History PopularityPolynomial / Music

** Since the 1960s, rock has shifted from elaborate to stripped-down and back and everything in-between: The experimentation of the "British Invasion" bands was replaced by 1967-68 with "hippie rock" and {{folk rock}}. This was itself succeeded in the early 1970s by more "artsy" styles such as {{prog rock}} and {{glam rock}}, while jazz-rock and country-rock would also be popular, [[CriticProof even if the critics rarely]] [[CriticalDissonance liked any of them]]. By the second half of the decade, {{punk rock}} and {{heavy metal}} surged as a reaction against the magnamity of prog (critics warmed up to them because of that), but the 50s-tinged "[[GenreThrowback rock revivalism]]" became the most popular subgenre of the late 70s. The 1980s were dominated by the synth-heavy sounds of {{new wave|music}} and later on {{hair metal}} and {{arena rock}}, but by the next decade {{alternative rock}}, college rock and {{grunge}} surged as a backlash against them. After a brief period in the mid-late 1990s dominated in quick succession by pop-rock, the 60s-inspired {{Britpop}} and {{rap rock}}, the late 90s and 2000s were marked by "rawer" styles such as {{post grunge}}, indie-folk, {{rockabilly}}/[[RevisitingTheRoots "roots" rock]], {{funk rock}}, new prog and especially {{pop punk}}. The 2010s have been noted for the dominance of the [[IndieRock Brit indie/festival rock]] subgenre, particularly polarizing given its closeness to EDM, as well as for imposing [[NiceGuy an archetype]] considered to be antithetical of what rock-and-roll is supposed to be.

** By proxy, the BoyBand craze. Between 1998 and 2001, boy bands such as the Music/BackstreetBoys and Music/{{NSYNC}} ''dominated'' the pop music scene, outliving all the other "anti-alternative" fads of 1996-98, with multi-platinum albums and incessant airplay and TV spots. At one point, the Backstreet Boys even had Burger King kids' meal toys!! Other boy bands that took a bite out of the craze included 98 Degrees, Music/{{Five}}, O-Town, and Music/{{Westlife}}. Inevitably, the over-saturation of boy bands led to a huge backlash, and by 2003, records by boy bands were sparse on the Billboard Hot 100, and some boy band members left their groups to pursue other projects and solo endeavors.[[note]]the Backstreet Boys continued to record music and sustained their fan base, though their singles were not chart-toppers like before[[/note]] The boy band stigma has arguably prevented most former boy band members from having much of a solo career afterwards. An exception in this era[[note]]Michael Jackson preceded Timberlake in his transition from boy band to solo success[[/note]] is Music/JustinTimberlake, who crossed over to mainstream success by shifting to a more [[ContemporaryRAndB R&B]] and HipHop sound just as the teen pop craze was waning, in addition to acting in films. Another genre that saw a big resurgence in the early 2000s besides R&B and hip-hop was pop-punk music. Pop-punk was particularly huge with bands like Music/SimplePlan, Music/GoodCharlotte, and Music/FallOutBoy. Some more "traditional" boy bands such as [=B5=] and [=B2K=] saw success on urban radio and within the tween demographic during the mid-2000s, but didn't see much mainstream success. In 2007, a new type of boy band, Music/TheJonasBrothers, came into vogue via the Creator/DisneyChannel. The Jonas Brothers marked a distinction in that they did not do the traditional choreographed dances and they played their own instruments. In 2012, more traditional boy bands [[UnCanceled made a comeback]], with Nickelodeon-produced Music/BigTimeRush and British exports Music/OneDirection and Music/TheWanted. Bands from the ‘80s like Music/NewKidsOnTheBlock reunited and teamed up with the Backstreet Boys as a {{Supergroup}}, performing for their now adult fans. One Direction in particular has reached a phenomenon on the level of - or possibly even exceeding - their predecessors. In March, they became the first ever UK group to debut Billboard's top 200 album chart at #1 with the American release of their first album. Their second album sold half a million copies when it was released in November and was able to knock Music/TaylorSwift off the top of the charts. When their third album debuted at #1 in 2013, they became the first group in the nearly 60-year history of the Billboard 200 to debut their first three - and then four - albums at #1. All 1D members have released solo albums, with member Music/HarryStyles winning a [[UsefulNotes/GrammyAward Grammy]] and embarking on an acting career. In the years since 1D’s breakup, [[KoreanPopMusic K-pop]] music has become a global phenomenon, with Music/{{BTS}} becoming the most popular boy band.

