From the early singer-songwriter stuff, all the way up to the semi recent boy band era, there always were Top 40 songs that had that sappy, cheesy pop sound to them.

The last one that became a totally massive hit was "I Knew I Loved You" by Savage Garden and maybe "Follow Me" by Uncle Kracker from 2000. Since then, a few like "She Will Be Loved" have sorta came close, but not quite, if you know what I mean.

Is this type of song more of an early '70s-2000 thing?

Yeah,I guess you're right there...something like the Backstreet Boys could never work now...it's just too cheesy.
Most ballads these days are mostly pseudo I find..

Isn't James Blunt "You're Beautiful" a ballad?


It'll make  a comeback with Jordan Knight and the greatest underrated pop star in the world!!!  8) :D (and I know it... Hey, I predicted Ashley Tisdale's sudden rise to fame)

Isn't James Blunt "You're Beautiful" a ballad?


It'll make  a comeback with Jordan Knight and the greatest underrated pop star in the world!!!  8) :D (and I know it... Hey, I predicted Ashley Tisdale's sudden rise to fame)


Yeah I was thinking about that one as well.

Sappy pop ballads will never die, but what are dead that lasted up to the year 2000 are classic songs.  The '90s were the last decade with songs like "I'm a Believer" and "YMCA". In 1999 there were songs like "All Star" and "Who Let the Dogs Out" that will almost for sure be classics 20 years from now. There aren't really any songs from after 2001 like that.

In 1999 there were songs like "All Star" and "Who Let the Dogs Out" that will almost for sure be classics 20 years from now. There aren't really any songs from after 2001 like that.


are you serious? lol

are you serious? lol

I was thinking exactly the same thing..

are you serious? lol


Not all classics are good  ;D

Isn't James Blunt "You're Beautiful" a ballad?


It'll make  a comeback with Jordan Knight and the greatest underrated pop star in the world!!!  8) :D (and I know it... Hey, I predicted Ashley Tisdale's sudden rise to fame)


Yeah, but I'd call that more of a stripped down/urban ballad. It's hard to describe exactly, but I guess the kind I'm referring to are overly produced and polished. Compare "I Want It That Way" to "You're Beautiful" and you'll see what I mean.

By decade, I'd say these define cheesy pop ballads:
80s: Can't Fight This Feeling, any of Lionel Richie's slower ones, I Wanna Know What Love is, Drive, Holding Back the Years
90s: Colors of the Wind, Please Forgive Me, Let Her Cry, The World I Know, How Do You Talk to an Angel, Hero

Yeah, but I'd call that more of a stripped down/urban ballad. It's hard to describe exactly, but I guess the kind I'm referring to are overly produced and polished. Compare "I Want It That Way" to "You're Beautiful" and you'll see what I mean.

By decade, I'd say these define cheesy pop ballads:
80s: Can't Fight This Feeling, any of Lionel Richie's slower ones, I Wanna Know What Love is, Drive, Holding Back the Years
90s: Colors of the Wind, Please Forgive Me, Let Her Cry, The World I Know, How Do You Talk to an Angel, Hero


Do you think '90s music is the last decade that fits the "oldies" format? Even as late as 1999 there was a lot of "adult music" on the radio, today's it's the exception.

Sappy pop ballads will never die, but what are dead that lasted up to the year 2000 are classic songs.  The '90s were the last decade with songs like "I'm a Believer" and "YMCA". In 1999 there were songs like "All Star" and "Who Let the Dogs Out" that will almost for sure be classics 20 years from now. There aren't really any songs from after 2001 like that.


Yeah, there's some 2001+ artists that will be remembered (Usher, Kanye West, maybe Coldplay and Maroon 5), but more for their names as opposed to their songs.

Do you think music was tailored to appeal more to everyone in the 1955-2000 era? Even though the '90s had rap and other "controversial" music, there was still a selection that appealed to over 30, I think.

You can't really make finalized statements like "the '90s are the last decade with classic songs" or "sappy pop ballads are dead", though I do agree that they're in a downturn. IMO, the absolute peak of the sappy pop ballad as an art form was 1991-1998. That was the era of Mariah Carey, Bryan Adams, Sting, Michael Bolton, Disney-style showtunes, Elton John's "Candle in the Wind" rerelease hitting #1, Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You", Boyz II Men, All 4-One, Toni Braxton, and Celine Dion, inarguably the queen of the genre. It was big in the '80s too, but didn't have the same chart dominance, since it was mixed in with the popularity of dance-pop, new wave, hair metal, etc. The power ballad/Steve Winwood era really led up to this...I think they'll be revived, ultimately. I think that sort of music was overexposed so heavily around 1996-1998 with the Titanic theme song, "Unbreak My Heart", and the "Candle in the Wind" rerelease being huge that it caused a backlash in the form of teen pop. It's often said the precipitous career decline of all the '90s diva song stylists was due to teen pop.

