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'''Power pop''' is a long-standing [[musical genre]] that draws its inspiration from [[1960s]] British and American pop music. Lyrically, power-pop songs mostlylargely confine themselves to the eternalperpetual subjecttheme of romantic love, and musically the style is characterized by strong melodies, prominentcrisp guitarsvocal harmonies, economical arrangements and formalprominent guitar concisionriffs, with instrumental solos being kept to a minimum. While its cultural impact has waxed and waned over the decades, it is among rock's most enduring subgenres: A listener who has heard the 38-year-old "Paperback Writer" by the Beatles or the contemporary hit "Stacy's Mom" by Fountains of Wayne has heard power pop.
The term seems to have been coined in an interview with [[Pete Townshend]] of [[Thethe Who]] in the mid-1960s. However, the [[Everly Brothers]] were playing music that can be called power pop as early as 1965; their "I'll See Your Light" displays jangling guitars and an oblique harmonic approach that built upon the innovations of [[The Beatles]] and [[The Byrds]]. And while The Beatles, The Byrds and [[The Who]] are often cited as the progenitors of power pop, these groups never confined themselves to the strict elements of the style. The groups who arose in the wake of the Beatles' success are also important in the evolution of the style -- the [[Left Banke]], [[Thethe Beau Brummels]], [[Thethe Knickerbockers]] and [[Thethe Zombies]].
Modern power pop begins in the late '60s with the first recordings of the [[Flamin' Groovies]] and [[Badfinger]]. Badfinger singles such as "No Matter What," "Baby Blue" and "Day After Day," all recorded around [[1970]], are the template for the power pop that followed. In the early '70s the form became codified through the work of [[Thethe Raspberries]], [[Big Star]], [[Blue Ash]], [[Dwight Twilley]] and [[Todd Rundgren]]. At this stage power- pop groups were nearly all American, and the first albums by Big Star and the Raspberries are still considered among the genre's essential recordings in the genre.
Although Rundgren and the Raspberries achieved some chart success during this period, Big Star was essentially unknown. It was not until laterthe in thelate '70s that power pop enjoyed a renaissance; the [[dB's]], [[the Records]], [[Cheap Trick]], [[the Knack]], [[20/20]] and [[the Shoes]] all drew upon the innovations of earlier groups,. andMost notably, the Knack's "My Sharona," although-- though a simplified version of the more nuanced style evinced by the "classic" power- pop groups, -- was a major hit. The [[Flamin' Groovies]], whosenotching 1969six LPweeks ''Supersnazz'' had contained both power pop in embryo and stylized reworkings of '50s rock and roll, turned decisively toatop the styleBillboard inHot 1976 with songs like "Shake Some Action" and "You Tore Me Down." [[Nick Lowe]] recorded many songs100 in the power-pop vein, including the 1979 hit single "Cruel to Be Kind."
The [[Flamin' Groovies]], whose 1969 LP "Supersnazz" had contained both embryonic power pop and stylized reworkings of '50s rock and roll, turned decisively to the style in 1976 with songs like "Shake Some Action" and "You Tore Me Down." [[Nick Lowe]] recorded many songs in the power pop vein, including the 1979 hit single "Cruel to Be Kind."
In the [[1980s]] and [[1990s]] power pop continued to be a viable, though somewhat uncommercial genre, as artists such as [[Marshall Crenshaw]] (whose first two albums are considered classics of the genre), [[Matthew Sweet]]. [[Teenage Fanclub]], [[Material Issue]], [[The Posies]] and [[Jellyfish (band)|Jellyfish]] drew inspiration from Big Star, the Beatles, and [[glam rock]] groups of the early 1970s like [[T. Rex (band)|T. Rex]] and [[Sweet (band)|Sweet]]. Power pop eventually broke into the mainstream more than ever before with the success of [[Weezer]] in the mid-'90s. Certain 1990s acts not associated with the genre, like [[Nirvana (band)|Nirvana]] and [[Oasis (band) | Oasis]], bore definite signs of its influence, which continues today with acts like [[Jet (band)|Jet]] and [[The Vines]]. Another group influenced by power-pop was The Shazam, whose songs were reminiscent of those of Badfinger, the Move and [[10cc]]. ▼
▲In the [[1980s]] and [[1990s]] power pop continued to be a creatively viable , thoughif somewhatcommercially uncommerciallimited genre, as artists such as [[Marshall Crenshaw]] (whose first two albums are considered classics of the genre), [[Matthew Sweet]] ., [[Teenage Fanclub]], [[Material Issue]], [[ Thethe Posies]] and [[Jellyfish (band)|Jellyfish]] drew inspiration from Big Star, the Beatles, and [[glam rock]] groups of the early 1970s like [[T. Rex (band)|T. Rex]] and [[Sweet (band)|Sweet]]. Power pop eventually broke into the mainstream more than ever before with the success of [[Weezer]] in the mid-'90s. Certain 1990s acts not associated with the genre, like [[Nirvana (band)|Nirvana]] and [[Oasis (band) | Oasis]], bore definite signs of its influence, which continues today with acts like [[Jet (band)|Jet]] and [[The Vines]]. Another group influenced by power-pop was The Shazam, whose songs were reminiscent of those of Badfinger, the Move and [[10cc]].
In the mid-1990s, while power pop flourished in the underground via acts such as the Shazam, the sound made a return to the mainstream largely through the success of [[Weezer]]. Some 1990s rock acts, such as [[Nirvana (band)|Nirvana]] and [[Oasis (band) | Oasis]], bore unmistakable signs of power pop influence. Power pop qualities are prominently displayed today by groups such as [[Fountains of Wayne]], and to a lesser extent in the work of acts such as [[Jet (band)|Jet]] and [[the Vines]].
See also: [[List of power pop musicians]]
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