectacular moves such as handgliding, backspinning, windmilling, and headspinning: ground moves that comprise breakdancing as we know it today.

Breakdance gained worldwide popularity during the 1980's and 1990's. Breakdancers began to be incorporated into movies and theater productions. Today, breakdancing and hip-hop classes are taught in dance studios around the country.

Compared to many other dance forms, hip hop has a relatively short history. The beginnings of this dance form date back to the 1960s and 70s, but of course the movements and the music have roots dating back much further in time. Hip hop dancing is thought to have officially begun in New York City during the late 1960s and early 70s.




During this time, individuals without professional dance training but with a natural instinct for movement brought dancing to the streets. A dance form meant to be popular in the original sense of the word, meaning that it was for the people and not for the academy, hip hop moves were inspired by complex rhythms and the down-to-earth movement style of African dancing. Music and movement came together to form a new art. While vestiges of modern, tap, swing, and African dancing can all be found in hip hop, this dance style is really in a class of its own when it comes to improvisation and an edge of competition.

1980s Evolution of Hip Hop

When hip hop first started it was a performative, but informal, dance culture. B-boys and b-girls (terms introduced by DJ Herc) would be invited to show off their moves by other people on the street, on the basketball court, or wherever the group happened to be. As the moves became more institutionalized (for example, breaking, popping, and locking), and more and more dancers got caught up in the rhythms of the music, more formal dance venues arose. While these performances were more formal, the competitive nature of hip hop remained, as well as the circular nature of the audience surrounding the dancers.

"Evolution of Hip-Hop Dancing" (w/ Jimmy Fallon & Will Smith)

Professionally known as Les Twins, identical twin brothers Laurent and Larry Bourgeois (born December 6, 1988) are French dancers, choreographers, and models. Often referred to by their respective nicknames, "Lil Beast" and "Ca Blaze", they are recognized internationally for their talents in new style hip-hop dancing.

LES TWINS World of Dance San Diego 2010 WOD | YAK FILMS

Vogue is a form of modern dance characterized by photo model like poses taken from Vogue (magazine) integrated with angular, linear and rigid arm, leg and body movements. The style of dance arose from the Harlem ballrooms back in the early 1930s, which was then called "performance" and evolved into the more intricate and illusory form that is now called "vogue".

AYA VOGUE DANCE PT.2

Search YouTube for the Harlem Shake and more than 200,000 results pop up: a group of sky divers thrust their pelvises and pump their fists in a wild dance move while falling amid the clouds; members of the University of Georgia men’s swim-and-dive team do similar moves in their trunks underwater; Norwegian Army officers stand stoically in camouflage and berets before breaking into their version of the dance, all set to an electronic groove.

The real Harlem Shake, a much more raw, technical, fluid, frenetic dance, was born in New York City more than 30 years ago. During halftime at streetball games held in Rucker Park, a skinny man known in the neighborhood as Al. B. would entertain the crowd with his own brand of moves, a dance that around Harlem became known as “The Al. B.”

The Real Harlem Shake (Dance)

BIBLIOGRAPHY

http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/h/history-of-black-dance-20th-century-black-american-dance/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African-American_dance#New_York_City_and_the_Harlem_Renaissance

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stick_dance_%28African-American%29

http://xroads.virginia.edu/~ug03/lucas/cake.html

http://theswingdancecompany.co.uk/history/

http://www.vintageperiods.com/charleston.php

http://www.ushistory.org/us/53d.asp

http://history1900s.about.com/od/1960s/qt/Twist.htm

https://socialdance.stanford.edu/Syllabi/disco_lifestyle.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Funk_styles

http://dance.about.com/od/typesofdance/a/Break_History.htm

http://dance.lovetoknow.com/History_of_Hip_Hop_Dance

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Twins

https://vk.com/topic-11844183_22613725

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/01/nyregion/behind-harlem-shake-craze-a-dance-thats-over-a-decade-old.html?_r=0

Music in the 90s

       Today we are going to describe such as an important decade as the 90's which was an era that started in 1991. One of the most important wars in the United States history had taken place; the US-Soviet Cold War. Nevertheless, this same year, the United States would take part in the Persian Gulf War against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait. Moreover, is an era characterized by an economic expansion immediately after Clinton's presidency thanks to the digital revolution and the new opportunities of business created by the Internet. All this was reflected in the music allowing for digital music creation, recording on home computers and digital distribution of music.