I also think that sort of music was a revival of all the stuff like Philly soul, Barbra Streisand, Neil Diamond, Barry Manilow, etc. that was HUGE in the '70s. As for the '90s being the last decade with "classic songs"...probably nobody thought "YMCA" by the Village People was going to be a classic song. 

Do you think '90s music is the last decade that fits the "oldies" format? Even as late as 1999 there was a lot of "adult music" on the radio, today's it's the exception.


Yeah, I bet in 2030 or 2040, 90s music will be "oldies" on the radio (at least the more commercial stuff) and, to a limited extent, put in the same breath as 60s, 70s and 80s.

For example all those Enrique Iglesias ballads,they're so awful,you must admit...people have passed that state of cheesieness.No artist nowadays would even think of releasing something like Hero etc...same thing applies to Mariah Carey's ballads of the 90s.
Ballads have evolved quite fast I realise.

Yeah, I bet in 2030 or 2040, 90s music will be "oldies" on the radio (at least the more commercial stuff) and, to a limited extent, put in the same breath as 60s, 70s and 80s.


I think that although '90s music is by genre more like '00s music than '80s music, it's more like '80s music in the fact that until 1998-1999 it wasn't driven by 12 year olds the way today's music is. It sounds more mature/20th Century than '00s music.

I think that although '90s music is by genre more like '00s music than '80s music, it's more like '80s music in the fact that until 1998-1999 it wasn't driven by 12 year olds the way today's music is. It sounds more mature/20th Century than '00s music.


Again, I don't think you can make generalizations about the 20th century/21st century yet, we're 6 years into the 21st century. And you can't really make generalizations about the '00s not having any classic songs...I wouldn't be surprised if "Hey Ya!" will be one of 'em in 2030.

You can't really make finalized statements like "the '90s are the last decade with classic songs" or "sappy pop ballads are dead", though I do agree that they're in a downturn. IMO, the absolute peak of the sappy pop ballad as an art form was 1991-1998. That was the era of Mariah Carey, Bryan Adams, Sting, Michael Bolton, Disney-style showtunes, Elton John's "Candle in the Wind" rerelease hitting #1, Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You", Boyz II Men, All 4-One, Toni Braxton, and Celine Dion, inarguably the queen of the genre. It was big in the '80s too, but didn't have the same chart dominance, since it was mixed in with the popularity of dance-pop, new wave, hair metal, etc. The power ballad/Steve Winwood era really led up to this...I think they'll be revived, ultimately. I think that sort of music was overexposed so heavily around 1996-1998 with the Titanic theme song, "Unbreak My Heart", and the "Candle in the Wind" rerelease being huge that it caused a backlash in the form of teen pop. It's often said the precipitous career decline of all the '90s diva song stylists was due to teen pop.

I also think that sort of music was a revival of all the stuff like Philly soul, Barbra Streisand, Neil Diamond, Barry Manilow, etc. that was HUGE in the '70s. As for the '90s being the last decade with "classic songs"...probably nobody thought "YMCA" by the Village People was going to be a classic song. 


Very true. I guess ballads are like sitcoms in that "come and go" fashion. ;)

I also agree the 1986-91 era was probably even more big on soft rock/smooth pop (despite the rise of college rock and some hip hop). Even the hair metal bands did songs that could appeal to AC fans that didn't like hard rock (Every Rose Has its Thorn, etc) and Steve Winwood, "Hungry Eyes" or latter day Phil Collins fit into this style too.

It's weird that the '90s are as a whole, more "urban" than the '80s, but 1991-98 music probably had even more sappy ballads than the '80s did, but it's kinda true. The earlier '80s had alot too, but it tended to be stuff like "Waiting For a Girl Like You" or "True" as opposed to Disney type ballads.

Again, I don't think you can make generalizations about the 20th century/21st century yet, we're 6 years into the 21st century. And you can't really make generalizations about the '00s not having any classic songs...I wouldn't be surprised if "Hey Ya!" will be one of 'em in 2030.


