The 1990s – Girl Groups and Girl Power
There was a burst of all Girl Groups merging onto the music scene in the 1990s, many of which were only able to find short term success. However, there were a group of bands that stood out and really defined the girl power movement of the decade.
Most of the girl groups would be presented as being clean cut or straight edge. This was to relate to their primary target audience; Female Children and Young Teenagers.
B*Witched were a prime example of a clean cut image.
Unlike most musical genres, the 90s Girl Group movement did not have a particular sound; it did not have particular traits like most other musical genres. Instead it fused many styles of music to create an all around pop sound. Genres fused included, R&B, Dance, Electronica and Disco. The Spice Girls for example had a mixed array of records which included snippets of different genres. This becomes apparent in all three of their albums, ‘Spice’, ‘Spiceworld’ and ‘Forever’.
Lyrically, girl groups would often sing about men, love, friendship and more generally independence, hopes and despair, but from a woman’s point of view. The song ‘Goodbye’ by the Spice Girls was released following the departure of former member Emma Bunton in ’98. This song was basically about losing a close friend.
Although Destiny’s Child released the single ‘Independent Woman’ right on the fringe of the 90s merging onto the next decade, I think this single was very important. For me, it really summed up ‘Girl Power’ and defined everything it stands for. The song sent a message across, a message that woman can fend for themselves and don’t need to rely on a man for emotional and financial support. Lyrics like this are a constant theme throughout the song ‘The house I live in, I bought it, the car I’m driving, I bought it, I depend on me’
The most significant artist of the 1990s Girl Group scene was without a doubt, the Spice Girls. The band sold over 65 Million records worldwide. The Spice Girls are often compared to the Beatles due the fact that they have both produced replica dolls and released a movie. You could say that they have been influenced by many bands of the 60s, really grabbing a hold of the ‘Swinging Sixties’ vibe wearing bright fluorescent colours on stage. Many of the 60s girl groups such as ‘The Supremes’ had an independent, girl power attitude. The Spice Girls constantly took influence from this even using the slogan ‘Girl Power’.
Although there may not be another girl group quite as big as the spice girls for many years, they have certainly had a huge influence on current popular music today. But not only girl groups but male groups and solo artist too. The Spice Girls are the reason for many of today’s pop musicians that they are in the music business at all.
Another important band from the Girl Power scene was the US’s ‘TLC’. Their smash hit single ‘No Scrubs’. Like the Destiny’s Child single ‘Independent Woman’ this track is also about being a woman and being independent. Taking note of the lyrics in the piece, I have come to a conclusion that a ‘scrub’ is a bit of a waster, with no hopes and ambitions. The song is about saying no to a ‘scrub’ and not falling for any of the man’s false charm. ‘I don’t want no scrub, a scrub is a guy that can’t get no love from me, hanging out the passengers side of his best friends ride, tryin’ to holla at me’.
One of the more influential albums of the movement was definitely the self titled debut album by ‘All Saints’. Key tracks included ‘Never Ever’ which reached number 1 in the UK and a cover version of Red Hot Chili Peppers ‘Under the Bridge mixed with Labelles ‘Lady Marmalade’. The fact that All Saints covered a modern rock song brought in a wider audience instead of their typical all female audience.
Fashion and Image was a giant asset of the success of many Girl Groups at that time. Like previous Girl Groups, most artists would dress to a certain accordance with one another and have the same or at least a similar image. There was one group that really differed in this way and that was the Spice Girls. They were unique in that the five girls in the band had their own image and personality. This was a way for women and girls to relate to at least one of the girls. The record company (Virgin Records) and manager (Nancy Phillips) would use this as a way to connect to a broader range of people thus making more sales.
The Spice Girls were also one of the first artists to jump on the ‘Cool Britannia’ bandwagon. Gerry Halliwell aka Ginger Spice even wore a dress covered with the Union Jack flag. This was to become a massive symbol of the 90s pop culture.
This Cool Britannia image was one of the main factors of their great success.
Webography
B*Witched image http://blog.roodo.com/moses_camui/171128cd.jpg
The Spice Girls
· http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://www.technovelgy.com/graphics/content07/spice-girls.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.technovelgy.com/ct/Science-Fiction-News.asp%3FNewsNum%3D1097&usg=__yX2Y1UMwGJd8F_T5UaBLXhmXLWQ=&h=303&w=400&sz=36&hl=en&start=2&um=1&tbnid=3w7WiwBOreOlKM:&tbnh=94&tbnw=124&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dspice%2Bgirls%2Blive%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26um%3D1
· http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spice_girls#.22Cool_Britannia.22
· http://www.thespicegirls.com/
· http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/1615054.stm
All Saints
· http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_Saints_(group)
Destiny’s Child
· http://www.lyrics007.com/Destiny
· http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independent_Women
Monday 16 November 2009
Monday 21 September 2009
Coldplay
Jonny Buckland, Will Champion, Chris Martin and Guy Berryman met in the 90s as students at University College London. Jonny was studying Maths and Astronomy, Will was an Anthropologist, Chris was doing a course in Ancient History, and Guy was training to be an Engineer. Soon after meeting they formed Coldplay, an extremely successful British Alternative Rock band.