       It was one filled with a variety of pop, rap and alternative music artists as well as an amount of one-hit wonders. It was a time when musical taste was as varied as the events that were happening at that time and in which styles morphed and/or merged into music that often sounded both edgy and oddly familiar. Many of the most popular acts that emerged in the 1990's were bands and artists who enjoyed a type of resurgence in the mainstream music scene after their popularity had decreased for a decade or so. Other artists were just starting out during this decade and making a huge impact on the musical scene.

       Due to the huge amount of artists we have in this decade, as the page we have used for the bibliography shows, we are going to show a little explanation of some of the most memorable artists that helped to define the era.

The early years of the 1990's began with a surge in popularity for music genres like techno (often called dance or house music) with artist such as Moby and hip-hop that continued throughout the decade with artists like Vanilla Ice, 2Pac, Lauryn Hill, Ludacris, Missy Elliott and Lil Wayne, among others. Those three later, turned the genre Hip- Hop towards Dirty South and Crunk by the end of the 1990's.

                                             Lost Ones- Lauryn Hill

One Minute Man- Missy Elliott feat Ludacris

NEO-SOUL:  

In the mid-1990's, this genre arose and it added 1970's soul influences to the hip hop soul blend, led by artists such as D'Angelo, Erykah Badu, Lauryn Hill, and Maxwell. Lauryn Hill and Missy Elliott further blurred the line between R&B and hip hop by recording both styles.





D'Angelo- Brown Sugar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_WzjiTzZBA


Nevertheless, around late 1992 to early 1993, there was a change starting in the mainstream radio playlists. While the sexual lyrics of techno and hip-hop still dominated the airwaves, a new style of rock music which was too wide was making an impact. Bands like Pearl Jam and Soundgarden were offering youngsters a new type of rock music to listen to that contained catchy lyrics about the anxiety and trials of teenage years. These songs also seemed to send a message about the status quo of society and the helplessness that was felt among the teens and early adults of the era. Nirvana’s song “Smells Like Teen Spirit” spoke about a teen revolution in a seemingly meaningless world and it also marked the beginning of the grunge and alternative rock phase that remained popular throughout the mid-1990's.

Grunge’s gloominess and rebellion eventually merged into a broad mid-1990s genre of so-called “alternative” rock, which included all sorts of performers. Also, the most notables bands were Blink-182, Faith No More and Rage Against the Machine.


By late 1995, many young people were getting tired of the hopelessness that the grunge and alternative bands were inundating the airwaves with and they were ready for something fresh and new. As a result of this feeling,  a movement of “happy rock” arose with bands like Hootie and the Blowfish, Sister Hazel, and The Bodeans which perpetuated upbeat melodies and positive lyrics that many people were ready for after years of negativity. These bands also created a resurgence in songs that dealt with love and relationships through ballads and happier-sounding songs.

Smells Like Teen Spirit- Nirvana

I Miss You- Blink 182

Nevertheless rock dominated in the early 90's, Pop and teen-pop continue to appeal to a younger radio audience with artists such as Michael Jackson (the pop's king in 80's incorporated a new genre called new jack swing into his 1991 album Dangerous), Madonna, Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston and Boyz II Men (which re-popularized classic soul-inspired vocal harmonies) brought Contemporary R&B to a worldwide platform.

