Simon Frith’s article, simply titled “The Voice” examines the relationship between a Pop singer’s voice and song lyrics. Because this musical genre has constantly evolved since the early twentieth century, the author focuses on several diverse singing styles (the crooning styles of Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra, the deep vocal tone of the 1990s Rock band Crash Test Dummies, etc.) As part of his discussion, Frith also talks about the impact of music technology (e.g., the microphone) and racial appropriation of the black American voice on Pop and Rock singers. He also briefly discusses the positive (and negative) reactions to Pop in the United States and Europe. Although it may seem laughable from the perspective of the twenty-first century, the author mentions that the British especially despised crooning music; it broke the rules of “traditional” vocal music and insisted on a close proximity to the microphone.
Stan Hawkins, on the other hand, presents two articles on Pop music from analytical angles. The first (“‘Chelsea Rodgrers’ was a model: Vocality in Prince of the Twenty-First Century”) discusses Prince’s 2007 album, Planet Earth: concentrating primarily on the eighth track, “Chelsea Rodgers.” Hawkins dissects the music in rather intricate detail. At times, the author talks about the Disco-fused instrumentation and beats that form the backbone of the song. Other times, he explicitly shows the lyrics and score incipits in order to accurately illustrate the collaboration between Prince and the backup singers. For even more precision, Hawkins frequently gives the track times to show to refer to the changes that occur in the music. According to the author, “Chelsea Rodgers serves a homage of sorts to the Disco music of the 1970s: which was when Prince began his singing career.
In his second article (“Remodeling Britney Spears: Matters of Intoxication and Mediation”), Hawkins continues to utilize an analytical approach to Pop. Yet, this article is markedly different because it involves the analysis of a music video: specifically, “Toxic” (2003). Hawkins begins his article by briefly explaining the significance of MTV on the Music industry (by combining visual and musical elements together), as well as the problems with approaching music videos academically. In relation to Britney Spears, the author mentions this Pop singer’s need to stay current, despite the fact that many of her older fans now view her music with revulsion. Because her music videos constantly rely on (her) personal image, they have tended to cause controversy for their sexually explicit underpinnings.
The music video to “Toxic” is no exception to this controversy. Yet, Hawkins is more concerned with analyzing this video within the context of storytelling. At its core, “Toxic” presents central themes of infidelity and revenge (by poison). As Hawkins notes, the four protagonists played by Spears in the video (an airline stewardess, a spy, a Science Fiction action heroine, and a scantily-clad dancer) all play a part in retrieving the “Toxic” liquid. The author provides a frame-by-frame discussion and chart of these occurrences in the video. He also indicates the double-meaning of this word implied in the video: that her attraction to her man is poisonous in itself. The musical instrumentation also serves an important role in maintaining the flow of the video. Hawkins mentions the incorporation of Techno beats with instances of Arabic-sounding music (e.g., rapidly descending string glissandi), which reinforces the context of the Post-9/11 environment in which it was written.
Barbara Bradley and Brian Tirode also present an analysis of Pop music in their 1984 article, “Pity Peggy Sue.” They focus on the song “Peggy Sue” by 1950s Rock and Roll artist Buddy Holly. Aside from talking about the initial backlash associated with this genre e.g., its racial and sexual implications), the authors examine “Peggy Sue” from various aspects: from the fictional nature of the character, to the structure of the lyrics, verses and rhythm. They notice that, throughout the four verses of “Peggy Sue,” the central characters change. The fourth verse is particularly unusual because, according to Bradley and Tirode, the initial male character of the song exhibits slight uncertainty about his love for Peggy Sue. This, and other moments of the song, are emphasized by Holly’s signature swinging vibrato vocals.