All that changed in [[TheNineties the following decade]] with the 1970s nostalgia wave, which revived public interest in ABBA's songs. A particularly important landmark for the group was the release, in 1992, of ''ABBA Gold'', which was a huge commercial success and got many younger people to listen to their music for the first time and eventually become fans. In the following years, the group managed to increase more and more its popularity, with the re-release of the original studio albums in CD, as well as the release of new compilation albums, some of which even included previously unreleased songs, such as "I Am the City", featured in ''More ABBA Gold'' (1993). In 1995, the band's listing in the landmark ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spin_Alternative_Record_Guide SPIN Alternative Record Guide]]'', complete with a glowing write-up, was the first indication of a major, positive re-evaluation of the band's discography by music critics. Films such as ''Film/MurielsWedding'' and tributes by other bands, such as {{Music/Erasure}} and Music/ATeens, also helped increasing the group's popularity. Another great leap was the debut, in 1999, of ''Theatre/MammaMia'' [[JukeboxMusical (the musical)]], which expanded to multiple locations worldwide, became one of the longest-running musicals in the history of [[UsefulNotes/BroadwayAndTheWestEnd Broadway]] and spawned a theatrical movie in 2008, starring Creator/MerylStreep, Creator/PierceBrosnan and a then little-known actress named Creator/AmandaSeyfried. Nowadays, over 40 years after their debut - and over 20 years after their revival - ABBA remains highly popular, selling millions of records each year and occasionally appearing in the media, in spite of an actual reunion only shaping up by the 2020s.

** The [[[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vinyl_revival vinyl revival]] has also led to the revival of the double album, something that had previously been viewed as the act of ultimate artistic self-indulgence. It's more common for albums that would normally fit on one LP to be spread across multiple discs for improved sound quality--fewer tracks per side means more space for the grooves and less inner groove distortion. These double albums also often play at 45 rpm instead of the standard 33 rpm on [=LPs=], as this also allows for higher sound quality due to wider spacing of the grooves. It's more common on audiophile releases for even albums that will fit comfortably on a single LP to be split across multiple discs to minimize inner-groove distortion.

* Music/PhilSpector changed the sound of pop music by blending the back-beat of rock and roll music with magnanimously lavish arrangements furnished by top studio musicians (among the rotation of sidemen were Leon Russell and Glen Campbell). However, Music/TheBritishInvasion and the emergence of harder-edged rock led to the "Spector sound" to be dismissed as "bubblegum", an opinion shared by Spector himself[[note]]Oddly, the "overdubbed guitars" part would be routinely used by... punk musicians out of all people[[/note]], while the personal decline of the eccentric producer (he spent the rest of his life in prison after having murdered actress Lana Clarkson) tattered his reputation. However, the 2010s brought a wave of 60s nostalgia that drew several young female artists (most notably Lana del Rey and Adele) to adopt, not only the sonic style, but also the heartbreak-themed songs associated with Spector. The fact his records also promoted women as leading, independent entities in pop songs and popularized black singers among a white audience[[note]]Actually, it got to the point black artists were so popular that Billboard briefly merged its Hot 100 and R&B charts[[/note]] has also led to a re-evaluation of Spector's influence, [[OvershadowedByControversy while still acknowledging and condemning his murder of Clarkson]].

* Antonio Salieri was a very successful and popular composer in his own lifetime, but him and his work largely faded into obscurity after his death. He would remain forgotten for over a century until his music regained popularity in the 1980s, ironically sparked by [[Theatre/Amadeus a play]] where he described himself as the "patron saint of mediocrity". There's even an annual Salieri Opera Festival in his hometown of Legnago.

* By the second half of TheForties, Music/FrankSinatra had been replaced by Music/PerryComo as the idol of the bobby-soxers, and by the early 1950s, a slew of personal scandals surrounding his stormy marriage to Creator/AvaGardner saw him reduced to doing forgettable novelty tunes. His contract with Columbia expired in 1952, and his TV show failed after two seasons. The following year, however, his role in ''Film/FromHereToEternity'' (allegedly with help from TheMafia) marked his return to popularity, helped by his new contract with Capitol Records allowing him to pursue a new direction with the help of arranger-conductor Nelson Riddle, introducing the concept of the album-oriented artist to pop music.

