Music: Listen, Look and Enjoy

November 1, 2026

French rock 1955–2025 – episode 4: Poetic and intellectual rock (part 2): Serge Gainsbourg, Alain Bashung and Renaud

Recent blog post are accompanied by a video podcast. The podcast provides an introduction, whilst the blogpost explores the topic in greater detail. The podcast is in Dutch, but YouTube translates it into English on demand. If you like, you can also watch the podcast on your smart TV. Simply select YouTube and search for ‘kanaal expeditie muziek’.

Many songs by artists representing poetic and intellectual rock are melancholic in nature, or rebellious, or a reflection on existence. Poets such as Baudelaire and Rimbaud were a major source of inspiration.

Representatives of this style include Serge Gainsbourg, Alain Bashung, Renaud, Noir Désir, Matthieu Chedid, and – more recently – BB Brunes and Feu! Chatterton. The first three are discussed in this post, the other four in the next one.

Serge Gainsbourg

Serge Gainsbourg (1928–1991) is regarded as a classic provocateur-chansonnier whose songs are almost all a varied combination of classic melodic chanson, rock, jazz and reggae. From the 1970s onwards, the proportion of rock in his oeuvre increased significantly. His songs are often emotional, controversial, political and erotic in tone, and above all beautifully worded. He wrote around 550 songs, which have been covered frequently.

A classic example of one such song is ‘Je t’aime…moi non plus’, featuring Jane Birkin (1969), and the more artistic ‘Valse de Melody Nelson’ (1971, here 1988).

Gainsbourg’s debut album ‘Du chant à la une!’ (1958) won awards, but critics were negative and commercially it was a failure. Listen to the track ‘Le poinconneur de lilas’ here.

Success was not long in coming with the single ‘à la bouche’ , from the film of the same name (1960), and a string of hits for artists including Juliette Gréco (‘La Javanaise’, 1962), Brigitte Bardot, Petula Clark and France Gall. During a brief romantic relationship, he wrote the erotic and cynical ‘Je t’aime…moi non plus’ and the song ‘Bonny and Clyde’ especially for Brigitte Bardot. At the insistence of her then-husband, Gunter Sachs, Bardot asked Gainsbourg not to release the song ‘Je t’aime’, to which the singer agreed. Shortly afterwards, he wrote ‘’te dire for Françoise Hardy (1968, recorded in 1971), which became one of Hardy’s signature songs. In the late 1960s, Gainsbourg began a relationship with Jane Birkin and their version of ‘Je t’aime…’ became a global hit, although it was boycotted in various places. Watch and listen to this famous song here.

The record company wanted more songs of this kind, but Serge Gainsbourg preferred to take a more artistic direction. This resulted in the concept album ‘de Melody Nelson’ (1971), the story of the teenager Melody Nelson after the ‘narrator’ had run her over with his Rolls-Royce. The album’s music is driven by a funky electric guitar and bass, the singer’s partly spoken vocals, complemented by romantic string and choral arrangements. AllMusic critic Jason Ankeny described the album as “perhaps [Gainsbourg’s] most coherent and perfectly realised studio album… alternately fascinating and repulsive, hilarious and grim, but never boring”. The album has inspired many composers in and outside France and later also contributed to the development of trip hop.

In 1975, Gainsbourg released the album ‘Rock around the bunker’, steeped in ‘black’ humour, in a 1950s rock ‘n’ roll style based on Serge’s experiences as a Jewish child in occupied France. Here is the track ‘Boulevard en liberté’.

In the years that followed, Gainsbourg developed an affinity for reggae. This made him the first Western artist to record an album in Jamaica: ‘Aux armes et caetera’. Listen to ‘Brigade des stubs’ from this album. Later, a further controversy arose when Gainsbourg sang the Marseillaise in reggae style.

After reggae, Gainsbourg discovered electronic music. On the album ‘Love on the Boat’ (1984), he sings the track ‘Lemon Incest’ alongside his daughter Charlotte. This song refers to his alleged fantasy of making love to his daughter.

In 1991, Serge Gainsbourg died of a heart attack, having smoked five packets of unfiltered Gitanes a day throughout his life. Musically, he achieved legendary status.

Alain Bashung

Alain Bashung (1947–2009) was a singer, songwriter, composer and actor. He recorded 12 studio albums. His star began to rise in the 1980s, despite having produced a number of records prior to that, such as the albums ‘Roman photo’and ‘Roulette russe’. During this period, he occasionally produced songs for others, such as Dick Rivers. His success came with the songs ‘d’amour’ and ‘’ ’ (1980), ‘Gaby oh Gaby’ (1981) and ‘SOS Amor’ (1984), and the albums ‘de l’amour’ and ‘’ ’ (1980), ‘ Osez Joséphine ’ (1991), featuring the title track alongside the hit ‘Madame rêve’, and ‘Confessions publiques’ (1995), featuring the hit ‘Ma petite entreprise’. In the 1980s, he became one of France’s most successful and acclaimed singers. Despite personal setbacks (depression, divorce), he further cemented his reputation with the album ‘Fantaisie militaire’ (1998) and the single ‘La nuit je mens’. You can watch and listen to them here.

Alain Bashing had previously released experimental ‘black’ albums but had met with little success: ‘Play blessure’, in collaboration with Serge Gainsbourg (1982), ‘ ,‘Figure imposée’ ’ (1983) and ‘Novice’ (1989). In 2002, he tried again with ‘L’imprudence’, in which he used electronics as well as strings. The album was, in his own words, inspired by old black-and-white films. The ‘speech-singing’ is undoubtedly borrowed from Gainsbourg, with whom he had previously collaborated. This time, the album was well received. Listen here to the track ‘Tel’ (2003 performance).

In 2008, he released his final album: ‘Bleu parole’, which he concludes with a cover of Gérard Manset’s ‘Il voyage en solitaire’. By then, he had been diagnosed with lung cancer, and he passed away on 14 March 2014.

In 2010, the French edition of Rolling Stone magazine included the albums ‘Osez Joséphine’ and ‘Fantaisie Militaire’ at numbers 2 and 9 respectively in its list of ‘100 Essential French Rock Albums’. Four other albums featured further down the list.

Renaud

Renaud Pierre Manuel Séchan (1952 – ) is a politically engaged French singer-songwriter, born and raised in Paris. He grew up in an intellectual milieu; Maoism fascinated him more than his school subjects. During the occupation of the Sorbonne, he began writing and singing songs. Together with a friend who played the accordion, he became a street musician. His ambition to become an actor came to nothing. Later, however, he did appear in a number of films. He was invited to record an album and gradually gained a certain degree of fame and renown. A further 25 albums were to follow, with a combined circulation of 20 million.

Several of his songs are considered French ‘classics’: ‘Dès que le vent soufflera’, ‘Mistral gagnant’, ‘béton ’ and ‘Morgane detoi’. These four songs span several decades of his artistic life. Listen to the first song here:

His songs deal with both light-hearted and serious themes, alternating between humour, emotion and social criticism. He calls himself a “chanteur énervant” (annoying singer). In many songs, he criticises the petty bourgeoisie and the right-wing tendencies of the average Frenchman.

Between 1995 and 2000 From 2000 onwards, his career stalled, mainly due to depression and excessive alcohol consumption. However, he managed to overcome this through trial and error.

Renaud wrote the song ‘Manhattan-Kaboul’, from the album ‘Boucan d’enfer’ (2002), in the aftermath of the attacks of 11 September 2001 and the war in Afghanistan. Here, he sings it alongside Axelle Red. Together, they portray two victims of this violence. The song is primarily about the suffering experienced by civilians as a result of political decisions, particularly when these are made on religious grounds. The song was very successful in France and Belgium. Listen to it and watch it here:

Critics regard his successful album ‘Rouge sang’ (featuring tracks such as ‘song’ and ‘J’ai retrouvé ma flingie’ (2006) as a kind of rebirth. His cynicism has given way to social commitment. Between 2010 and 2014, Renaud relapsed into alcoholism. He continued to enjoy success, but now mainly through reissues of partly unpublished older work such as ‘Les introuvables’ (2012) and ‘La Bande à Renaud’, an album on which 15 artists perform covers of Renaud’s work.

Once again, he overcomes his alcoholism and releases a new album, partly dedicated to the victims of the attack on Charlie Hebdo (2015). In 2016, a new album follows, titled Renaud. You can listen to the ‘Debout here’

In the years that followed, new albums and concerts followed one after another, interspersed on several occasions by renewed treatment for his alcoholism. His latest album is due to be released in early 2026, which, according to him, will include, among other tracks, ‘La plus belle chanson d’amour’.

October 17, 2026

French rock 1955–2025 – episode 3: Classic rock ‘n’ roll (2) Johnny Hallyday

From now on, every blog post will be accompanied by a video podcast. The podcast provides an introduction, whilst the blogpost explores the topic in greater detail. The podcast is in Dutch, but YouTube translates it into English on demand. If you like, you can also watch the podcast on your smart TV. Simply select YouTube and search for ‘kanaal expeditie muziek’.

The rock ‘n’ roll craze of the 1950s did not leave France untouched, and French artists initially confined themselves to translating English-language songs. Later, the Beatles also became a source of inspiration, which is why the term ‘Yéyé rock’ is also used. The lyrics are cheerful and simple, aimed at a very young audience.

In the previous instalment of this blog, we looked at prominent figures in classic French rock: Les Chaussettes Noires, Christophe, Les Chats Sauvages and, in particular, their singer Dick Rivers, after he embarked on a solo tour in 1964.

The most influential figure in this style is Johnny Hallyday. This instalment of the blog is entirely dedicated to Johnny Hallyday.

More so than Dick Rivers, it is Johnny Hallyday (1943–2017) who shaped French rock throughout his career. With Dick Rivers, Anglo-Saxon influences are more prominent. Nevertheless, in the early years of his career, Johnny Hallyday was dubbed the French Elvis. He caused a sensation at the time with the French-language version of ‘Let’s Twist Again’. (‘Viens danser le twist’). Listen and watch it here:

Throughout his career, he remained a cultural icon. Characteristic of his extensive collection of 79 albums, 51 of which are studio albums, is the way in which he combines rock and chansons, often performed live in lavishly staged shows. Record sales totalled 110 million, mainly in the French-speaking world. He has given around 3,500 concerts, attended by some 30 million people.