That's true, but 2006 does seem like a different century already. On the other hand people in 1906 probably thought the same thing.

Do you think '90s music is the last decade that fits the "oldies" format? Even as late as 1999 there was a lot of "adult music" on the radio, today's it's the exception.


There's plenty of "adult music" in the '00s. Coldplay, Five for Fighting, Train, Maroon 5, The Fray, John Mayer, Michelle Branch, Keane, Dido.

Again, I don't think you can make generalizations about the 20th century/21st century yet, we're 6 years into the 21st century. And you can't really make generalizations about the '00s not having any classic songs...I wouldn't be surprised if "Hey Ya!" will be one of 'em in 2030.


Yeah "Ms. Jackson", "Hey Ya!", "The Way You Move" will be classics I think.

I think that although '90s music is by genre more like '00s music than '80s music, it's more like '80s music in the fact that until 1998-1999 it wasn't driven by 12 year olds the way today's music is. It sounds more mature/20th Century than '00s music.


Yeah, it sorta started with the Spice Girls but didn't really take off until TRL/Nsync/Britney in late '98/early '99. Do you think, in a way 1979-98 music has some common ground in that "MTV styled, but also not targeted at 12 year olds" appeal?

'90s music was like a more "varied" form of '00s music. The same genres, but more to choose from.

There's plenty of "adult music" in the '00s. Coldplay, Five for Fighting, Train, Maroon 5, The Fray, John Mayer, Michelle Branch, Keane, Dido.


It's overshadowed by rap and hip hop influenced pop. Maybe that's why music sounds so "juvenile" today. In the '90s rap was huge, but it wasn't completely dominant on every style. Today almost every popular song has some hip hop in it; in the '90s that was far from true.

Yeah, it sorta started with the Spice Girls but didn't really take off until TRL/Nsync/Britney in late '98/early '99. Do you think, in a way 1979-98 music has some common ground in that "MTV styled, but also not targeted at 12 year olds" appeal?


I agree, it was "cool" music, but there was something for everyone. I might say 2001 is when it started, 1999 and 2000 had plenty of juvenile music, but it also had stuff like Smash Mouth and Lou Bega which is kid's music, but has a feeling of innocent times to it.

It's overshadowed by rap and hip hop influenced pop. Maybe that's why music sounds so "juvenile" today. In the '90s rap was huge, but it wasn't completely dominant on every style. Today almost every popular song has some hip hop in it; in the '90s that was far from true.


Yeah, like it was clearly around, but you could avoid it if you wanted to. For instance, 1994 was the last year I would consider myself to be more or less "rabidly" into pop music. If a time traveller from, like the '70s came there and only listened to what was on Top 40 radio, they probably wouldn't even know rap existed at all, or only in very small amounts.

Do you think a song like "Bad Day" is hip hop influenced? I actually would say no - it's probably one of my favorite songs from '06, but probably sounds closer to a softer alt rock ballad.

Yeah, it sorta started with the Spice Girls but didn't really take off until TRL/Nsync/Britney in late '98/early '99. Do you think, in a way 1979-98 music has some common ground in that "MTV styled, but also not targeted at 12 year olds" appeal?

'90s music was like a more "varied" form of '00s music. The same genres, but more to choose from.


I always thought it just looks that way on the surface...actually, there was arguably more 12-year old type music like the Osmonds in 1971 or Herman's Hermits in 1965 than in the '80s or '90s. There were juvenile music periods and more "adult periods"...it goes with the demographic patterns. I just don't think it's possible to make finalizations like "this is 20th century music" and "so and so is dead" or "now, everything is juvenile." The '00s are less juvenile than the 1999 period, by far, but 1995 was more adult than 1971.

Yeah, like it was clearly around, but you could avoid it if you wanted to. For instance, 1994 was the last year I would consider myself to be more or less "rabidly" into pop music. If a time traveller from, like the '70s came there and only listened to what was on Top 40 radio, they probably wouldn't even know rap existed at all, or only in very small amounts.

Do you think a song like "Bad Day" is hip hop influenced? I actually would say no - it's probably one of my favorite songs from '06, but probably sounds closer to a softer alt rock ballad.


There's no way "Bad Day" is hip-hop influenced lol.

Yeah, like it was clearly around, but you could avoid it if you wanted to. For instance, 1994 was the last year I would consider myself to be more or less "rabidly" into pop music. If a time traveller from, like the '70s came there and only listened to what was on Top 40 radio, they probably wouldn't even know rap existed at all, or only in very small amounts.