Moreover, the “happy rock” years in the mid-90's and the British girl group The Spice Girls (which managed to break the American market) helped to pave the way for the “bubblegum pop” that followed in the waning years of the decade with artists like Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Jennifer Lopez, Destiny's Child (a group of girls in which was Beyoncé) which dominated the mainstream pop music scene well into the late 1990's and beyond. The sexual lyrics and innuendos also came back, as well as sexual videos, in the songs of this era that was once popular in the early years of the decade, but they were more blatant than before. 

The later years of the decade also saw a new popularity for traditional boy bands such as the Backstreet Boys, 98 Degrees and N’Sync which enjoyed the same amount of, if not more, popularity than older boy bands like New Kids on the Block from the late 1980's. As the same time that Janet Jackson and Céline Dion achieved worldwide success.

                                     I Will Always Love You- Whitney Houston

My Heart Will Go On- Céline Dion

Everybody- The Backstreet Boys

  

Country music also exploded in popularity in the early 1990's, as the old-school Nashville sound of performers such as George Jones and Tammy Wynette gave way to newer artists such as Garth Brooks, Shania Twain and Tim McGraw, among others, or groups like Lonestar and Dixie Chicks.The stage had been set in 1989 with the debuts of several performers who proved to be profoundly influential on the genre during the 1990's and beyond. Brooks, who was the most notable, recorded primarily in a honky-tonk style, although he frequently combined elements of soft rock and arena rock in his songs. His songs sometimes explored social themes, such as domestic violence ("The Thunder Rolls") and racial harmony ("We Shall Be Free"), while others – such as "Friends in Low Places" — were just good-time songs.

We Shall Be Free- Garth Brooks

I hope you have enjoyed our publication about the 90's! We have talked about many of the most important artists of the 80's, but there are much more you can research about  and sure you will find a lot of amazing artists.

Best Regards!

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

http://www.thepeoplehistory.com/90smusic.html

http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/the-90s-the-last-great-decade/articles/the-90s-music/

http://www.rockmusictimeline.com/1990s.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1990s_in_music

Playbacks

Today we are going to talk about such an curious matter as the playbacks. Firstly, we are going to define this word: it is the act of reproducing a sound or video recording, especially to check a recording that is newly made.

Due to the huge amount of artists we have in the history, as the page we have used for the bibliography, we are going to make a little resume of some of them and this way it will be more enjoyable for you.

Beyoncé: sang the Star-Spangled Banner hymn in Washington DC at the inauguration ceremony of President Barack Obama in 2013. She did a playback and she said that she couldn't prepare it because she had the US Super Bowl next month.

Obama's inauguration- 2013

Ariana Grande: led the show of the All Star Game of the NBA on February, 15, 2015, during the halftime of the match and shared prominence with Nicki Minaj and Christina Aguilera. She used the playback in some parts of her performance due to a technical problem.

NBA All Stars- 2015

Red Hot Chili Peppers: acted together with Bruno Mars in the song " Give it Away " in the Super Bowl on February, 2014. They used the playback before the request of the NFL, who thought that it was too difficult to do an absolutely live performance and that there might be possible problems of sound.

Super Bowl-2014

Britney Spears: is one of the figures that uses more this resource, according to it some videos demonstrate of her in the social networks. She used it in a concert in Australia in 2009 and, in Chile and Colombia in 2011, among others.

Tour Britney: Piece of Me- Las Vegas

Kesha: was embarrassing when in a presentation of the television program Saturday Night Live, appeared singing her song 'Tik Tok' with playback.

SNL-2010

Justin Bieber: It is said that he has used playbacks from the beginning due to his change of voice but finally, in that video you can see that he used it in a concert in Santiago of Chile in 2013. Also, he used it in Ariana's Grande concert in 2015 in Los Angeles when he forgot the lyrics or in 2012 when he vomit in his concert in Arizona.

