Not even Europop is safe...

I particularly don't follow pop or am up-to-date on which artist is doing which, who stole who's coke or whose lovey-dubby song is dedicated to whom. I do, however, notice when Pop in the United States is no longer pop. It seems the US got desperate, hired a 5 cent European hussy and after it was all said and done, it keeps coming back for more. We've seen it happen in movies: Abre los Ojos is Vanilla Sky and America has embraced Sean Connery, Kate Beckinsale, Heidi Klum and The Office as one of their own. David Beckham spraked a fever for 'football' and one of America's most downloaded amateur porn videos is One Night in Paris (ok, not European but it fits the theme).

Pop in the United States is now an extension of European Dance or Europop. America's innovation in Pop died right around the time Britney went crazy, N'Sync broke up, Madonna turned to Kabala and Posh Spice was welcomed to LA with open arms. For those Chronologically gifted, they will point out that those events took places months even years apart but my point is this: Pop is dead. Nietzche saw it coming and Nostradamus wrote about it in his book, between his predictions of Tom Cruise going nuts and rise in popularity fluorescent plastic sunglasses. I have included a short playlist to give everyone a little taste of what I am talking. There are three parts to the playlist: what pop just to be, what pop now is and the Europop/dance songs the new pop songs where inspired on or sound like. Bare in mind two things. First: Some of the european versions have been around for as long as Abba (literally). Second: Madonna was always seen as somewhat of a musical daredevil in the United States but by European standards, she's JC Chasez without Justin (and just like him, All Day Long she thinks about sex... poor A-Rod... or is it Her Rod...?). Anyway - 

First, what pop just to sound like:

Now, sadly for the venerable American Institution which is Pop, here is what Pop has become. 

Calabria isn't a straight up pop offspring BUT it has gained the following usually reserved for Pop in the United States.  Target used it for a revamp ad campaign. A year or so ago, this would have been Britney or Christina strutting their stuff (in all fairness, Christina Aguilera IS on the new Target ads too but can this really be consider like her old pop stuff?)

Allow me to clarify, I very much enjoy the new life pop has adopted. Pop is an adult now, it can make decisions for itself and date whomever it wants, dress however it wants. Maybe we'll find it happily enjoying i's life three years from now in a quiet suburban neighborhood basking in success OR we may find it laying in a ditch somewhere in the streets of Newark asking with mud on its face, trembling and offering itself cheap to whoever will listen so that it can buy its next hit of fame. However Pop's life evolves from here, it only fair to say that I like the new Eurodance/pop style its adopted. It is far better than staying where it was and thankfully, it did cave in to peer pressure and listen to its emo friend Punk.

I am merely pointing out what Pop has become while a tiny, almost imperceptible tear trickles down my cheek in memory of the Pop we grew up with. 

Here are the songs American Pop had intercourse with and thus resulted in what we hear now in the radio:

Everything from the electric chords, the generous use of heavy bass usually reserved for techno/house and the filtered or synthesized vocals, the 'new' pop is entirely Europop.  A simple, repetitive chorus and the 'club feel' of many of the songs marks the death of traditional American Pop. If you ask me, it all started with:

Ain't globalization a bitch Pop? Deal with it!