I think even as late as 2001, rock was still the main influence of music, even if rap was the most trendy type of music.  The teen pop from the late '90s is dance and techno, not hip hop based. It wasn't until 2002 that everything had to have a rap element to chart.  ;D


Do you think a song like "Bad Day" is hip hop influenced? I actually would say no - it's probably one of my favorite songs from '06, but probably sounds closer to a softer alt rock ballad.


There's been some songs this decade like that with no hip hop influence. They're probably popular because they're so unusual in not having any rap in them, so they stand out.

One example of the way people thought things were dead and turned out to be wrong is disco...disco never died, as much as people in 1981 thought it did. Michael Jackson, Madonna, and Cyndi Lauper brought it back in 1983, and to this day disco has never really been dead.

I always thought it just looks that way on the surface...actually, there was arguably more 12-year old type music like the Osmonds in 1971 or Herman's Hermits in 1965 than in the '80s or '90s. There were juvenile music periods and more "adult periods"...it goes with the demographic patterns. I just don't think it's possible to make finalizations like "this is 20th century music" and "so and so is dead" or "now, everything is juvenile." The '00s are less juvenile than the 1999 period, by far, but 1995 was more adult than 1971.


The most juvenile music of 1999 is more juvenile than the most juvenile of 2006, but there was still some adult music in 1999. Today there's a little, but it's the exception and is popular for that reason.  In 1999 there was stuff like Goo Goo Dolls and Celine Dion mixed in with the nu metal and teen pop crap.

The most juvenile music of 1999 is more juvenile than the most juvenile of 2006, but there was still some adult music in 1999. Today there's a little, but it's the exception and is popular for that reason.  In 1999 there was stuff like Goo Goo Dolls and Celine Dion mixed in with the nu metal and teen pop crap.


I think now is less juvenile than 1999...it's "high school based", not "junior high school based" like 1999.

I think now is less juvenile than 1999...it's "high school based", not "junior high school based" like 1999.


Yeah it's definitely less juvenile overall than 1999.

I always thought it just looks that way on the surface...actually, there was arguably more 12-year old type music like the Osmonds in 1971 or Herman's Hermits in 1965 than in the '80s or '90s. There were juvenile music periods and more "adult periods"...it goes with the demographic patterns. I just don't think it's possible to make finalizations like "this is 20th century music" and "so and so is dead" or "now, everything is juvenile." The '00s are less juvenile than the 1999 period, by far, but 1995 was more adult than 1971.


Yeah, at the time, even the Beatles' early stuff was very "teenybopper" (and in a way, introduced rock music as a whole, to kids and older people, whereas in the '50s it was more controversial/rebellious and teen focused).

Would you say these are the more "adult" periods in music:

1950s-63 (previously mentioned '50s and 50s styled rock/ballads)
1977-83 (Disco, and the early new wave/MTV era)
1991-96 (grunge and college rock/alt pop)

Yeah, at the time, even the Beatles' early stuff was very "teenybopper" (and in a way, introduced rock music as a whole, to kids and older people, whereas in the '50s it was more controversial/rebellious and teen focused).

Would you say these are the more "adult" periods in music:

1950s-63 (previously mentioned '50s and 50s styled rock/ballads)
1977-83 (Disco, and the early new wave/MTV era)
1991-96 (grunge and college rock/alt pop)


Yeah, I would most definitely agree with that.

As a Deborah Gibson fan, it's alive & well since her ballads are the best, though  from the 1990's & the present are unfortunately ignored  :(

I always thought it just looks that way on the surface...actually, there was arguably more 12-year old type music like the Osmonds in 1971 or Herman's Hermits in 1965 than in the '80s or '90s. There were juvenile music periods and more "adult periods"...it goes with the demographic patterns. I just don't think it's possible to make finalizations like "this is 20th century music" and "so and so is dead" or "now, everything is juvenile." The '00s are less juvenile than the 1999 period, by far, but 1995 was more adult than 1971.


Yeah, I think alot of people forget that in the 1950s, 1960s.etc, popular music largely appealed to teens and late pre-teens. Just watch footage of Beatles' concerts - it's not surprising the average age was something like 14. The popularity of manufactured pop acts with their own tie-ins like the Monkees, Osmonds, Archies.etc reinforce this argument. It musn't be forgotten, however, that this period also saw Rock'n'Roll 'grow up' - 'Rock' music was now an acceptable artform fast approaching the respectability of that of painting, classical music.etc.