Among his most popular songs are ‘Pour moi la vie va commencer’, ‘Que je t’aime’, ‘la feu’ , ‘Gabrielle’ and ‘ L’envie ’. In 2007 – many albums later – he released the blues-inspired album ‘Le cœur d’un homme’. On this album, he sings with blues musician Taj Mahal on tracks including ‘and ‘T’aimer si mal’ . In 2014 – three years before his death – he formed the trio ‘Vieilles Canailles’ with Eddy Mitchell and Jacques Dutronc, with whom he had already sung in his teenage years.

Johnny discovered the life of an artist at a young age. His first contract with Vogue Records stipulated that he was entitled to 5% of the revenue from his albums. Thanks to the success of his EP ‘Souvenirs, Souvenirs’, he performed as the support act for established artists such as Sacha Distel. The younger section of the audience was wildly enthusiastic, whilst the older section booed him. This continued for a while, but his popularity grew rapidly. Thus, his first LP, ‘Nous les gars, nous les filles’, was released. Competition also intensifies, partly due to Eddy Michell and his Chaussettes noires. He wants to stand up to the competition with a better and larger backing band. But his management snaps at him, “ “Tu fermes ta gueule et tu chantes” (‘Shut your mouth and sing’), to which he replies, ‘Je ne vois pas comment je peux chanter en fermant ma gueule’ (‘I don’t see how I can sing while keeping my mouth shut’). He then turns his back on them all and signs a contract with Philips. He is just 18 years old.

He then performed for several weeks at the Olympia theatre in Paris; the Palladium in London followed. On the advice of Charles Aznavour, he alternated rock songs with quieter numbers such as ‘Retient la nuit’.

From that time onwards, his talents are increasingly recognised by the older generation. A free concert to mark the first anniversary of the magazine ‘Salut les copains’, featuring not only Johnny Hallyday but also Sylvie Vartan and the ‘Chats sauvages’, attracts 200,000 visitors instead of the expected 30,000. The concert passed off peacefully, but elsewhere in the city riots broke out between rival gangs. In 1964, he completed his military service. He made several propaganda films for the army and, in exchange, was allowed to continue performing, albeit in his military uniform. It was during this period that one of his most successful albums was released, ‘Le Pénitencier’, which included the French version of ‘House of the Rising Sun’.

The period that followed was less successful; the many concerts were wearing him out, a divorce from Sylvie Vartan, whom he had married only a short time before, was looming, and he attempted suicide. The only consolation is that his latest album, ‘Noir c’est noir’, is a huge success. He takes a few weeks to rest and recover and returns with an unrivalled performance at the Olympia in Paris. His music reflects a wide range of influences. No longer just rock ‘n’ roll, but also rhythm & blues, soul, pop and psychedelic rock, clearly influenced by the style of the Beatles in their final years as a group. In a performance before 100,000 spectators at the Palais des Sports, he sings the song ‘Que je t’aime’ for the first time. Listen and watch it here:

Through his collaboration with lyricist Philippe Labro, his records became increasingly fierce and polemical, and he found himself at loggerheads with the Vatican, among others, for comparing Jesus to a hippie. Later, however, his collaboration with Michel Mallory meant that Johnny’s singing became less aggressive and more melodic. This led to the album ‘La musique que j’aime’ (1973), which would become one of his classics. Nevertheless, the boundless energy he exudes in his more than 200 performances a year brings him to the brink of a breakdown on several occasions. His debts, resulting from overly ambitious projects, and the tax arrears he had accumulated over the years also play a part in this.

Johnny moved to the US for a while, but soon settled back in France, where he enjoyed success with the hits ‘Requiem pour un fou’, ‘Derrière l’amour’ and the rock track ‘Gabrielle’. Here is a montage of various performances of this song.

His next project was ‘Hamlet’ (1977), a rock opera based on Shakespeare’s work. The music was composed by Pierre Groscolas, inspired by progressive rock. The double album failed to catch on and the idea of staging the work was abandoned. He continued to enjoy success with his records, such as the track ‘Elle m’oublie’ on the ‘ ’ album ‘Sollitudes à deux’, which was one of the biggest hits of the decade. After several more years of close collaboration and joint performances, Johnny and Sylvie eventually went their separate ways.

With the album ‘En pièces détachées’ (1981), Hallyday returns to the world of hard rock. In ‘Lady divine’, he urges his audience not to take drugs. In the period that followed, none of the eight new albums would captivate the public again. The album ‘Entre violence et violon’ (1983) marked the turning point of an artistic revival, which reached its peak in ‘Rock ‘n’ roll attitude’ and ‘de métier’ . He achieved his greatest success with the rock track ‘Mon p’tit loup (ça va faire mal)’. Seen here in a filmed setting, culminating in a concert performance.

In the years that followed, he put on two spectacular shows. Firstly, 45 performances of *Fantasm Hallyday* (from 14 September to 11 November 1983 at the Palais des Sports in Paris) for an audience of 250,000. From 25 October to 2 February 1984, he performed night after night for three months at the Zénith de Paris. Both shows marked the most musically innovative period of Hallyday’s life, partly thanks to producer Pierre Billion. The new album *Gang* (1986), featuring tracks such as ‘’nom’ , ‘Je te promets’ and ‘Laura’, illustrates this. In 1994, his^34thalbum was released and record sales exceeded 100 million. With a new look – short hair, a moustache and a goatee – he performed in Las Vegas and at the Zénith in Paris, as a prelude to three concerts at the Stade de France, the first of which was postponed due to heavy rain and the second went ahead despite the rain.

Two million copies of the album Sang pour sang (1999) are sold, more than any previous album. He celebrates his 40th anniversary as an artist with a free concert near the Eiffel Tower, attended by over a million people. His career reached its peak during these years, in terms of public interest, concert attendance and record sales. With the last CD he made for Philips (2005), he returned to his rock roots and, for the first time in 15 years, the album featured a number of songs he had composed himself. His ‘Tour 1966’ took him, from 2009 onwards, to the 111 stadiums and theatres where he had performed to date. This tour was interrupted by an operation on his colon to remove a tumour. Further operations followed and the ‘Tour 1966’ was cancelled. Between 2010 and 2015, Johnny Hallyday starred in several films and gave a series of concerts worldwide. In 2015, he released his^50thstudio album, which focuses primarily on a number of current tragedies, such as the civil war in Syria (‘Valise ou cercueil’), illegal immigration (‘Voyeur clandestin’) and Islamic terrorism (‘Avant de frapper’). Watch and listen to the first track here:

In the years that followed, Johnny was treated several times for various illnesses, including cancer, which remained hidden from the outside world. The hacking of his daughter’s computer in 2017 revealed that he had incurable lung cancer.

During this period, he performs 17 more times with his trio ‘Canailles’ . You can watch one of these concerts via this link.

His deteriorating health did not prevent Hallyday from recording a further ten songs. These included the track ‘un rocker’, recorded with Eddy Mitchell, which appeared on the album ‘La même tribute’. This was the last recording to be released during his lifetime. Johnny died on 5 December 2017 at the age of 74 from lung cancer. 500,000 people paid their final respects to him.

On 19 October 2018, his 51th studio album, ‘Mon pays c’est l’amour’, was released posthumously, selling millions of copies. This was followed by several other albums featuring old tracks and live recordings.

October 5, 2026October 4, 2026

French rock 1955–2025 – episode 2: Classic rock ‘n’ roll (1): Chats sauvages, chaussettes noires, Dick Rivers and La Femme.

The most influential representative of this style is Johnny Hallyday, who also occupies a prominent place in the photo above (standing top left). In 1961, he released ‘Viens danser le twist’, a cover of ‘Let’s Twist Again’, of which he sold over a million copies. In his 57-year career, he has sold 110 million albums and made rock popular in France, perhaps mainly because the difference between chanson and rock was minimal. Listen to one of his best-known songs, ‘Que je t’aime’

The next instalment of this blog post is entirely devoted to Johnny Hallyday. This post will cover other prominent figures in classic French rock: Les Chaussettes Noires, Christophe, Les Chats Sauvages and, in particular, their singer Dick Rivers, after he embarked on a solo tour in 1964.

Serge Gainsbourg can also be seen as a representative of this style. Many of his songs are primarily poetic in nature, which is why he will be discussed later.

How it began

Just as in many other parts of the world, ‘rock ‘n’ roll’ first emerged in France in the mid-1950s. How this came about differed greatly from the rest of the world. The writer and jazz musician Boris Vian had a deep-seated hatred of rock ‘n’ roll and wrote a parody of it: ‘Fais-moi mal Johnny’ (Hurt me, Johnny), sung by the actress Magali Noël, later known for the films La dolce vita and Satyricon.

The public, however, saw this song as the first rock ‘n’ roll track in the French language and appreciated it as such, despite (or perhaps because of) the radio’s boycott of it due to its offensive language. You can listen to it here:

The first ‘real’ rock ‘n’ roll bands emerged in the early 1960s and were ‘Les chats sauvages’ and ‘Les chaussettes noires’.

Les chats sauvages released the first French-language rock ‘n’ roll track, ‘Twist à Saint-Tropez’, clearly inspired by English-language songs that had just come out at the time. When singer Dick Rivers left the group in 1982 to embark on a solo career, it wasn’t long before the band ceased to exist.

Les Chausettes Noires were not destined for a long life either. In their case, this was because members of the band, including singer Eddy Mitchell, were called up for military service. The latter, incidentally, also went on to launch a solo career. Together they had a number of hits such as ‘Be-bop-a-lula’ (1960) and ‘ Daniela’ (1961). You can listen to the latter track here. After Eddy Mitchell’s departure, the group continued for some time without a singer as ‘frontman’ and, in addition to French-language covers of The Beatles, also produced instrumental tracks inspired by The Shadows, such as ‘Miserlou’ here.

