Theodore Adorno's Essay On Popular Music

Case Study #1 With the essay, On Popular Music, Theodore Adorno theorized that the average American was simply a mindless machine, programed with the popular music they found comfort in. Furthermore, Adorno speculated that all popular music was nothing but the same song with minor changes. This repetition puts people at ease and allows the songs themselves to have a degree of control over the listener. The control is then perfected through a number of effects including glamour, baby talk, rhythm, and the most important plugging. The idea of controlling music can be seen in the popular song Sleepyhead, by Passion Pit. Sleepyhead, while never quiet making it to the Billboard top 100 still reached major mainstream success, making it a pop
The second singer has the sticky sweet voice of the original vocals but at a lower pitch. The change in vocals is accompanied by a repetitive beat making the song more natural. The vocals are kept around the same note throughout the remainder of the song and are always harmonized with the same music, and in this sense the framework is similar to that of countless other songs. However the breaks in vocals allow the music to change slightly, these are the details that are described in the essay. It is these details that are the more stimulatory part of the song. The music is the same throughout the song but during the breaks it is built upon with more synthesized sounds that add dynamism. The new sounds engage the listener and “evince stronger reactions to the part. (pg.18)”
In the case of Sleepyhead, the music that accompanies the vocals is catchy, and electric. These sounds are the, “over-sweet sound colors, functioning like musical cookies and candies (pg. 30)” Adorno described. The song is like endorphins released into the listeners brain, it creates euphoria and leaves them craving for more. The tune is simply upbeat and easy to digest. It acts as a release from the stresses and makes the listener want to