* Between 2004 and 2008, people felt that Music/BritneySpears' career and reputation were beyond repair, and that she'd literally kill herself through her out-of-control lifestyle and craziness, with some people already writing her obituary after her well-publicized breakdown in 2007. Her music, meanwhile, came to be seen as a symbol of everything wrong with the {{Idol Singer}}s of the [=Y2K=] era, its lyrics dismissed as shallow and written by committee and Britney's hyper-sexualized MsFanservice image noted as having been paired with an odd and creepy [[VirginPower fetishization of her virginity]]. The release of her albums ''Circus'' in 2008 and ''Femme Fatale'' in 2011, however, put her music back on top of the charts, restoring her to a level of popularity not seen since her TeenIdol days, while her being placed in the conservatorship of her father took her name out of the tabloids. In the [=2020s=], Britney's popularity climbed once again after an exposé of said conservatorship showed just how little control she'd had over her own life for a very long time, turning her into TheWoobie and a DistaffCounterpart to Music/BrianWilson in the eyes of the public. Britney being freed from said conservatorship in 2021 was met with widespread applause by fans, her fellow musicians, and activists for women's rights and reform of the conservatorship system. Meanwhile, the case also led the musical press to atone for their coverage of pop music in the late 90s and early 2000s, often ridden with barely-concealed sexism, racism and homophobia, in turn generating a massive wave of nostalgia for Y2K-era pop in late 2021 and early 2022. Modern analyses of Britney's music eventually emphasized her outstanding dance moves, highly stylized music videos, and excellent production values. In particular, her 2007 album ''Blackout'', which was a critical and commercial failure, heing released after she had barely recovered from her breakdown and promoted in appearances where she appeared drugged out of her mind, has been VindicatedByHistory as a major influence on pop for the following decade, featuring dubstep and other EDM styles and serving as proto-{{Hyperpop}} with its abrasive sounds and satirical, scary lyrics about Britney's public persona.

It wasn't until spring 2015 that audiences decided to give Bieber another chance when he collaborated with Music/{{Skrillex}} and Music/{{Diplo}} for their side project Jack U, producing "Where Are U Now", which became Bieber's first top 10 hit since 2013 (the song's success couñd be attributed to Skrillex and Diplo's popularity and curiosity from fans wondering how a collaboration between them would work). In late summer 2015, he released "What Do You Mean?", a single that gained respect even from many non-fans and debuted at #1 in over a dozen countries. His next two singles, "Sorry" and "Love Yourself", also topped the Hot 100; the corresponding album ''Purpose'' went straight to #1 as well. He also got his first taste of widespread critical acclaim in his entire career, with ''SPIN'' naming "What Do You Mean?" the best song of 2015, and other publications rating the song highly in their own year-end lists. All this ultimately solidified that Bieber was back and bigger than ever (One Direction, meanwhile, underwent a series of problems following the departure of Zayn Malik from the group, which eventually dissolved). He continued this success into 2016 when he appeared on Music/MajorLazer's "Cold Water" (making it their biggest hit) and DJ Snake's "Let Me Love You". His proudest moment came at the end of 2016, when ''Billboard'' declared "Love Yourself" and "Sorry" the biggest hits of the year. This made him the third artist in history to have the two biggest hits of the year (after Music/TheBeatles in 1964 and Music/{{Usher}} in 2004). In addition, the criticism he garnered from non-fans began to cool off. Only time will tell if he manages to stick around for very long.

All that changed in [[TheNineties the following decade]] with the 1970s nostalgia wave, which revived public interest in ABBA's songs. A particularly important landmark for the group was the release, in 1992, of ''ABBA Gold'', which was a huge commercial success and got many younger people to listen to their music for the first time and eventually become fans. In the following years, the group managed to increase more and more its popularity, with the re-release of the original studio albums in CD, as well as the release of new compilation albums, some of which even included previously unreleased songs, such as ''I Am The City'', featured in ''More ABBA Gold'' (1993). In 1995, the band's listing in the landmark ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spin_Alternative_Record_Guide SPIN Alternative Record Guide]]'', complete with a glowing write-up, was the first indication of a major, positive re-evaluation of the band's discography by music critics. Films such as ''[[MurielsWedding Muriel's Wedding]]'' and tributes by other bands, such as {{Music/Erasure}} and [[{{Music/ATeens}} A-Teens]], also helped increasing the group's popularity. Another great leap was the debut, in 1999, of ''Theatre/MammaMia'' [[JukeboxMusical (the musical)]], which expanded to multiple locations worldwide, became one of the longest-running musicals in the history of [[UsefulNotes/BroadwayAndTheWestEnd Broadway]] and spawned a theatrical movie in 2008, starring Creator/MerylStreep, Creator/PierceBrosnan and a then little-known actress named Creator/AmandaSeyfried. Nowadays, over 40 years after their debut - and over 20 years after their revival - ABBA remains highly popular, selling millions of records each year and occasionally appearing in the media, in spite of an actual reunion only shaping up by the 2020s.