I have a confession to make: I have, on occasion, not infrequently, checked the Twitter.com page of one John C. Mayer. Unhappy though I am with his most recent release, I remain a big John Mayer fan. Several years ago, I would never have admitted this. It started with the viewing of a few YouTube.com videos of his guitar solos and ended with a full-blown obsession. I think John is not only a brilliant guitar player but also a wise and gifted songwriter and musician.
I'm already getting too carried away. I could, and might someday, write a column on why John Mayer is a much more important musician than he gets credit for. But I should return to my original point. I check his Twitter not just in the hopes that he will post a picture of his latest guitar rig or an instructional video on beefing up your blues-licks, but because I happen to think he has a good attitude towards the music industry.
I can't remember the exact quote, and Google.com and Twitter haven't quite (thankfully) perfected their relationship, but it ran something like this: "[reference to enjoying a song by a pop star, perhaps Miley Cyrus]. There should be no guilt in pleasure."
This phrase has stuck with me. I think he speaks to a problematic trend in our attitude toward music. It seems lately that "pop" is considered a dirty word. For some of us, the idea that something belongs in the category of pop has become so objectionable that we must adopt an air of superior irony to admit that we appreciate it. By relegating pop to a guilty pleasure, we allow ourselves to enjoy it, while still maintaining our superiority complex.
Let's take a step back for a second. The term "pop" is derived (surprise!) from the word "popular" and was originally used to categorize something that was simply that: popular music. Of course now it has taken on new associations. Perhaps the objection to pop music seems mostly to derive from the idea that it is a lesser, more watered down version of some higher, more authentic genre of music.
Pop music is not simple music made by stupid people for stupid people. If it were as simple as people seem to think, anyone with a basic understanding of music theory and the English language could write a hit. It's extremely well crafted to sound great and appeal to as many people as possible. So why do we resist it so much? Do we feel that by admitting we enjoy a pop record, we're admitting that we've allowed ourselves to be taken in by the tricks of scheming record execs and producers?
I used to feel this way. I thought liking pop music was for sheep who would accept anything fed to them by the music industry. Then one happy day as I listened to the Backstreet Boys, I realized I'm not doing so because I enjoy the nostalgia and novelty, but because I enjoy the music.
I now try to give everything I hear a fair shot. I don't think music has to represent anything more than the sounds it conveys. If someone worked hard to create a song that is infectious and sublime, I'll gladly enjoy it. If you genuinely don't like the sound of certain pop music, good for you, you deserve nothing but respect. But if you truly enjoy it and simply refuse to admit it, you're only fooling yourself. You're cutting yourself off from a world of guilt-free pleasure. As for me, I'll continue to give the same heed to whatever my iTunes shuffle throws my way: Backstreet Boys to Bad Brains, Alicia Keys to the Allman Brothers. It's all good.
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Charles Laubacher is a sophomore who has not yet declared a major. He can be reached at Charles.Laubacher@Tufts.edu.