Another point I want to make. Once upon a time 'sappy pop ballads' were marketed mainly to the 20-36 year old demographic - it was only in the late 1980s (though it probably started before Buddy Holly released 'Peggy Sue') that sappy pop ballads begun to be viewed as music for lonely 12-year old girls with stars in their eyes.

Yeah, I think alot of people forget that in the 1950s, 1960s.etc, popular music largely appealed to teens and late pre-teens. Just watch footage of Beatles' concerts - it's not surprising the average age was something like 14. The popularity of manufactured pop acts with their own tie-ins like the Monkees, Osmonds, Archies.etc reinforce this argument. It musn't be forgotten, however, that this period also saw Rock'n'Roll 'grow up' - 'Rock' music was now an acceptable artform fast approaching the respectability of that of painting, classical music.etc.



Yeah...they like, marketed Monkees lunchboxes for kids in 1st grade around 1966.

Another point I want to make. Once upon a time 'sappy pop ballads' were marketed mainly to the 20-36 year old demographic - it was only in the late 1980s (though it probably started before Buddy Holly released 'Peggy Sue') that sappy pop ballads begun to be viewed as music for lonely 12-year old girls with stars in their eyes.


Good point - '70s singer songwriter ballads, or Barry Manillow-esque singers were more in this way, and an Nsync ballad would be a good example of the latter.

Although there's probably stuff you could argue overlaps. I've said it before, but the '80s appeared to have a "mass appeal" in that sense - like a 12 year old and their parents could both probably enjoy "You're the Inspiration" by Chicago, etc.

"Sappy pop ballads"? Are those like, soft, "adult conteporary" type songs? Yeah, I don't think there have been too many of those in the last three or four years. :-\\

"Sappy pop ballads"? Are those like, soft, "adult conteporary" type songs? Yeah, I don't think there have been too many of those in the last three or four years. :-\\


Deborah Gibson and Jordan Knight will change that...

If teenyboppers can make High School Musical a success, why not us adults   :)

Only three things are certain in this sad old world:

death, taxes....and sappy pop ballads.
:P

The last one that became a totally massive hit was "I Knew I Loved You" by Savage Garden and maybe "Follow Me" by Uncle Kracker from 2000. Since then, a few like "She Will Be Loved" have sorta came close, but not quite, if you know what I mean.



Pardon me, but "Follow Me" was a hit in 2001. And "I Knew I Loved You" was 1999.

Deborah Gibson and Jordan Knight will change that...

If teenyboppers can make High School Musical a success, why not us adults   :)

Maybe so...

By the way, who are you? ???

Good point - '70s singer songwriter ballads, or Barry Manillow-esque singers were more in this way, and an Nsync ballad would be a good example of the latter.

Although there's probably stuff you could argue overlaps. I've said it before, but the '80s appeared to have a "mass appeal" in that sense - like a 12 year old and their parents could both probably enjoy "You're the Inspiration" by Chicago, etc.


Yeah, I see what you're saying about that. Earlier today, I was thinking about the "age gaps"...there was definitely certain '80s music that was meant to appeal to a younger crowd, like in 1985 anyone 20 and under (Tears for Fears, The Smiths, XTC...actually, new wave in general was highly Generation X, even if alot of older people sort of liked it.) There was also alot of music, like Duran Duran, Wham!, and Cyndi Lauper whose obsessive fans were probably focused on the under 16 crowd (they were like the teenybopper idols of 1984), but had casual adult fans, the same way the boy bands did in 1999. And then, you go to Phil Collins and Lionel Richie, whose main appeal was probably boomers and older, even if Gen Xers sort of casually liked it. And there was Prince, whose more "edgy" appeal probably centered on people in their late teens and early twenties.

Yeah, I see what you're saying about that. Earlier today, I was thinking about the "age gaps"...there was definitely certain '80s music that was meant to appeal to a younger crowd, like in 1985 anyone 20 and under (Tears for Fears, The Smiths, XTC...actually, new wave in general was highly Generation X, even if alot of older people sort of liked it.) There was also alot of music, like Duran Duran, Wham!, and Cyndi Lauper whose obsessive fans were probably focused on the under 16 crowd (they were like the teenybopper idols of 1984), but had casual adult fans, the same way the boy bands did in 1999. And then, you go to Phil Collins and Lionel Richie, whose main appeal was probably boomers and older, even if Gen Xers sort of casually liked it. And there was Prince, whose more "edgy" appeal probably centered on people in their late teens and early twenties.


