In the early 1980s, particularly in the United States, notable new wave acts embraced a crossover of pop and rock music with African and African-American styles. L–R: Gary Valentine, Clem Burke, Deborah Harry, Chris Stein and Jimmy Destri.Īlthough new wave shares punk's do-it-yourself artistic philosophy, the musicians were more influenced by the light strains of 1960s pop while opposed to mainstream "corporate" rock, which they considered creatively stagnant, and the generally abrasive and political bents of punk rock. This seemed radical to audiences accustomed to post-counterculture genres such as disco dancing and macho " cock rock" that emphasized a "hang loose" philosophy, open sexuality, and sexual bravado. This took the forms of robotic dancing, jittery high-pitched vocals, and clothing fashions that hid the body such as suits and big glasses. A nervous, nerdy persona was a common characteristic of new wave fans, and acts such as Talking Heads, Devo, and Elvis Costello. Scholar Theo Cateforis said these acts intentionally presented these exaggerated, nerdy tendencies associated with their "whiteness" to criticize it and to reflect their identity. The majority of American, male, new wave acts of the late 1970s were from white, middle-class backgrounds. British videos, according to head of S-Curve Records and music producer Steve Greenberg, "were easy to come by since they'd been a staple of UK pop music TV programs like Top of the Pops since the mid-70s." This rise in technology made the visual style of new wave musicians important for their success. These bands became popular in America, in part, because of channels like MTV, which would play British new wave music videos because most American hit records did not have music videos to play. Īs new wave originated in Britain, many of the first new wave artists were British. Reynolds noted new-wave vocalists sound high-pitched, geeky, and suburban. New wave musicians often played choppy rhythm guitars with fast tempos keyboards, and stop-start song structures and melodies are common. According to Simon Reynolds, new wave music had a twitchy, agitated feel. Common characteristics of new wave music include a humorous or quirky pop approach, the use of electronic sounds, and a distinctive visual style in music videos and fashion. New wave includes several pop-oriented styles from this time period. New wave music encompassed a wide variety of styles that shared a quirky, lighthearted, and humorous tone that were very popular in the late 1970s and 1980s. Since the 1990s, new wave resurged several times with the growing nostalgia for several new-wave-influenced musicians. In the mid-1980s, new wave declined with the emergence of the New Romantic, new pop, and new music genres. ![]() MTV, which was launched in 1981, heavily promoted new-wave acts, boosting the genre's popularity. New wave commercially peaked from the late 1970s into the early 1980s with numerous major musicians and an abundance of one-hit wonders. Although new wave shares punk's do-it-yourself philosophy, the musicians were more influenced by the styles of the 1950s along with the lighter strains of 1960s pop and were opposed to the generally abrasive, political bents of punk rock, as well as what was considered to be creatively stagnant " corporate rock". In the early 1980s, virtually every new pop and rock act – and particularly those that employed synthesizers – were tagged as "new wave" in the United States. ![]() ![]() Ī number of common characteristics of new wave music include a humorous or quirky pop approach, angular guitar riffs, jerky rhythms, the use of electronics along with a distinctive visual style in fashion and music videos. It may also be viewed as a more accessible counterpart of post-punk. Later, critical consensus favored "new wave" as an umbrella term involving many popular music styles of the era, including power pop, synth-pop, alternative dance, and specific forms of punk that were less abrasive. It was originally used as a catch-all for the various styles of music that emerged after punk rock, including punk itself. It is considered a lighter and more melodic "broadening of punk culture". New wave is a music genre that encompasses pop-oriented styles from the late 1970s through the 1980s. ( Learn how and when to remove this template message) ( January 2024) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message) Please improve this article by removing excessive or inappropriate external links, and converting useful links where appropriate into footnote references. This article's use of external links may not follow Wikipedia's policies or guidelines.
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