|
 |
This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. (April 2008) |
| Soft rock | |
| Stylistic origins | |
|---|---|
| Cultural origins |
Throughout the 70s
|
| Typical instruments | |
| Mainstream popularity | Brought into the mainstream in the 70s and 80s. |
Soft rock, also referred to as light rock or easy rock, is a style of music which uses the techniques of rock and roll to compose a softer, supposedly more ear-pleasing sound for listening, often at work or when driving. Soft rock is known to be confused with psychedelic rock many times. Soft rock is usually sung with higher-pitched vocals, and the lyrics tend to be non-confrontational, focusing in very general language on themes like love, everyday life and relationships. The genre tends to make heavy use of pianos, synthesizers and sometimes saxophones. The electric guitars in soft rock are normally faint and high-pitched.
Soft rock emerged in the early 1970s, both as a reaction against the increasingly heavy music (punk rock and heavy metal etc.) that was developing at the time, and also as a reflection of the changing priorities of the Baby Boom. What set 1970s soft rock apart from its 1960s counterpart, which for lack of a better word is usually just called "pop", is that in the 1960s pop existed for those who simply didn't like rock; the 1960s' pop artists usually were vocalists who were stylistic throwbacks to the pre-rock era. Soft rock developed organically to suit the needs of those who did have rock listening experience; as such, it can be considered a bona fide rock genre.
Soft rock became hugely popular later in that decade. By 1977, some radio stations, like New York's WTFM and WYNY, had switched to an all-soft-rock format. Around that same time, Chicago, which had previously been a jazz-rock band, switched to soft rock and reached their biggest commercial successes. British/American blues band Fleetwood Mac achieved its greatest success after adopting parts of the genre. Even Led Zeppelin, considered by some to be standard bearers of hard rock, flirted with the genre at the time in songs like 1979's "All My Love". By the 1980s, tastes had changed and radio formats reflected this change; the genre evolved into what came to be known as "adult contemporary", a pop categorization that bore less overt rock influence than its forebearer.
Some soft rock artists are: Elton John, Billy Joel, & Air Supply.
|
|||||