Dick Rivers

Dick Rivers (Hervé Former; 1945 – 2019) produced 36 albums during his career. In the early years of his solo career, he recorded several Beatles classics, such as this one: ‘Entre nous c’est fini’. In 1965, he was the only French singer invited by the group to appear on the special broadcast ‘Music of Lennon and McCartney’, in honour of the duo John Lennon and Paul McCartney. This broadcast, a recording of which you can see here, features excerpts from covers of the duo’s songs.

Rivers’ ‘ ’ was a hit in the US and Canada, as was the country rock album ‘ . He also released French-language albums, such as ‘Rock ’n’ Roll Star’ (1974) and ‘Va, Va, Va’ (1975). You can watch and listen to the single of the same name from the latter album here.

During the 1980s, little was heard of the singer and he gave few performances. At his manager’s request, Les Chats Sauvages and Dick reunited once more and released the album ‘Les Chats Sauvages 1982’. It was not until some time later, following the release of the album ‘Plein Soleil’ (1995), that his career was revived. This album features a wide variety of styles, ranging from rock to ballads. He also resumed his live performances. Here you can watch and listen to the title track ‘Plein soleil’.

From that point on, he mainly sang his own songs rather than translations of English-language songs. In 1997, following a concert in honour of his fiftieth birthday at Disneyland Paris, he gave a unique concert at l’Olympia on 8 January (Elvis Presley’s birthday).

Early in 1998, a new album was released: ‘Vivre comme ça’. On this album, in the song ‘La Trahison des mots’, the singer sings about showbiz and its “sharks”.

In May 2003, the singer published ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll’, an autobiographical book about his career, the 45th anniversary of which he celebrated in 2006 with a series of concerts. After the turn of the century, Dick Rivers was involved in several films, including ‘Le furet’, a comedy by Jean-Pierre Mocky. In 2004, Dick Rivers made his stage debut at the Théâtre National de Chaillot, where he starred in Jean Genet’s Les Paravents. He continued his acting career by voicing the monkey Zugor in Tarzan 2.

In 2005, a period of reflection began. Dick Rivers wanted to develop further musically. Francis Cabrel, Mickey 3D, Benjamin Biolay, Mathieu Boggaerts and Axel Bauer became his new songwriters. The result, the album Dick Rivers, the^30thof his career, was released on 27 March 2006. It gave the rocker’s career a new lease of life. Listen to ‘Le mauvais joueur’ from this album here.

After much hesitation, Dick Rivers agreed to take part in Âge Tendre, la tournée des idoles, a tour that visited France’s major venues between January and April 2018. On stage, he performed a medley of Les Chats Sauvages. Following this tour, during which he gave 62 concerts, he set off on a solo tour — entitled 100 % rock ‘n’ roll — with around twenty performances in various cities and at festivals across France from May 2018.

Dick Rivers died on 24 April 2019, the day of his 74th birthday, from the effects of cancer that had been discovered two months earlier during a medical examination.

La Femme

La Femme belongs in the ‘alternative, indie and new wave’ category, but is also regularly referred to as a ‘retro surf rock band’. Reviewer Huw Nesbit praised the group for its versatility. Their debut album ‘Psycho tropical Berlin’ brings together influences from the 1950s (Americana), the 1960s (French pop) and the 1980s (synthpop). This is particularly true of the track ‘ la planche’ (2010).

September 21, 2026September 21, 2026

French rock 1955–2025 – episode 1: Why focus on ‘French rock’

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From now on, every blog post will be accompanied by a video podcast. The podcast provides an introduction, whilst the blogpost explores the topic in greater detail. The podcast is in Dutch, but YouTube translates it into English on demand. If you like, you can also watch the podcast on your smart TV. Select YouTube and search for ‘kanaal expeditie muziek’.

When you think of French popular music, you probably think first and foremost of the chanson, and without the culture of the chanson, French rock would hardly have distinguished itself from rock elsewhere in the world.

So let’s start by looking at the chanson. A chanson is a poetic, narrative song, usually with refined lyrics, often romantic or melancholic in nature, and featuring a catchy melody. In France, the chanson is regarded as a distinct art form, different from schlagers and pop songs. You’ll find plenty of examples on Spotify playlists featuring French-language chansons. The most famous chansonniers are Jacques Brel (‘Ne me quitte pas’), Edith Piaf (‘La vie en rose’), Gilbert Bécaud (‘Nathalie’) and Charles Aznavour. Find a performance of the latter at the podcast.

French rock is just as old as ‘rock’ elsewhere. In the second half of the^20thcentury, rock grew into a dominant musical genre worldwide. I hrecent pst, ave devoted three (series of) blog posts to it: ‘From “rock & roll” to rock’, ‘The development of rock after 1960′ and ‘Progressive rock’. French rock is part of the development of rock in general but cannot be viewed in isolation from the French chanson tradition. That is what makes French rock unique, even more so than the French language itself. In the meantime, the popularity of French rock outside French-speaking regions has remained limited. That is why you will hear many little-known songs in this series.

The forthcoming episodes of this series will focus on the styles that can be distinguished in the development of French rock. In this initial episode, I’ll give an example of each style. When distinguishing between styles, you need to consider overlap, the existence of hybrid forms, and the fact that songs by a band or singer can belong to different styles:

Classic rock ‘n’ roll;
Poetic and intellectual rock;
Punk, garage and rebellious rock;
New wave and alternative rock;
Extreme metal and underground.

Classic rock ‘n’ roll

The rock ‘n’ roll craze of the 1950s did not leave France untouched. Initially, French artists limited themselves to translating English-language songs. Later, the Beatles also became a source of inspiration, which is why the term ‘Yéyé rock’ is also used. The lyrics are cheerful and simple, aimed at a young audience.

Above is an image of the ‘photo du siècle’, taken by Jean-Marie Périer (1966). It features many French artists who can be counted among the classic rock scene and later went on to represent other styles as well. You can find out who they are here.

The most influential representative of this style is Johnny Hallyday, who, not without reason, occupies a special place on the ‘photo du siècle’. In 1961, he released ‘Viens danser le twist’, a cover of ‘Let’s Twist Again’, of which he sold over a million copies. Over his 57-year career, he sold 110 million albums and made rock popular in France, perhaps partly because the distinction between chanson and rock was often blurred in his work. Listen to one of his most famous songs, ‘Que je t’aime’

Under the heading ‘classic rock ‘n’ roll’, the following artists will be featured across two episodes: Les Chats Sauvages, Les Chaussettes Noires, Dick Rivers, La Femme (episode 2) and Johnny Hallyday (episode 3).

Serge Gainsbourg is also considered a representative of this style. The poetic nature of many of his songs carries greater weight, which is why he is featured in episode 4.

Poetic and intellectual rock

Songs I classify as belonging to this style are often melancholic, reflect on existence or express dissatisfaction with it. Songwriters often draw inspiration from poets such as Baudelaire and Rimbaud and have artistic pretensions that are at least as great. A representative of this style is the band Noir Désir with the song ‘Le vent nous portera’ (2001), a stylish, politically conscious and ‘dark black’ song that you can hear below. The band also gained fame abroad from the 1980s onwards. ‘Le vent’ is by far the best-known French rock song abroad in recent decades:

The band’s existence ended abruptly in 2003 when its singer, Bertrand Cantat, was convicted of the murder of his girlfriend, the actress Marie Trintignant.

Under the heading ‘poetic and intellectual rock’, the following artists are featured across two episodes: Serge Gainsbourg, Alain Bashung, Renaud (episode 4) and Noir Désir, Matthieu Chedid, BB Brunes and Feu! Chatterton (episode 5). The latter group can also be classified as ‘new wave and alternative rock’.

Punk, garage and rebellious rock

French punk, just like punk elsewhere, is raw and direct music with simple lyrics and melodies. The lyrics are political in nature and are mainly directed against ‘the system’. Most punk bands have a local character and can be classified under the heading ‘garage rock’. The bands I’ll be discussing sometimes play pure punk, but their repertoire is broader. You can watch and listen to Shaka Ponk here. The band sings in French, Spanish and English. Their music is a mix of punk rock, electronic dance music (EDM) and funk, and the band puts on spectacular shows with visuals and humour. Listen and watch the energetic track ‘Palabra mi amor’ (2011) at the podcast

Under the heading ‘punk, garage and rebellious rock’, the following bands are featured across two episodes: Indochine, Téléphone, Les Thugs and Mano Negra (episode 6) and Las Wampas, Shaka Ponk and Last Train (episode 7).

New wave and alternative rock

This broad category includes bands from the post-punk era that radiate the energy of punk and whose music is therefore danceable. They place greater emphasis on content, form and musical quality.

As a representative, I have chosen Indochine, a band that has been around since 1981 and still enjoys great popularity. The band recently released their 14^th album. Here, they perform the track ‘L’aventurier’ from their debut album, which is typical of new wave.

Under the heading ‘new wave and alternative rock’, the following artists are featured across two episodes: Indochine, Les Rita Mitsouko, Louise Attack, Phoenix (episode 8) and Dionysos, Biolay, Magma and The Limiñanas (episode 9)

Extreme metal and underground

What is particularly striking about this style is the occult nature of the lyrics, which are fueled by sadness, nihilism, dark romanticism, tragedy, melancholy and morbidity. Extreme ‘metal’ is instantly recognisable by its deafening volume and ‘roaring’ vocal style. The bands in question have a relatively small but dedicated following.

As an example, I’ll play the band Mutilation with the track ‘New false prophet’.

Mütilation belongs to a loose collective of bands calling themselves ‘Légions noires’. Also featured under this banner are: Regarde les hommes tomber, Sortilège, Hangman’s Chair, Varsovie and Perturbator (episode 10).

In the final episode (11), I explore why the word ‘noir’ features in the names of many bands, regardless of their style, and why they often describe their songs as ‘noir’ as well.