Although Chris was the main songwriter, they all shared the same passion for music and would try and practice whenever and wherever possible, Chris says ‘we used to play in bathrooms, the basement, even in the park,'.
Coldplay set out to do something different from the start, Martin says 'That you can try to be catchy without being slick, poppy without being pop, and you can be uplifting without being pompous.’
Musically, Coldplay have been compared to the likes of Jeff Buckley, Travis, Radiohead and most commonly U2. Martin says, ‘U2 are the only band whose entire catalog I know by heart.’ Quite regularly, In Chris Martin’s melody you can hear bits of similarity to that of U2’s Bono.
To me, the massive influence U2 have musically on Coldplay becomes more apparent when listening to the 2005 album ‘X & Y’. The guitar riffs and sounds that Jonny Buckland creates throughout the entire album are very much alike to that of U2’s ‘The Edge’. Not that this is a bad thing, instead the guitar sounds Buckland uses seem to give the songs a huge, epic sound.
Radiohead have been a major influence on Coldplay too. However, The New York Times have said, ‘Coldplay could easily be summed up as Radiohead minus Radiohead's beat, dissonance or arty subterfuge.’ The New York Times also goes on to mention how Chris Martin has clearly heard the way Radiohead’s Thom Yorke Stretches his voice to creaking point and mimics this often.
Outside of music Martin also does a lot of work towards Charity too, doing a great amount towards Oxfam’s ‘Make Trade Fair’ campaign. Chris has travelled across the world to meet farmers and see the direct effects of Unfair Trade. This keenness towards Charity seems a direct influence from Bono, seen as though he was Chris’s idol whilst he was growing up.
Bono has been involved in many charitable events and organisations over his 20 year + career; he was even a nominee for Nobel Peace prize in 2003, 2005 & 2006 for philanthropy.
Chris seems to have also been influenced politically by Bono. The U2 front man has met with many politicians, such as former US President George W. Bush and Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin. Chris Martin was a vocal critic of President George W. Bush and the war in Iraq. Martin has also given a ‘shout out’ to Barack Obama whilst live on air on American Television. Over in Britain however, Martin supports the conservative party, he even wrote a new theme song for the party called ‘Talk to David’, although this was later unmasked as an April fool’s joke.
By taking influence from many bands and artist over the years, of different genres and styles, Coldplay have developed a unique and lushes sound that has proved to be successful throughout their entire career.
Jonny Buckland, Will Champion, Chris Martin and Guy Berryman met in the 90s as students at University College London. Jonny was studying Maths and Astronomy, Will was an Anthropologist, Chris was doing a course in Ancient History, and Guy was training to be an Engineer. Soon after meeting they formed Coldplay, an extremely successful British Alternative Rock band.
Although Chris was the main songwriter, they all shared the same passion for music and would try and practice whenever and wherever possible, Chris says ‘we used to play in bathrooms, the basement, even in the park,'.
Coldplay set out to do something different from the start, Martin says 'That you can try to be catchy without being slick, poppy without being pop, and you can be uplifting without being pompous.’
Musically, Coldplay have been compared to the likes of Jeff Buckley, Travis, Radiohead and most commonly U2. Martin says, ‘U2 are the only band whose entire catalog I know by heart.’ Quite regularly, In Chris Martin’s melody you can hear bits of similarity to that of U2’s Bono.
To me, the massive influence U2 have musically on Coldplay becomes more apparent when listening to the 2005 album ‘X & Y’. The guitar riffs and sounds that Jonny Buckland creates throughout the entire album are very much alike to that of U2’s ‘The Edge’. Not that this is a bad thing, instead the guitar sounds Buckland uses seem to give the songs a huge, epic sound.
Radiohead have been a major influence on Coldplay too. However, The New York Times have said, ‘Coldplay could easily be summed up as Radiohead minus Radiohead's beat, dissonance or arty subterfuge.’ The New York Times also goes on to mention how Chris Martin has clearly heard the way Radiohead’s Thom Yorke Stretches his voice to creaking point and mimics this often.
Outside of music Martin also does a lot of work towards Charity too, doing a great amount towards Oxfam’s ‘Make Trade Fair’ campaign. Chris has travelled across the world to meet farmers and see the direct effects of Unfair Trade. This keenness towards Charity seems a direct influence from Bono, seen as though he was Chris’s idol whilst he was growing up.
Bono has been involved in many charitable events and organisations over his 20 year + career; he was even a nominee for Nobel Peace prize in 2003, 2005 & 2006 for philanthropy.
Chris seems to have also been influenced politically by Bono. The U2 front man has met with many politicians, such as former US President George W. Bush and Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin. Chris Martin was a vocal critic of President George W. Bush and the war in Iraq. Martin has also given a ‘shout out’ to Barack Obama whilst live on air on American Television. Over in Britain however, Martin supports the conservative party, he even wrote a new theme song for the party called ‘Talk to David’, although this was later unmasked as an April fool’s joke.
By taking influence from many bands and artist over the years, of different genres and styles, Coldplay have developed a unique and lushes sound that has proved to be successful throughout their entire career.
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