Sunday, May 27, 2007

Pop and R&B

2 comments:

Matthew said...

I say do an entire chapter on ecclesially-themed doo-wop: "Crying In the Chapel," "Chapel of Love," "Church Bells Will Ring," "Shrine of St. Cecilia," etc. It's at least as big a subcategory as teenybopper car-crash songs.

PMG said...

Great minds think alike! One of my favorite songs that is kind of in this subgenre is the Cadillacs "Gloria," which begins with than fake Gregorian chant, complete with cathedral echo.

Seriously, the chapter I'm currently writing has a big section on this subgenre. It's a weird conflation of fake religiosity (none of these groups were particularly religious, with the exception of Clyde McPhatter) with romantic sentimentality. Where the singer is telling you he loves Jesus, but it's clear he's talking about you. But unlike with soul music, Jesus doesn't stand in for sex, but rather romantic love.