August 30, 2026

Language as a (music)instrument

From now on, every blog post will be accompanied by a video podcast. The podcast provides an introduction, whilst the blogpost explores the topic in greater detail. The podcast is in Dutch, but YouTube can translate it into English. If you like, you can also watch the podcast on your TV. Simply select YouTube and search for ‘kanaal expeditie muziek’.

I’ll be exploring the question of whether certain musical styles are best suited to a particular language. In this post, I willI explain why that is often the case.

Topics

– language and rhythm,

– language and timbre,

– language, rhyme and vocabulary,

– language and sentence structure

– and language and metre.

Language and rhythm

The linguist Kenneth Pike places European languages on a scale with ‘stress-timed rhythm’ at one end and ‘syllable-timed rhythm’ at the other,

In the ‘stress-timed’ category, the interval between stressed syllables is generally of equal length.

English is the best example of a language with ‘stress-timed’ rhythm. This language has a strong dynamic; the sound is almost bouncy, ideal for rock or rap. Passages between the stressed syllables are often swallowed or shortened (gonna, wanna, ‘n’)

‘It’s been a hard day’s night’

German is also an example of a language with a ‘stress-timed’ rhythm, coming straight after English. Dutch follows next. German also uses many abbreviations to maintain the rhythm.

In languages that belong to the ‘syllable-timed’ category, each syllable generally lasts the same length of time, without any changes in stress, as in English, German and Dutch. You then hear a flowing cadence. You can clap along to each syllable.

French is an example of a language with ‘syllable-timed’ rhythm. The fact that each syllable lasts almost the same length makes the language fluid and narrative, with undulating melodies and a less pronounced rhythm.

Je marche seul dans la nuit

You can also easily vary the stress because it is less pronounced. You could, for example, stress ‘seul’. Sometimes the final syllable also receives a slight stress.

Italian and Spanish also have have a ‘syllable-timed’ rhythm albeit to a lesser extent than French. A good example in Spanish is Richie Valens’ song ‘La Bamba’. The syllables form a series of equal beats:

Pa-ra bai-lar la Bamba.

There are almost no differences in stress. You hear open vowels in almost every syllable and even-paced phrases. The effect is a danceable and singable song with a melody that moves in time with the lyrics.

Below, I also examine other characteristics besides rhythm, such as timbre, rhyming possibilities, vocabulary, sentence structure, expression and metre. All these characteristics overlap to some extent, which is why you rarely hear them ‘in their pure form’. Combined with rhythm, they give every language a musical personality, and one could almost speak of language as a musical instrument.

Language and timbre

Differences between languages are expressed by the terms ‘hard’ and ‘soft’. This distinction partly coincides with the division between Germanic and Romance languages.

The hardness of a language’s timbre is determined by the number of consonants, the openness of the vowels, the hardness of compound sounds (‘g’, ‘ch’, ‘r’ and ‘s’), and the nasal character.

The timbre of English and German is largely similar and distinctly hard. Italian, Spanish and French are more pastel. Dutch lies somewhere in between, due to the presence of both hard consonants in the Randstad (‘t’, ‘k’, ‘p’, ‘g’, ‘sch’, ‘ch’) and long vowels (‘aa’, ‘o’ and ‘ee’) in the south.

A good example of a harsh timbre is the Rammstein track ‘Du hast’. What you hear is how the clusters of consonants (-hst, -scht, -cht) make the sound harsh and angular.

Language, rhyme and vocabulary

French is an easy language for rhyming: many words end in similar ways (‘-é’, ‘-er’ or ‘-ion’). There are therefore many possibilities, but these are often predictable. Dutch is like French in this respect. The same applies to Spanish and Italian. That is why these languages lend themselves well to arias. English lies at the other end of the spectrum: at the end of a sentence, there is great variation in sound due to differences in pronunciation; this language also lends itself to rhyming within sentences.

A good example of rhyme in French songs is ‘La vie en rose’, originally sung by Edith Piaf. Here you can hear Andrea Bocelli’s version. The song features many identical endings (‘-ose’, ‘-eur’, ‘-ant’ and ‘-é’). There are plenty of rhyming pairs: ‘rose’/’chose’ and ‘yeux’/’bleu’. This results in a continuous vocal line

Sentence structure and expression

You recognise English immediately by its short, ‘catchy’ sentences, and the language lends itself to short and powerful ‘hooks’. In this respect, Dutch comes a close second to English. In German, the verb often comes at the end, which builds tension, leads to longer sentences and a ‘dramatic’ release.

French has on average, longer sentences than the other languages, making it well-suited to narrative texts. French, Spanish and Italian feature a fluid sentence structure, emotional intensity and are ‘naturally’ singable. Jacques Brel’s song ‘Amsterdam’ is a prime example of French as a narrative language. The lyrics consist of long, continuous sentences without pauses for breath but with many conjunctions and subordinate clauses.

The influence of language on the sound of a piece of music becomes even greater when you look beyond English, French, Dutch and Italian. Most of the music in these countries is written in 3/4 or 4/4 meter. 5/4 meteris almost non-existent in pop music. Here is one rare example: ‘Living in the Past’ by Jethro Tull. Incidentally, this song does have a certain resemblance to Southern European folk music. If you go to the Balkans, however, 5/4 time is common

In summary

Of the six languages discussed, Dutch, German and English are the least fluid (‘legato’). In all Germanic languages, sentences often end with a consonant, making them sound ‘hard’. In Romance languages, sentences often end on a vowel, allowing for long melodic vocal lines.

Every language has its own expressive possibilities, and lyricists usually make use of these spontaneously. This contributes to the distinct character of songs from different countries. It is indeed true, that a Dutch lyricist wishing to write a ‘narrative’ song – a ballad or an aria – would be best advised to use a Romance language such as French, Italian or Spanish. Those who do not have a command of such a language would do better to limit themselves to the genres to which their own language lends itself better. Ramses Shaffy’s ‘Zing, vecht, huil, bid, lach, werk en bewonder’ is more of a ‘statement’ than a story, and Dutch lends itself perfectly to that.

August 15, 2026August 15, 2026

Art rock – pop music as a form of art (part 2)

What is art?

Of course, the first question is ‘what is art’. Opinions differ on the answer. Yet certain elements recur in the various views: originality, recognisability, passion, craftsmanship and recognition over a longer period by ‘connoisseurs’ and/or the public. In any case, whether a work was commissioned or not plays no role. Rembrandt was a commercial painter, and Bach did nothing else than composing for his employers.

For instance, Rembrand’s painting ‘The Night Watch differs from other ‘tableaux de la troupe’, significantly. Rembrandt opted for a distinctive interpretation, in terms of colour and composition, whilst others aimed for a faithful representation of the group. In doing so, he crossed the boundary between craftsmanship and art, although it took a long time for this to be widely recognised.

Incidentally, outstanding craftsmanship often derives its value from the fact that it is rare and is therefore called art. In my view, this is unjustified. Craftsmanship can never be appreciated enough, but don’t confuse it with art.

My previous post was about craftsmanship in popular music. For many artists, recognition as a craftsman or -woman is the primary goal, partly because of the potential for commercial success. In an earlier post, I showed that in the 1960s a growing group of musicians sought recognition in the world of art. Additionally, in a podcast to Christmas and New Year 2026, I played a number of tracks that I consider to be quintessential examples of artistic expression in pop music. This blog post and the accompanying podcast build on that.

I am about to discuss three songs. For each of these songs, I will examine why they are more than just outstanding craftsmanship and can be regarded as artistic expression.

Ramses Shaffy: ‘Zing, vecht, huil….’

This song is more than just a ‘song’; it is Shaffy’s philosophy of life, which a section of the audience embraces. This is also because the song is well-crafted musically. It is certainly a masterpiece.

Lyrics

The ‘hook’ (key phrase) is a series of words, each given equal emphasis, which are sung along to in unison. The rest of the lyrics are also brief, but the message comes across loud and clear.

Music

The melody consists almost entirely of small steps that follow the underlying chords – ‘classical’ triads. This makes it easy to sing along, but you’ll need to have a look at the lyrics. The chorus with the ‘hook’ phrase stands out from the rest of the melody because it is ‘more explosive’, ‘higher’ and ‘more open’, whilst the rest of the lyrics are partly spoken. As the song progresses, the melody swells and takes on the character of an ‘anthem’.

Shaffy’s art?

In ‘Zing vecht, huil…’, the lyrics and harmony together express an almost existentialist motto for life. Shaffy’s enthusiasm resonates with and spreads to the audience, partly because the song is easy to sing along ‘at the top of one’s voice’. The audience experiences it as an authentic story carried by the lyrics and the melody, one that fits the person Shaffy. Moreover, it is not a stand-alone achievement, but part of a series of musically clever, poetic and timeless songs, often sung together with Liesbeth List, such as ‘Pastorale’.

Hendrick Lamar: We gon’ be alright’

For Kendrick Lamar, each album is a work of art. The songs are its carefully crafted building blocks. His work is laden with awards, including 27 Grammy awards. Five of these are for the single ‘Not Like Us’. In 2018, he became the first musician outside the fields of classical music and jazz to receive the Pulitzer Prize. the nominal emancipation of hip-hop is thus a fact. His performance at the Super Bowl LIX half-time show on 9 February 2025 attracted 133 million viewers and was widely praised, despite (or because of) his political stance. Lamar is undeniably a master of his craft.

Lyricx

Given the spoken-word format, the bar for this and other tracks is set extremely high. Lamar tackles social issues (race, identity, discrimination and trauma) through layered metaphors. The assurance ‘We gon’ be alright’ serves as a mantra, just like ‘Zing, vecht, huil….’ The lyrics carry the song.

Music

He blends jazz and soul with hip-hop. This is most evident in his 2015 album ‘To Pimp a Butterfly’, the first of his five number-one albums on the US ‘Billboard 200’. He employs jazzy chords, inspired by Miles Davis, with plenty of dissonance, which he uses to further heighten the tension in his music videos. His songs are primarily intended to be listened to and watched rather than yo be sung along to. The tracks draw the listener into a rhythmic flow and feel like a novel or a film.

Lamar art?