Concert in Santiago of Chile-2013

Madonna: gave her ninth concert tour in 2012 called "MDNA Tour" which visited the Americas, Europe, and the Middle East and in which she did playback, but it is not the only one, as you can see in the video when she took down the microphone and the music continued sounding.

MDNA Tour-2012

Mariah Carey: acted at the Jazz and Blues festival in Jamaica this year, in 2015, and she used a hideous lip sync performance.

Jazz and Blues festival, Jamaica- 2015

Katy Perry: simulated to touch the flute in 2011 in a concert in Manchester. Also, she did playback in the song "Roar" in the NRJ Music Awards in 2013 and in the halftime show of the Super Bowl in 2015.

Manchester, 2011

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlJZRuSlLeI (NJR Music Awards- 2013 in Cannes, France)

Jennifer Lopez and Pitbull: led the ceremony of opening of the world Cup of Brazil, in 2014, together with Claudia Leitte with the song " We are one " using the playback what led to the jeers in the social networks.

World Cup of Brazil- 2014

There is a video with the top 10 lip sync fails in which there are some of that were showed to you previously. 

To sum up, whatever statement that they will say, such as a technical problem which is the most usual, some people say that most of them do playback in their performances with the aim to be able to realize well their choreographies. In spite of this, he continues being singers who continue filling entire stadiums.

We hope you have enjoyed this post and that you very much for your visit. I have talked about many of the artist, but there are much more, you can research about them and sure you will be surprised.

Best regards!

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-21290682
http://fansided.com/2015/02/15/ariana-grande-nba-star-game-haltime-performance-video/
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2551977/Flea-Gives-It-Away-reveals-Red-Hot-Chili-Peppers-did-not-play-live-Super-Bowl-halftime-show.html
http://time.com/8747/britney-spears-forgot-to-lip-sync-during-her-las-vegas-show-but-thats-okay/
http://www.ew.com/article/2010/04/19/kesha-snl-performances
http://www.generaccion.com/usuarios/15017/kesha-hace-playback-saturday-night-live
http://hollywoodlife.com/2015/04/09/justin-bieber-lip-syncing-ariana-grande-concert-singing-to-playback-video/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_MDNA_Tour#Background
http://www.directlyrics.com/mariah-carey-serves-embarrassing-lipsync-mess-in-jamaica-mustwatch-news.html
http://www.closermag.fr/people/people-anglo-saxons/nrj-music-awards-interrompue-en-playback-katy-perry-doit-chanter-en-live-245623
http://www.thehothits.com/news/27279/katy-perry-pranks-the-entire-internet-with-a-flute-joke
http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/latin-notas/6121128/jennifer-lopez-pitbull-world-cup-opening-ceremony-video
http://www.20minutos.com/noticia/21053/0/ariana-grande/mariah-carey-beyonce/playback/

Music in the 80s

THE 80S

There are a lot of things to say about the 80s, I have tried to summarise this huge decade the best I could. It was a great surprise the fact that I know something about almost all the songs I have mentioned here. It’s maybe because the 80s were full of amazing artists and songs which are also known nowadays.

MTV

Music in the 1980s was all about image and with the advent and popularity of MTV, the images that accompanied artists became more important than ever.

Arguably the most important event to influence music during the 1980s was the creation of the cable network

MTV (Music Television). MTV was the first network to exclusively showcase music videos, making its debut on August 1st, 1981. The first music video to be played on the channel was, appropriately, the Buggles' "Video Killed the Radio Star," as music would forever change and the focus would shift from music and lyrics to fashion and theatrics, at least in the world of pop music. The original concept of the network was to play music videos twenty-four hours a day, every day. And, while this has obviously changed since then, the innovative concept created a whole new breed of pop star.

The Buggles' "Video Killed the Radio Star"

POP: New Pop Superstars

Pop stars and their music changed in the 1980s with the help of MTV and a greater focus on image. A new breed of mega-stars emerged, becoming iconic mascots for the genre and defining the decade through fashion, talent and persona. Some of the superstars to emerge were Madonna, Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston and Prince. They experienced a level of fame and success not seen since Elvis Presley and the Beatles. Later, I am going to talk about Michael Jackson in detail.

