Why Did I Think I Didn't Like Pop Music?

I guess when I think of pop music I think of canned, corny, and limited in real talent, like Hilary Duff's music. That kind of stuff that makes you cringe and instantly reach out to turn the dial or turn off the radio. You know what I'm talking about. But it's really unfair to tarnish a whole category of music by the bad seeds in that group. That's like saying 80s music sucked because you don't like Hair Bands. How did I come to the conclusion that I was being unfair to pop music? I've been listing to various internet radio stations at work and indulging in my love for music. It started with British Rock (one of my favorite sub-genres), progressed to 80s New Wave (love it), Classical, Hip/Hop, Christmas, Just plain 80s music, Eclectic, Alternative and Pop music, and jotted around in various sequences. I like variety so if they start playing the same songs I tend to change the stations. Well, I'm glad I decided to check out the pop station. I have listened to some really good music that isn't suffering from a lack of talent or originality. Well there are some like the aforementioned Hilary Duff. But I have also heard great songs from artists like Sheryl Crow, Sarah McLachlan, The Backstreet Boys, Lindsey Lohan, The Veronica's, Jason Mraz (who's becoming one of my favorites), Gwen Stefani (love her), Mariah Carey, The Pussycat Girls, Darren Hayes, and others. For example, I'm really digging a song by Kelly Osbourne called "I Can't Wait," which I never would have heard on the stations I hang out on. What defines pop music? Well it's a very wide category actually. It's short for popular music. Why does this have to be a bad thing? After all, popular is a good thing isn't it? It just implies that a lot of people like something. Yes, if you were a geek or nerd in school like I was the word popular quickly brings on a negative connotation. But it doesn't have to. Popular music can feature angst-filled, introspective songs just like alternative rock. It can also feature hip-shaking songs that make you want to wiggle your southend. But also it can include songs that make you feel good, and that's not a bad thing if you're having a crappy day. I've heard a few songs that I think, you know that's actually a pretty good song, even if the person doesn't sound like they're going to jump off a bridge any second (I say that with love because I happen to love melancholy songs and their singers). Just in the short time I've been tuning into the pop stations, my Amazon wish list has grown by leaps and bounds. I even asked my sister to borrow her Lindsey Lohan cd to wear out a certain song that you already know about if you read one of my previous blogs. So I guess I'm going to have to eat my words. I don't in fact, hate pop music. I just hate bad pop music. That's a whole different thing.