I’m not into hip-hop, nor am I into Lamar. But after watching his videos repeatedly, my appreciation for the artistic quality of his work has increased. The lyrics are personal, clever, daring and multi-layered, and the musical ‘backdrop’ is more varied than that of most rappers. He has been writing songs and poems since he was young, experimenting with musical styles and bringing them together in various music videos and films. His Pulitzer Prize was seen as a sign that the American cultural elite formally recognises hip-hop as a legitimate artistic medium. He has been called one of the greatest songwriters of our time and compared to Bob Dylan.

ABBA: Dancing queen

This track deserves even more credit for its craftsmanship than the previous ones. Why?

Music

The composition meets all the technical standards one might expect. The piece is instantly recognisable from the very first bars. This remains true even when played solely on the piano. Nevertheless, the melody is far from simple, owing to the presence of many large intervals and rich chords. It consists of a series of short sections, each with its own distinctive ‘hook’. Musically, there is a sense of transparency, despite the use of synthesizers and the polyphonic vocals.

Lyrics

The numerous ‘hooks’ and the structure ensure that parts of the lyrics can be sung along to in no time at all. The lyrics delve less deeply than Shaffy’s song, but they do capture what is going on in the ‘Dancing Queen’ and the audience senses that. Nevertheless, the lyrics serve the melody.

Is ABBA art?

Many familiar with ABBA’s work might agree that this is a perfect example of craftsmanship. In this respect, it is no different from the ‘catchy’ song ‘Happy’ by Pharrell Williams that I played in my previous post. However, after listening to it a few times, ‘Happy’ holds no surprises whatsoever and the lyrics consist largely of repetitions. The song is certainly sing-along and danceable, but easily interchangeable. When you listen to ‘Dancing Queen’, you hear more.

The melody of ‘Dancing Queen’ is hardly predictable, and yet the song is highly recognisable. Here, a comparison with Mozart’s compositions is obvious. ‘Dancing Queen’ is not just cheerful. The song has ‘layered’ lyrics with a melancholic and nostalgic undertone that refers to the transience of beauty and youth. This is partly why many of ABBA’s songs are still pop classics 40 years on, with plenty of life left in them.

A closer look at some recognised ‘pop’ artists

Bob Dylan is regarded as one of the finest lyricists in the history of pop music, with ‘Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door’ as one of his best works. The lyrics sound like a poem; the melody carries these lyrics, but that is all there is to it. This raises the question of whether leading singers draw their strength from either their lyrics or their melodies.

Of the ‘best songwriting duo’ in popular music ever, Lennon and McCartney, the former was celebrated primarily for his introspective lyrics and the latter for his compositional skill. But few are familiar with the music he composed in 1967 for the film ‘The Family Way’.

He himself does not necessarily consider his compositional skills to be his strongest point. It is no coincidence that his autobiography (2021) is titled ‘The Lyricks: 1956 – Present’, and he refers to his time at grammar school, where his affinity for classical English literature was developed.

Once again, it is confirmed that it is the qualities of Lennon & McCartney, both individually and together, that are responsible for the high artistic standard of a large part of their oeuvre in particular during the period 1967–1971.

Incidentally, there are many other contemporary singers who can be praised for both their craftsmanship and their artistic merit. I am thinking of Taylor Swift, Lana Del Rey and Billie Eilish. The latter two will soon be featured in a new series of three podcasts, each accompanied by a blog post. In my Dutch-language top ten at the end of 2023, I expressed my appreciation for the Dutch singers Boudewijn de Groot (Testament), Eefje de Visser (Ongeveer), S10 (Adem je in) and, in first place, Maarten van Roozendaal (Mooi). What strikes me about these songs is the quality of the accompaniment, the beautiful vocals, the poetic lyrics and their significant difference in language and style. It is this last aspect that sets them apart from the songs of decades past. They have become much more personal. Therefore, listen to ‘Mooi’ by Maarten van Roozendaal.

July 15, 2026July 14, 2026

The perfect song

From now on, every blog post will be accompanied by a video podcast. The podcast provides an introduction, whilst the blogpost explores the topic in greater detail. The podcast is in Dutch, but YouTube takes care for a translation on demand. If you like, you can also watch the podcast on your TV. Simply select YouTube and search for ‘kanaal expeditie muziek’.

Every singer dreams of one day writing the song that will bring eternal fame. That rarely happens, and even ‘perfect songs’ remain on the shelf due to a lack of recognition. That won’t happen to establish artists. Their record labels surrounded with professional teams who know exactly how to write and sell a smash hit. How? That was the subject of some older post, which you can read here.

Meanwhile, the search for the perfect song continues, and in this post I’ll venture a description of what such a song looks like. Of course, there is no such thing as ‘the one and only’ perfect song. The listener’s taste, mood and cultural background play a significant role in how songs are appreciated. The song’s intention (telling a story, making a statement) and the genre, which is intended to be either upbeat, reflective or sad, also has an influence. Yet, some songs are better constructed than others.

How the song ultimately sounds is the result of the way in which you, as a lyricist, composer or producer, turn a series of ‘virtual controls’ and fine-tune them in relation to one another. I’ll mention a few of these knobs:

– rhythm

– metre

– tempo

– volume

– timbre

– key

– chord progression

You’ll also need to consider:

– the structure of the song

– the arrangement

– and, of course, the theme

– the lyrics

– and finally the purpose of the song

The happiest song

Annaliese Micallef Grimaud has conducted research into the link between the settings of these ‘controls’ and the resulting listening experience. Suppose you want to make your listeners happy. She found that this works best if you opt for a medium-fast tempo, a mix of short and longer notes, high volume, a major key, a high-pitched vocal with staccato articulation and clear tones. The conclusion was that Pharrell’s song ‘Happy’ is a serious contender for the title of ‘happiest song ever’. Listen to it here:

To write the ‘perfect song’, you need to have gained a great deal of experience. Much has been written on this subject, and I’ll give you a point-by-point summary of it. Whether a song is perfect usually only becomes apparent once it has maintained its popularity for years.

The key considerations when writing a (‘perfect’) song are: melody, harmony, rhythm & form, and lyrics. I’ll go through them and give an example of each.

Melody

Guidelines

– Predominantly small steps within the scale enhance the sense of familiarity

– One or two melodic ‘hooks’ (characteristic combinations of notes for the song).

– A recognisable build-up towards the chorus.

– Easy to hum along to, partly due to the repetition of combinations of notes.

– Absence of trendy stylistic devices. Here, recognisability comes at the expense of originality.

– Powerful lyrics with an emotional ‘charge’.

By way of illustration

The melody of the song ‘God Only Knows’ by the Beach Boys (written by Brian Wilson) is certainly not simple. The chords at the beginning introduce the ‘hook’ (‘God Only Knows’) and make the song recognisable after just a few bars.

The almost Bach-like composition is accompanied by classical instrumentation featuring strings, harpsichord, horns and woodwinds, which perfectly complement the lyrics. Paul McCartney called the song the best love song ever written.

Harmony

Guidelines

– Familiar chords with no more than two surprising dissonances.

– A pleasant timbre.

– Captivating combinations of sounds achieved through restrained instrumentation.

– Occasional changes in key and time signature.

– Modulation (shifting up or down the scale).

To illustrate

‘Let it be’ by the Beatles is carried by a unique and instantly recognisable combination of chords. After a short introduction, the melody gradually swells, but by then everyone can already sing along to the chorus. The simple lyrics constantly feature the mantra-like phrase ‘Let it be’, with the emphasis on ‘Let’ and ‘be’. Lyrics and melody complement each other.

Rhythm and form

Points to note

– Surprising, appropriate, yet sparingly used changes in rhythm, tempo and style.

– Contrast between sections (verse and chorus).

– Melodic and lyrical ‘hook’ within 30 seconds.

– Dynamics: build-up to a climax.

– No longer than necessary.

By way of illustration

Aretha Franklin’s ‘Say A Little Prayer’, much like ‘God Only Knows’, elevates love to an almost religious sentiment. The lyrics draw on the daily life of a working woman and illustrate how thoughts of a loved one arise at every moment of the day. The gospel-inspired character of the song is carried by a clear melody. The ‘call-and-response’ vocals of the backing singers reinforce the contrast between verse and chorus. A few subtle changes in metre are also noticeable here.

Lyrics

Notes

– Simple lyrics with a deeper meaning (suggestive, not banal).

– A widely recognisable theme (love, fear, joy) with a personal touch.

– Singable: vowels on long notes, no tongue-twisters, stress patterns as in spoken language,

– Short phrases, no subordinate clauses or superfluous words.

– Strong ‘hook phrase’ (a phrase that recurs and sticks in the mind (‘Let it be…’).

– The style of singing emphasises the lyrics and the singer’s personal connection to the content.

– The lyrics and melody give the impression of having been created simultaneously and of naturally complementing one another.

By way of illustration

In ‘Ne me quitte pas’, Jacques Brel imbues simple lyrics with emotional depth. As a French-language chanson, the song is primarily literary; it feels more like theatre than song. But it is precisely then that it becomes clear how the melody perfectly supports the lyrics. Not a single word is superfluous, and the constant repetition of the ‘hook phrase’ (Ne me quitte pas) intensifies the emotion. The chorus is a climax; everyone knows it, but no one will sing along.

Setting existing lyrics to music rarely results in a perfect song, unless the musical accompaniment is subordinate to the lyrics. Ideally, the lyrics and music should give the impression of having been created together, although in practice both will have been carefully crafted over time. This also applies to the song’s structure and its instrumentation (sound palette).

The ambition of many songwriters, however, goes beyond writing a perfect song. They seek recognition as artists, following the example set in the 1960s by the Beatles, the Beach Boys and Bob Dylan, amongst others. In the next post, I will explore what the pursuit of ‘art’ adds to that of perfection.

June 20, 2026July 15, 2026

The reminiscence bump

“In my days, they made much better music than nowadays”

From now on, every blog post will be accompanied by a video podcast. The podcast provides an introduction, whilst the blogpost explores the topic in greater detail. The podcast is in Dutch, but YouTube can translate it into English. If you like, you can also watch the podcast on your TV. Simply select YouTube and search for ‘kanaal expeditie muziek’. You can also cast the podcast from your mobile device to your TV.