           

These stars influenced fashion through their music videos, giving fans a first-hand glimpse into emerging trends. Their songs set the gold standard for what pop music should be, and through constant reinvention they were able to navigate the pop culture world and keep themselves relevant. Thirty years on, they are still the standard that today's pop stars get compared to. There are several reasons they these pop mega-stars emerged, the main one being they were genuinely talented artists. Other reasons include a greater public interest in celebrity gossip, fashion and increased obsession with pop culture. It also was related to the public having an increased disposable income and a want to imitate celebrity affluence. Changes in technology also contributed to the availability of music (MTV), better ways to listen (CDs and cassettes), and portability of music (the Walkman and boom-boxes). Lastly, a lot of these superstars' success can be accounted for through smart marketed by record companies and the artists' ability to look at themselves as brands.

Whitney Houston - I Wanna Dance with Somebody ( HQ Stereo) (1988 30th GRAMMY Awards)

Old Pop Stars and Their New Solo Careers

One trend in pop music during the decade was the re-emergence of older musicians who had once been

Tina Turner

popular as a part of a group or duo into their own solo careers. Some examples include Diana Ross, Cher, Lionel Richie, Tina Turner and Paul McCartney. These artists had already experienced success during the 1960s and 1970s and a few of them had even tried becoming actors during that time. They also came into successful solo careers after adapting to the new musical landscape. Cher, Tina Turner and Diana Ross all updated their looks to keep up with fashion, Lionel Richie made memorable music videos and adapted his soulful sound into the new style of pop music and Paul McCartney collaborated with other successful musicians to keep himself relevant.


Part of the reason these artists were successful had to do with the fact that the Baby Boom generation was

Diana Ross

coming into adulthood and had an influx of disposable income to spend on the records of artists they had grown up listening to. They brought a sense of nostalgia for the good old days of music and yet their songs and styles were updated, combining the best of both worlds.

All night long - Lionel Richie

Hip Hop & Rap

Hip Hop/Rap music originated in African American communities in New York City in the 1970s and

became more mainstream and part of popular culture in the mid to late 1980s. Hip hop music originally had a difficult time breaking into the mainstream due to MTV's reluctance to show music videos of black artists. After much criticism, the network started to embrace black musicians like Michael Jackson, whose videos were amongst the most popular, paving the way for hip hop artists like Run DMC and LL Cool J to usher in the era of commercialized rap music. As the genre gained traction on MTV, it gave the white middle class a glimpse into inner city culture and many conservative parents of the time were disapproving of the genre that had been called the "new rock n' roll." Key elements of the genre include sampling old records, rapping lyrics, fun sounds with an underlying message, beat-boxing and electronic sounds.


Hip hop music sounded like nothing that had been heard before in mainstream music and the late 1980s was thought of as the Golden Age, were everything seemed original and innovative. By the end of the decade MTV started airing the program "Yo! MTV Raps" making the hip hop and rap music a global phenomenon. Important hip hop acts like Run DMC and LL Cool J made the genre commercial and were style icons, the Beastie Boys made the music "white friendly" and added elements of rock music, and Salt-n-Pepa were female pioneers of the genre.

Yo! MTV Raps - Episode 1 (1988)

New Wave

The New Wave genre began in the 1970s and was popular until the mid-1980s. The focus of this music

was on artistic themes and the sound was tied to punk rock, dance music, synthesizers and other electronic instruments. New Wave eventually became tied to pop music as music videos from the genre were heavily promoted on MTV. The term "New Wave" is meant as an all-encompassing term that allows a variety of highly diverse artists to fit into the same category. Some artists had a futuristic sound while others were closer to punk rock. New Wave bands and artists had an impact on fashion with their unique clothing and hairstyles that the youth culture would adopt. Many of the decades one hit wonders fell into this genre. Some of the definitive New Wave bands were Duran Duran, Blondie, Billy Idol, the Talking Heads, and Culture Club.

