“The standardization of structures provokes standardized reactions.”
Circumstances forced me to revisit some classic writings on popular music, including Theodor W. Adorno’s essay. During my university days, the Frankfurt School was already fading among the intellectual youth circles. Now I’m no longer in touch with “the youth,” but let’s say that people my age tend to see those texts as outdated, boring ramblings of old men.
The parts about composition are difficult — which I understand as a deliberate stylistic move, meant to prove the philosopher’s point.
Even in classical music we can find catchy and simple compositions, but the essential difference between standardized popular music and serious music lies in the demands placed upon the listener.
I’ve also listened (and sometimes still listen) to pop, and I used to suffer from snide remarks that my taste was “low.” But there is a role to play in society — to break down those hierarchies and to raise the level of attentive listening.
Adorno pointed out that every element in the compositional structure of popular music can be replaced by another sound, since it follows a standardized model — for example, in EDM: intro, bridge, drop, breakdown, outro.
I caught myself realizing that I had trained my mind to Modern Talking (I still adore that 80s phase), but it scared me a little — that I wasn’t challenging my hearing, not following the complexity of a composition, not chasing experimentation or progression.
I used to be afraid of strong critical voices, but after reading Adorno’s “On Popular Music,” I’m no longer afraid to say that I turned on Stockhausen instead of Dr. Alban or Popek.
We need to listen to ambitious, independent music — music unconnected to the big industry — as often as possible. And it has nothing to do with nostalgia or thinking “it used to be better”; it’s about being genuinely interested in what’s coming next.
Especially in an era when algorithms are constantly averaging out our tastes.