A blog post and a podcast without musical interludes quickly become boring. I therefore intersperse the text with songs currently favoured by my 14-year-old grandson. According to him, his choice is also representative of his classmates’ preferences.

Listen – to get in the mood (or not) – to this recent track, a duet by the South Korean singer Rosé and the American singer-songwriter Bruno Mars; both are representatives of today’s popular music. The title ‘APT’ refers to a Korean drinking game. The song reached the top of the charts in both countries and elsewhere too.

The generation effect

You often hear the remark ‘In my day, they made much better music than nowadays’. Inquire octogenarians about their favourite popular music and you’ll often hear the names of Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly and the Blue Diamonds. ‘Youngsters’ who have passed the age of seventy tend to prefer the Beatles or the Rolling Stones, bands that caused a sensation in the 1960s.

In this article, I’ll examine the assumption that we have a lasting preference for music from our teenage years. I also consider the extent to which popular music itself has changed over the past decades^[1] . That could point to a conscious choice.

The second track on his list is ‘Expresso’, sung and written by the American Sabrina Cartenter, her first top-ten hit in the US. It is about female self-confidence, which, incidentally, does not end so well in the accompanying video.

In the post-war period, six generations are often distinguished: Generation Alpha (born from 2015 onwards); Generation Z (born between 1995 and 2015); Generation Y or millennials (born between 1980 and 1995); Generation X (born between 1960 and 1980); baby boomers (born between 1945 and 1960) and the silent generation (born before 1945). The boundaries between these periods are fluid. Some authors have developed entire theories about the identity of each of these groups: the spirit of the times, prosperity, parenting style and expectations for the future; all play a role in this.

Now listen to ‘Undressed’, sung by the American singer-songwriter Sombr. Nominated for ‘International Song of the Year’ in the UK in 2026. The song is about a young man who, despite all the temptations, does not want to start a new relationship.

Musical preferences related to generations

The table below shows, for people belonging to the aforementioned (age) groups, the periods from which their favourite songs^[2] originate. The figures indicate the percentage of favourite songs per period out of the total number of favourite songs.

For example, you can see that 39% of the favourite songs of those belonging to the ‘silent generation’ come from the 1950s and earlier. Songs from the 1960s and later account rrfor 22% of all songs. 7% cannot be linked to a specific period.

Baby boomers have a lasting preference for music from the 1960s and 1970s. This means that, from the moment they passed the age of 30, both groups have listened to very few new songs. Of course, there are also differences within these groups: someone who was a fan of the Rolling Stones rather than the Beatles at the age of 18 is still (not) a fan at the age of 50.

The table shows that as age increases, so does the preference for music from one’s ‘younger years’, roughly the period up to the age of 30. This phenomenon is known as ‘nostalgic loyalty’, the ‘generation effect’ or the ‘reminiscence bump’.

In identifying generation-specific preferences, I am treading on thin ice. After all, there are differences within each generation in terms of social class, education, cultural background, gender and, not least, personality. Factors that have influenced everyone’s musical preferences. Of course, to understand the current preferences of a particular age group, one doesn’t need to go back to their younger years. Everyone is exposed to the changing musical landscape during successive periods. The existence of generation-specific preferences therefore rests on broad generalisations, which are no less valid.

I will now explore the musical preferences of the various age groups in more detail, focusing on the Netherlands.

But first, another musical interlude. It is ‘Sailor Song’ by Gigi Perez, an American singer-songwriter. Yet another song that reached the top of the charts in many countries. It contains the line “I don’t believe in God / But I believe that you’re my saviour”. Conservative Christian groups in the US asked her to remove this line. She refused, remarking that writing lyrics is not a democratic process.

Musical preferences of different age groups

Generation Alpha

The youngest generation likes simple music; children’s songs are still popular, especially if they have a modern arrangement, a lively tempo and rhythm, and do not come across as childish. The programme ‘Kinderen voor kinderen’ seemed to manage this well.

Generation Z

Members of Generation Z do not usually have a strong preference for any particular style. Teenagers are still exploring, as evidenced by their extensive channel-hopping. The overview of preferences by age group illustrates their broad range of interests: the songs they listen to span a much longer period than is the case with other age groups. This period extends back to a time before they were even born.

Generation Z listens to hip-hop, dance and EDM (electronic dance music). Also popular are energetic, melodic, danceable pop songs that are easy to sing along to and are accompanied by appealing music videos. A wide range of songs are popular, occasionally including old classics such as Queen’s ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ and the Eagles’ ‘Hotel California’. The slightly older members of the group (from around the age of 12) often fall for megastars such as Taylor Swift, Kendrick Lamar and Billie Eilish.

TikTok is a key source of information, but Nederland 2 (Top 2000) and Qmusic are more popular than is sometimes thought. This age group also accesses a lot of music via streaming. Playlists have replaced albums.

When choosing their favourite songs, Generation Z is attuned to what’s popular within their own age group and often plays it safe by selecting songs that are already high up the charts.

You can also see this broad interest reflected in the songs my grandson has chosen. Alex Warren and Bruno Mars appeared twice on his ‘top ten’. But Olivia Dean, Sabrina Carpenter and Gigi Perez were also on the list. Indeed, they are predominantly upbeat and cheerful songs. Hip-hop is missing; according to him, it’s boring.

Here is Alex Warren with the song ‘Ordinary’. This was his breakthrough hit in 2025, immediately landing him at the top of the US charts, and the song was awarded the title ‘Song of the Year’. In the UK, the song broke the 70-year-old (!) record for the longest-running number one hit by a foreign male artist. This record was previously held by none other than Elvis Presley.

Generation Y (the ‘millennials’)

The ‘early years’ of this group span the period 1990–2010. During this time, electronic dance music (EDM), hip-hop and R&B broke through, and attending festivals played an increasingly significant role. DJs such as Tiësto and Armin van Buuren were and remain popular. The members of this group experienced the rise of large-scale commercial pop and were open to it, with depth and quality playing an important role – and that is still the case today. Artists such as Bruce Springsteen, Coldplay and Adele are highly regarded, as are singers like Anouk and Marco Borsato.

Generation X

The ‘early years’ of this group spanned 1980–2000. This group grew up with punk, rock, metal, new wave and grunge. Styles in which guitar music plays a dominant role and which are still appreciated. Internationally, artists such as Nirvana and U2 were popular. In the Netherlands, Doe Maar, Drukwerk and De Dijk were popular. These preferences still hold true.

It’s time for another interlude. The song ‘Golden’, a hyper-energetic animation about young girls who want to become famous.

Baby boomers

This generation, together with the ‘sprightly old-timers’ of the ‘silent generation’, has the strongest nostalgic loyalty. Only their preferences differ.

Most baby boomers experienced the rise of ‘beat’ culture. In their younger years (the 1960s and 1970s), they mainly listened to rock and pop on ‘Hilversum 3’ (‘Tijd voor teenagers’) and pirate radio stations. Favourites were, and still are, not only the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, but also other British bands and Dutch pop groups such as Golden Earring and Shocking Blue. Folk music and soul also held appeal. Youth culture was on the rise, but – how well-behaved we were – it remained limited to singing protest songs (‘Mr President’), long hair, left-wing political ideas and alternative clothing.

The Silent Generation

The ‘younger years’ of this group fell in the 1940s and 1950s. Favourites were ‘crooners’ such as Frank Sinatra, Doris Day, Bing Crosby and, for the somewhat younger members of this group, rock ‘n’ roll too. Dancing – foxtrot, waltz, jive, swing and ‘slow’ – took place to the music of countless small orchestras. Big bands were also popular, such as the famous Ramblers. People were introduced to music via the radio, the gramophone and dance evenings. A ‘youth culture’ barely existed or was just emerging; music was part of family culture.

Listen now to the English singer Olivia Dean with the jazzy track ‘So easy to fall in love’. Another global hit. It is a call to women to focus on finding out what they think of the other person on dates, rather than putting themselves on display.

To better understand the differences between generations, we must look not only at the music itself, but also at the way in which people of the same generation encountered it. For the ‘silent generation’, this was primarily within the confines of the family (‘gathering round the radio and the record player, and later the TV’) and at dance evenings. As a result, their musical ‘canon’ is limited. Younger generations can encounter music in many more ways. Think of music channels, festivals and platforms such as Spotify. The result is that they are familiar with many more styles, regardless of which ones they prefer.

Changes in the musical offering

Is there anything to be said about changes in the music itself, which may influence the musical preferences of members of different generations?

Between 1955 and 2025, significant stylistic changes did indeed occur in pop music. I have already written extensively on this subject^[3] . One can speak of the rise of, more or less in succession, ‘rock ‘n’ roll’, ‘beat’, ‘psychedelic rock’ (often overlapping with ‘art rock’ and ‘prog rock’), ‘country rock’, ‘hard rock’ and ‘metal’, ‘punk’, ‘new wave’ and ‘grunge’, ‘soul’ and ‘funk’, ‘dance’ and ‘hip hop’. No single style has disappeared, though the 21stcentury has seen a shift from rock and soul towards hip hop/rap, EDM (electronic dance music) and pop. The various styles have influenced one another, resulting in the current diverse range of popular music. Lists of ‘best hits and albums of all time’, such as the Radio 2 Top 1000 and the Rolling Stone Top 500, prove this.

The following song was written and performed by the American Ravyn Lenae and, like all the other songs you could listen to, ranked highly in the charts, including those in the Netherlands. It is about the eternal tension between wanting to be independent yet still having a romantic relationship. She sings ‘Oh no, I don’t need you, but I miss you, come here’.

More than ever before, every generation is confronted with a wide and accessible range of popular music. Moreover, contemporary music shares many similarities with music from earlier periods. The ‘reminiscence bump’ – the nostalgic preference of the surviving members of the ‘silent generation’ and of baby boomers for music from their ‘youth’ – is unlikely to diminish significantly. Many baby boomers find it hard to let go of the time when they grew their hair long, went to concerts and built up a collection of LPs to listen to together. It is a pity that those for whom this is the case thereby shut themselves off from musical highlights from later periods. Moreover, they make conversations with their (grand)children about their musical preferences a lot more difficult^[4]. I expect rather a broadening of the musical palette of Generations X, Y and Z.