Blondie - Heart Of Glass
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGU_4-5RaxU

Hair Metal

Hair Metal had its roots in the 1970s Glam Rock. Popular bands in the genre often came from the L.A. Sunset Strip music scene and the United Kingdom. Hair metal bands would pull influences from heavy metal, punk rock, and traditional rock music to develop their sound. Lyrically, songs had catchy hooks and a pop sensibility. Songs were often party anthems or power ballads and would focus on themes of being an outlaw, drugs and women. Groups from this genre were called "Hair Bands" because members of these male-dominated bands would often have long and big-styled hair and would wear makeup and spandex clothing, creating an androgynous look. Bands in this genre fell on large spectrum from being almost pop music/soft rock to a heavier and grittier sound and nearly all of them had a flamboyant and outgoing lead singer. Hair metal bands were also associated with a hard-partying lifestyle, groupies and drug-use. Notable hair bands from the decade include Bon Jovi, Van Halen, Aerosmith, Def Leppard, Guns n' Roses, and Poison.

Guns N' Roses - Sweet Child O' Mine

MICHAEL JACKSON: THE KING OF POP

To finish my publication I am going to talk about Michael Jackson; I think he deserve a special mention for all he has contributed in the music world.

A little bit of biography:

Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, record

producer, dancer, and actor. Called the King of pop, his contributions to music and dance, along with his publicized personal life, made him a global figure in popular culture for over four decades.

The eighth child of the Jackson family, he debuted on the
professional music scene along with his elder brothers as a
member of the Jackson 5 in 1964, and began his solo career in
1971. In the early 1980s, Jackson became a dominant figure
in popular music. The music videos for his songs, including
those of "Beat it", "Billie Jean", and "Thriller", were credited with breaking down racial barriers and with transforming the medium into an art form and promotional tool. The popularity of these videos helped to bring the then-relatively-new television channel MTV to fame.


With videos such as "Black or White" and "Scream", he continued to innovate the medium throughout the 1990s, as well as forging a reputation as a touring solo artist. Through stage and video performances, Jackson popularized a number of complicated dance techniques, such as the robot and the moonwalk, to which he gave the name. His distinctive sound and style has influenced numerous hip-hop, post-disco, contemporary R&B, pop, and rock artists.

Michael’s music was released during this decade was a major influence on 80’s music and style. People around the world tried to mimic Michael in every way, from the moon walk in their performances to the gloves and jackets that they wore.

THRILLER RECORDS 

(1) With sales of 29 million, according to the RIAA, "Thriller" is the best-selling studio album in U.S. history. The set is tied with the Eagles' best-of collection, "Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975."

(2) "Thriller" has spent the most weeks (37) atop the Billboard 200 of any album by a single artist. Only the "West Side Story" soundtrack (54) has reigned longer.

(3) The "Thriller" No. 1s "Billie Jean" and "Beat It" are two of Jackson's 13 Hot 100 leaders, the most of any solo male artist.

(4) "Thriller" became the first album to generate seven Hot 100 top 10 hits.

Michael Jackson - Thriller (Short Version)

I hope you have enjoyed my publication about the 80s! I have talked about many of the most important artists of the 80s, but there are much more, you can research about them and sure you will find a lot of amazing artists.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

http://www.thepeoplehistory.com/80smusic.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_history_of_the_United_States_in_the_1980s
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1980s_in_music#Hip_hop
http://80music.about.com/od/artistsfj/tp/topmjsongs.htm
http://tamumusicofthe80s.blogspot.com.es/2012/11/the-influence-of-michael-jackson_9905.html
http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop-shop/473949/michael-jacksons-thriller-at-30-how-one-album-changed-the-world
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Jackson#Discography