Yeah, I think the more "artsy" new wave (The Smiths, Tears for Fears, etc) was centered on Gen X more - probably 14-25 or so - whereas the poppier wave had a bigger appeal (i.e. Culture Club).

Duran Duran, Wham, early Madonna and Cyndi were more varied than the average boyband/teen pop stuff, but their image was more in this camp. I know this one woman, for instance, who told me she was totally into "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" when she was 9 c. 1984.

I'll agree with Phil and Lionel, as well as Chicago, Bruce Springsteen, Tina Turner, Christopher Cross and maybe Hall and Oates for the most "adult dominated" 80s pop. I wonder how much they appealed to the average 1970er in 1985. Ironically, despite the older demographic, it's probably always been my favorite style. ;)

Yeah, I think the more "artsy" new wave (The Smiths, Tears for Fears, etc) was centered on Gen X more - probably 14-25 or so - whereas the poppier wave had a bigger appeal (i.e. Culture Club).

Duran Duran, Wham, early Madonna and Cyndi were more varied than the average boyband/teen pop stuff, but their image was more in this camp. I know this one woman, for instance, who told me she was totally into "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" when she was 9 c. 1984.

I'll agree with Phil and Lionel, as well as Chicago, Bruce Springsteen, Tina Turner, Christopher Cross and maybe Hall and Oates for the most "adult dominated" 80s pop. I wonder how much they appealed to the average 1970er in 1985. Ironically, despite the older demographic, it's probably always been my favorite style. ;)


Yeah...the poppier new wave had a wide appeal, probably ranging from people as young as like, 8, in some cases, up to people in their 40s, in 1984 (stuff like "Karma Chameleon.") I think of Duran Duran and Cyndi Lauper as being more varied and more artistically skillful than the average teen pop fluff, but at the same time marketed that way. Like Duran Duran were easily the boyband somebody born in 1972 or so would've idolized in 6th grade...ditto with Wham! They all tried to break free of that a little bit, with George Michael's more adult stuff like "Faith", Duran Duran's adult dance pop like "Notorious", and Cyndi Lauper's ballads like "True Colors." Madonna and George Michael were the most successful...they "grew with their fans" while making new ones. The average 15 year old Madonna clone born in 1969 during the "Like a Virgin" craze could've loved the message of "Express Yourself" at 20 in 1989.

Good point - '70s singer songwriter ballads, or Barry Manillow-esque singers were more in this way, and an Nsync ballad would be a good example of the latter.

Although there's probably stuff you could argue overlaps. I've said it before, but the '80s appeared to have a "mass appeal" in that sense - like a 12 year old and their parents could both probably enjoy "You're the Inspiration" by Chicago, etc.


Yeah, the seperation of 'markets' based on age and other demographic characteristics has arguably become more pronounced in recent years - 'Black' music has become more mainstream, and is now associated with teens, and the 10-14 age demographic, while A/C stuff - once the preserve of the over 16s, is now appealing to people as young as 10 with Alex Lloyd, John Mayer - even Maroon 5.

From the early singer-songwriter stuff, all the way up to the semi recent boy band era, there always were Top 40 songs that had that sappy, cheesy pop sound to them.

The last one that became a totally massive hit was "I Knew I Loved You" by Savage Garden and maybe "Follow Me" by Uncle Kracker from 2000. Since then, a few like "She Will Be Loved" have sorta came close, but not quite, if you know what I mean.

Is this type of song more of an early '70s-2000 thing?



There defidently still around, but yeah there not nearly as popular as they were just a few years ago. Hip-Hop influenced stuff is alot more popular now.

There defidently still around, but yeah there not nearly as popular as they were just a few years ago. Hip-Hop influenced stuff is alot more popular now.


Part of it is demographics. Sappy pop ballads were biggest 1987-1997, when there was a deficit of teenagers. Currently, there is an overload of 16 year olds, who I consider the peak "record buying teenagers"...1990 had a higher birthrate than any year since the late '50s, and overall, 1986-1992 had an extremely high birthrate. The birthrate reached its absolute nadir in 1975, and started noticeably growing after Reagan came into office, in 1981, and reached its zenith in 1990, and then quickly fell starting in 1991 and very much so by 1993. I think by 2011, there'll be alot more sappy pop ballads.

Bump...