I’ll conclude with ‘Die with a smile’, a song written and performed by Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars. The song is about the need for love in times of uncertainty. The song was praised by critics for its vocals, instrumentation and the emotional depth of the lyrics. More than any other song in this episode, this ballad illustrates the blending of styles from past decades.

^[1] In answering both questions, I draw on statistical analysis of data from Spotify.

^[2] In this case, the songs they listen to via Spotify.

^[3] In the series ‘History of rock after 1960’, ‘French rock 1955–2025’ and ‘Prog rock 1965–2025’, I have discussed the differences in styles in detail. For this, see the overview of my blog posts: http://is.gd/QUT3Aa

^[4] OpenAI has helped me to characterise the different generations and to revive memories of the music from my ‘younger’ years, which I fortunately do not categorically prefer over today’s music.

May 3, 2026May 2, 2026

How AI Transforms Music Creation

Technology companies have been experimenting with artificial intelligence (AI) in music production for decades, just as they create software that allows a computer to beat a chess grandmaster and work on self-driving cars. The principles are the same in all cases: The computer is feed with millions of examples and you let it discover patterns itself. Significant breakthroughs have been achieved in recent years. As a result, a track created predominantly using AI is, to the layman, indistinguishable from ‘real’ music. Especially when combined with the use of deepfakes. Look and listen to the following track.

I don’t think this track sounds too bad. It’s called ‘Peronu’ de la garä’. It was sung in Romanian by Lolita Cercel. But Lolita Cercel doesn’t exist: Her appearance and voice, the melody and the arrangement were generated using artificial intelligence. An exception? Of all the tracks uploaded daily to Deezer – a streaming service – 34% are now created entirely or partly using artificial intelligence, usually without listeners realising it. How does this work and where is it heading? Those are the questions I’ll answer in this post.

What can computers do when it comes to music production?

For years, computers have been able, for example, to isolate the vocal parts and instruments used in a piece of music and turn them into sheet music. It has also been possible for some time for them to ‘notate’ a hummed melody, including suggestions for accompanying chords. In these cases, computers do not create anything ‘new’. This is why we refer to it as non-generative artificial intelligence.

Holly Hendorn has been producing music with computers for years. She mainly uses voices from professional singers and (amateur) choirs. She holds a PhD in ‘computer technology and music’ and has designed many of the AI applications she uses herself. She also performs live. She produces sounds and the computer turns them into a piece of music. Here you can see one such performance.

Since the emergence of generative artificial intelligence, a computer has indeed been able to create something ‘new’. The scale on which this happens has increased enormously over the last few years. Moreover, affordable programs have come onto the market that produce a ready-made track within minutes. One of the first successful attempts to create compositions using AI dates to 2016. This was carried out by Sony Computer Science Laboratories Paris (Sony CSL Paris) with funding from the EU. The singer Benoît Carré wrote the lyrics and the computer generated the melodies based on just 45 Beatles songs. Listen to ‘Daddy’s Car’.

A year later, in 2017, Taryn Southern released the album ‘I am AI’. She deployed various AI applications. She wrote the lyrics; the melodies; instrumentation and backing vocals were generated using AI under her direction. To generate the melody of the track you can now listen to, the computer was trained using piano sonatas from the19^th century.

A lot has changed since 2017. With the software that has been available for several years now, a layperson can have the computer generate a complete piece of music, including lyrics, music and the singer’s imaginary face. By far the most widely used application is SUNO.

The big question is: how does this work?

To explain how this works, I’ll start by looking at how a composer or lyricist goes about it. It’s likely that they listen to a lot of music and are skilled at recognising style, structure, word choice and ‘hooks’ (surprising fragments of text or combinations of sounds), and can use these creatively. If you ask this musician to write a song about some topic, there’s a good chance that ideas for this song will come to mind within moments.

Artificial intelligence does the same, albeit based on millions of songs. To achieve this, the ‘system’ has processed the combinations of sounds, chords, arrangements and instruments found within them; it possesses an almost unlimited vocabulary and distils atmosphere, timbre and style based on increasingly refined classes of characteristics.

I’m going to play a few examples. The first example is the fictional band ‘The Velvet Sundown’, which was streamed over a million times on Spotify in 2025. You’ll be listening to and watching the track ‘The corner bar’.

After some time, Spotify also realised the deception and described the group The Velvet Sundown as “a synthetic music project, led by human creative direction, and composed, sung and visualised with the support of artificial intelligence”. Lawyers have no doubt spent a great deal of time deliberating over this wording. AI-generated music videos resemble other music videos in many respects. The key difference is that the ‘musicians’ are usually deepfakes, actors or both, and share the common trait of being unable to sing or play any instrument.

A second example is ‘Walk my walk’, sung by a fictional singer called ‘Breaking Rust’.

This singer gained 35,000 followers on Instagram. The lyrics, the music and the arrangement were all generated by SUNO.

Despite the impressive results of applying AI with virtually no human intervention, the term ‘artificial intelligence’ is misplaced. What we are seeing is the ultra-fast processing of an enormous amount of diverse data, ranging from encyclopedias, websites, dictionaries, images, films and existing pieces of music. The quality of the result depends on the quantity of available data and its variety. Not to mention talented programmers and energy-guzzling data centers.

How is this data processed?

In data centers, millions of musical pieces are dissected down to their very core. Combinations of melodies and chords, rhyme structures and their meanings, artists’ personal details and characteristics of their work are stored. Suppose you ‘map’ this data and its relationships in a multidimensional figure; after processing a few hundred tracks, you will still hear certain patterns emerging. As more data is added, you hear nothing but noise, without the original data having been lost. This process is called diffusion.

You can put this massive database to work for you using simple textual commands, known as ‘prompts’. Such a prompt might, for example, read:

“Funky synthpop, downbeat with a driving, steady bassline, a characteristic 80s vibe, with alternating uplifting and resigned lyrics about relationships, sung as a duet with a backing choir”

Using a ‘prompt’ and several pre-programmed criteria that pieces of music of a certain type must meet, the computer reverses the diffusion process. From the noise, increasingly distinct combinations of text and sound emerge. The result can be different every time.

In the following video, music critic and lecturer, producer, multi-instrumentalist and vlogger Rick Beato demonstrates how he produced a track himself, using AI, for the listeners of his podcast:

What are people’s views on AI-produced music?

Over time, various views have emerged regarding the nature of music in general.

1. Music is the result of a feeling – whether authentic or not – that the creator wishes to express. In the entertainment industry, this is primarily ‘good feeling’. To the extent that listeners recognise this, they may feel connected to it. Most songs fall into this category.

2. Music is an objectification of the creator’s lived experience and contains essential knowledge of reality, or as Langer puts it: ‘Music is lived experience that presents the morphology of felt life’.

In the first description, the emphasis is on expression; in the second, on representation. In the first view, music is a means of evoking a mood. In the second view, music helps to answer the question of the meaning of events unfolding in the world.

From each of these perspectives, one can view AI-generated music differently.

If music is primarily a means of evoking feelings (expression), then many listeners feel that how it is created does not matter that much. Others are deceived; they had already been looking for the opportunity to attend a live concert by their as it turns out non-existent idol.

The second perspective revolves around the experience of what is happening in the world and the singer’s view of it. Listeners may or may not identify with this. This is ‘in principle’ inconceivable with music generated by artificial intelligence. ‘In principle’, because a fascinating grey area is emerging, within which humans and machines collaborate.

Telisha Jones is an interesting case. She signed a $3 million contract to write lyrics for the (fictional) singer Xania Monet. The song she wrote, “How was I supposed to know?”, is the first AI-generated track to reach the Billboard radio charts. In just a few months, more than 3 million people have listened to it on Spotify. Share them here:

Telisha Jones says she wrote the lyrics based on her own experiences. She uses SUNO to generate the vocals and melody, the arrangement and the instrumentation. In a television interview, Jones said she wants people to know that there is a real person behind Xania and that the lyrics express that person’s emotions. She remained vague about that person’s identity; my impression is that it is herself. Listen to excerpts from an interview with Telisha Jones on CBS.

Whether Telisha Jones’s story is true is not that important. The key question is whether it is possible for composers and lyricists to ‘collaborate’ with AI to create innovative and high-quality music. I was referring to a fascinating grey area. As far as I’m concerned, the creation of fictional performers who cannot play an instrument or sing themselves falls outside that area. Musicians who have SUNO provide lyrics or melodies which are complementary to own work are inside the area, provided there is no doubt about who contributed what.

Can AI-generated music be art?

Purists do not even consider this question because they believe that, in the case of AI, one cannot speak of music. They reserve the elegant German term ‘Ohrenkitzlung’ for AI-generated sounds. I have no objection to the term ‘music’, particularly if there is at least an equal contribution from human and machine to its creation. This also determines whether one can potentially speak of art. But what is art?

The most concise description is that art concerns creative expressions by people, which demonstrate craftsmanship. It is often added that this requires recognition from either expert art critics and/or the public. Furthermore, this judgement must have sufficiently stood the test of time. In a few years’ time, it may turn out that Telisha Jones’s texts possess an exceptional poetic quality. They could then be considered a form of art.

Essentially, art is about the connection between something people have in their minds and the unique and skillful way in which they depict it, whether or not using technical aids. Many authors of ‘prompts’ devise, at most, a few characteristics of the piece of music that SUNO or whatever other application is to create. They have not the slightest idea beforehand of how this will sound. That changes as soon as there is an interactive process between human and machine. We saw this, among others, with Holly Hendorn. She used software she had partly designed herself for this purpose. Her productions most closely resemble a co-production between human and machine and, thanks to her craftsmanship and consistent artistic achievements, have the potential to be called art.

I asked ChatGPT to draw up a step-by-step plan for this kind of co-production. You can download it here

You can now watch and listen to Johnny Keeley, a performing musician and lyricist. At one point, he decided to have one of his lyrics set to music using SUNO. In the end, he fell for one of the versions created and used that for his own performance.

Whether Telisha Jones is within the grey area is, in my view, questionable. In the case of Johnny Keeley, I would answer this question in the affirmative.

What does AI-generated music mean for copyright?

According to the European Union Intellectual Property Office, copyright protection requires an original work that reflects the creator’s personality. The US Copyright Office also states that it will not grant copyright to “works that lack human authorship.”

Streaming services such as Spotify and Deezer intend to label music created using AI in the future. Deezer is already excluding such tracks from the playlists it compiles.

The question is whether such a a black-and-white judgement is desirable. Consider Johnny Keeley. To be able to make a reliable and fair judgement on the degree of authenticity of songs, it is necessary to know the extent of AI’s role in its creation. This is for the benefit of bodies that must assess copyright claims, but also for listeners in general. For them, a star-rating system might be useful, possibly for lyrics, music and performance separately.

As such a system is lacking, selling music created with a substantial contribution from AI remains a risky business. It can result in claims of infringement of copyright, the right of publicity and misleading representation. Moreover, there are already several ongoing legal cases involving artists who believe that producers such as SUNO have wrongfully used their copyright-protected work as training material for computers. Following one such case, SUNO reached a settlement of 500 million (!) dollars with the Warner Music Group, thereby both purchasing the rights of the authors and indemnifying SUNO users against legal action.

What are the potential consequences of the rise of AI-generated music for the music industry?

The rise of AI-generated music will have consequences for the music industry, music producers and musicians. Many users of streaming services or listeners to radio stations will judge music based on how it sounds rather than on how it was created. The music industry will therefore, due to the low costs involved, promote music largely produced by AI. I don’t see that as a problem, if they provide clear information about it and there are dedicated playlists and charts for this type of music.

Fortunately, there will still be people who want to hear and see their idols. The Taylor Swifts, Bruce Springsteens and Coldplays of this world will continue to fill stadiums. Singer-songwriters will retain a devoted audience too, and the same applies to everyone in between, depending on their authenticity and quality.

However, a lot will change in the back-office. Songs will increasingly be co-productions of human and machine, in terms of lyrics, melody and arrangement. This will increase production efficiency and may also lead to better quality. As for albums and streamed music, you will often hear an artist’s voice whilst all the arrangements and accompaniment are produced using AI.

If you want to build a career in music?

Go for it. Set yourself apart through your craftsmanship as a songwriter, singer or musician – preferably all three. Show how good you are during live performances. Secondly, familiarise yourself with AI and be open about how you used it. Remember that “The added value lies not in what AI creates, but in how humans use it”, a quote taken verbatim from Chat GPT.

To write this article, I drew on the rapidly growing body of publications in Medium, The Riff, Music for Thought, The Guardian and the Dutch, English and French versions of Wikipedia. Chat GPT helped me to gather and compare different forms of music generation using AI.

April 15, 2026April 12, 2026

Music for chilling out: Trip hop & ambient (part 2)

Not all music for chilling out falls under the heading of trip hop. In that swnse, the term ‘ambient’ suits better. Its emphasis is more on the creation of an atmosphere than on message, melody or rhythm. Ambient has a calming effect or brings you in a contemplative mood. Pioneers of this style include Jean-Michel Jarre, Brian Eno, Vangelis, Mike Oldfield and the band Kraftwerk.

Listen here to ‘Oxygene’, a composition by Jean-Michel Jarre from 1975

Brian Eno is credited with putting ‘ambient’ on the map in 1978 with the album Ambient 1: Music for Airports^[1]. For him, ambient is a style that remains exciting and unpredictable even as background music. Ambient music aims to create peace and a space for reflection and meditation. You can listen to it in various ways, ranging from ignorance to becoming captivated. Listen to this album here.

Variants

Ambient has several variants, which I shall briefly outline:

New age

‘New age’ refers to forms of ‘ambient’ that are explicitly composed to support meditation and relaxation exercises. Consequently, this music has a repetitive dynamic and texture and avoids rapid changes in tempo, rhythm and timbre. Compositions are minimalist in design and instrumental rather than vocal. Common instruments include piano, strings and flute, often emulated by a synthesizer. It is mainly used in alternative medicine, yoga and meditation.

Drone

‘Drone’ is a minimalist form of ‘ambient’ music in which the emphasis is on the use of sustained sounds, notes or clusters of notes, known as drones. This form of music typically features long compositions with relatively little harmonic variation. La Monte Young, one of the pioneers in the 1960s, defined ‘drone’ as “the sustained tone branch of minimalism”. Listen here to a composition by La Monte Young from 1960.

Speace

‘Space’ is a ‘variant of ‘ambient’ that creates a celestriall timbre. This style is mainly used as background music, particularly in films, but also for conscious listening, relaxation, contemplation and inspisoms ration. The style is experienced as soothing and peaceful.

Ambient techno

‘Ambient techno’, ‘intelligent dance music’ or ‘armchair ambient’ border on electronic dance music (EDM), which was popular around the turn of the century. Some tracks were less suited to dancing and much more to daydreaming at home or unwinding. This type of music came from artists such as Boards of Canada with the track ‘Music is Math’, and Secede Outran, which you can listen to below:

Recent examples

Spotify and YouTube playlists with names such as Chilled Folk, Chill Hits, Evening Chill, Chilled R&B, Indie Chillout, Chill Hop, Lo-fi Hip Hop and Chill Tracks still have millions of followers today. Due to their enduring popularity, at the start of the21^th century various artists ventured into the realm of ambient and trip-hop, with the two genres being blended. Think of artists and groups such as Björk, Bowery Electric, Everything but the Girl, Anomie Belle, Alpha and Lamb. Some of these are discussed below. You can listen here to ‘Rhubarb’ by Aphex Twin from the album *Selected Ambient Works, Vol. 2* (1994)

Björk

Björk is an Icelandic singer, songwriter, composer, record producer and actress. Her vocal range spans three octaves. She has developed an eclectic musical style, incorporating elements of electronica, pop, dance, trip-hop, jazz and avant-garde. The development of her style has been influenced by composers such as Arnold Schönberg, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Philip Glass and Sun Ra, as well as groups like Kraftwerk and singers such as Joni Mitchell and Kate Bush. She was inspired by the music scene in London, where she lived for a time. That scene was partly defined in the 1990s by the trip-hop of Tricky, Portishead and Massive Attack.

Björk’s album Debut (1993) is one of the first albums to introduce electronic music, and in particular ‘dance’, to mainstream pop. Critics regard her albums Post (1995) and Homogenic (1997) as highlights of trip hop. You can listen to ‘Venus as a Boy’ from the latter album here.

Elsiane

Elsiane is a band with strong trip-hop influences, which released its first album, Hybrid, in 2007. The group creates a warm, hypnotic atmosphere, comparable to the sounds of Massive Attack and Portishead in the 1990s. Listen to the title track of the eponymous album here.

Lana Del Rey

Lana Del Rey is the stage name of Elisabeth (‘Lizzy’) Grant (born 1985), under which she released her first songs. She made her own music videos, thereby drawing attention to herself. Many of her songs are melancholic and draw on 1950s America. Her style is classified as ‘alternative pop’ and, certainly at the start of her career, she was influenced by psychedelic rock, hip hop and trip hop. This influence is clear on her debut album, Born to Die (2012). It topped the charts in eleven countries, including Australia, France, Germany and the United Kingdom, and sold 3.4 million copies. The album remained on the US Billboard 200 for 520 weeks.

Tracks from this album include: Summertime Sadness, Videogames, Blue Jeans and the title track Born to Die, which you can listen to below.

The sound, themes and production of Born to Die had a major influence on popular music. In 2019, The Washington Post named Del Rey one of the “five people who have helped shape the culture of the past decade”. Al Horner of Red Bull described Born to Die as “[a] blueprint for a new musical world”. Like other artists discussed here, she has charted a new course alongside the ubiquitous electronic dance music (EDM).

Anomie Belle

Finally, I’d like to mention Anomie Belle, an American multi-instrumentalist, vocalist and composer. You can hear her here in the track Sleeping Pattern.

Film music

Many films make use of ‘ambient music’, in all its forms. Examples include Blade Runner (1982), Dune (1984), Titanic (1997), The Passion of the Christ (2004), Chernobyl (2019) and Dune Part 2 (2021). Here you can listen to ‘Beginnings are such delicate times’ from the Dune: Part Two Soundtrack (2021).

The group Massive Attack has also written soundtracks for films, such as Danny the Dog (2005) and Bullet Boy (2005). Three more followed in 2007, namely for the films In Prison My Whole Life, Battle in Seattle and Trouble in the Water. The instrumental track Herculaneum from the film Gomorra won the award for best song in Italy. Watch and listen to the track Babel from this film, recorded during the Melt Festival in 2010.

Neoclassicism

Of a completely different nature, but worth mentioning in this context, is a movement that harks back to 19^th and early 20^th century romantic music. Rather than referring to it as neo-romanticism, this movement is called neoclassicism. The most prominent contemporary representative – with millions of downloads – is Ludovico Einaudi. His compositions are popular, both as background music and for listening to, presumably due to their simplicity: Almost all Einaudi’s compositions are based on the first, fourth and fifth chords. That is why they sound so similar. Listen here to one or more of his compositions on his album 10 pieces by Ludovico Einaudi

One composer who can truly lay claim to the term ‘neoclassical’ is Erik Satie, a French composer from the early 20^thcentury. He used Dada-inspired harmonic and formal experiments to create an early form of ambient music which he called ‘musique d’ameublement’. His aim was to create a suitable atmosphere for specific activities, such as a dinner party, without drawing attention to the musician. Thanks to the variation in rhythm and timbre, his compositions lend themselves also to attentive listening, whether at home or in the concert hall. You can listen to his Gymnopédie No. 1 here

^[1] This music was trialled in airports for a while. Staff were largely negative about it. They found the composition sombre and associated it with death and mourning

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